420 Of the Necessity of general Bk, iv. 



All relief in instances of distress, not arising 

 from idle and improvident habits, clearly comes 

 under this description ; and in general it may be 

 observed, that it is only that kind oi systematic and 

 certain relief, on which the poor can confidently 

 depend, whatever may be their conduct, that 

 violates general principles in such a manner as to 

 make it clear that the general consequence is 

 worse than the particular evil. 

 . Independently of this discriminate and occasi- 

 onal assistance, the beneficial effects of which I 

 have fully allowed in a preceding chapter, I have 

 before endeavoured to shew, that much might be 

 expected from a better and more general system 

 of education. Every thing that can be done in 

 this way has indeed a very peculiar value ; be- 

 cause education is one of those advantages, which 

 not only all may share without interfering with 

 each other, but the raising of one person may 

 actually contribute to the raising of others. If, 

 for instance, a man by education acquires that 

 decent kind of pride and those juster habits of 

 thinking, which will prevent him from burdening 

 society with a family of children which he cannot 

 support, his conduct, as far as an individual in- 

 stance can go, tends evidently to improve the 

 condition of his fellow-labourers ; and a contrary 

 conduct from ignorance would tend as evidently 

 to depress it. 



I cannot help thinking also, that something 

 might be done towards bettering the situation of 

 the poor by a general improvement of their cot- 



