Ch. viii. of the Poor-Laws proposed. 345 



their suffering any injury, how many individuals 

 there are, who, not being very fond of their wives, 

 or being tired of the shackles of matrimony, would 

 withdraw from household cares and difficulties, 

 and resume their liberty and independence as sin- 

 gle men! But the consideration that children 

 may suffer for the faults of their parents has a 

 strong- hold even upon vice; and many who are in 

 such a state of mind, as to disregard the conse- 

 quence of their habitual course of life, as far as 

 relates to themselves, are yet greatly anxious that 

 their children should not suffer from their vices 

 and follies. In the moral government of the world, 

 it seems evidently necessary, that the sins of the 

 fathers should be visited upon the children ; and 

 if in our overweening vanity we imagine, that we 

 can govern a private society better by endeavour- 

 ing systematically to counteract this law, I am in- 

 clined to believe, that we shall find ourselves very 

 greatly mistaken. 



It' the plan which I have proposed were adopted, 

 the poor's rates in a few years would begin very 

 rapidly to decrease, and in no great length of 

 lime would be completely extinguished; and yet, 

 as far as it appears to me at present, no individual 

 would be either deceived or injured, and conse- 

 quently no person could have a just right to com- 

 plain. 



The abolition of the poor-laws however is not of 

 itself sufficient ; and the obvious answer to those 

 who lay too much stress on this system is, to 

 desire them to look at the state of the poor in 



