84 Of Poor- Laws, continued. Bk, iiiv 



but it is difficult to conceive that these men would 

 not save a part of their high wages for the future 

 support of their families, instead of spending it in 

 drunkenness and dissipation, if they did not rely on 

 parish assistance for support in case of accidents. 

 And that the poor employed in manufactures con- 

 sider this assistance as a reason why they may spend 

 all the wages which they earn, and enjoy them-: 

 selves while they can, appears to be evident, from 

 the number of families that, upon the failure of 

 any great manufactory, immediately fall upon the 

 parish ; when perhaps the wages earned in this 

 manufactory while it flourished, were sufficiently 

 above the price of common country labour, to 

 have allowed them to save enough for their sup- 

 port till they could find some other channel for 

 their industry. 



A man who might not be deterred from going 

 to the ale-house from the consideration that on his 

 death or sickness he should leave his wife and 

 family upon the parish, might yet hesitate in thus 

 dissipating his earnings, if he were assured, that 

 in either of these cases his family must starve, or 

 be left to the support of casual bounty. 



The mass of happiness among the common 

 people cannot but be diminished, when one of the 

 strongest checks to idleness and dissipation is 

 thus removed ; and positive institutions, which 

 render dependent poverty so general, weaken 

 that disgrace which, for the best and most hu- 

 mane reasons, ought to be attached to it. 



The poor-laws of England were undoubtedly 



