
300 KIDD’S OWN JOURNAL. 

THE EXPANSIVE HEART. 

Tue HEART—the heart! oh! let it be 
A true and bounteous thing; 
As kindly warm, as nobly free 
As eagle’s nestling wing. 
Oh! keep it not like miser’s gold, 
Shut in from all beside; 
But let its precious stores unfold, 
In mercy far and wide. 
The heart—the heart that’s truly blest 
Is never all its own; 
No ray of glory lights the breast 
That beats for self alone. 
The heart—the heart! oh! let it spare 
A sigh for others’ pain; 
The breath that soothes a brother’s care 
Is never spent in vain. 
And though it throb at gentlest touch, 
Or sorrow’s faintest call, 
’T were better it should ache too much, 
Than never ache at all. , 
The heart—the heart that’s truly blest 
Is never all its own; 
No ray of glory lights the breast 
That beats for self alone. 

MISTAKEN CHARITY. 
ENCOURAGEMENT TO BEGGARS. 
THE WORLD IS FULL of strange characters. 
Some think,—some pretend to think; and 
others never think at all. They interpret 
everything they see literally ; and seem to 
imagine “allis for the best.” ‘These curious, 
silly people, do not injure themselves only ; 
it is society that suffers from their thought- 
less acts. 
Elsewhere (see article entitled ‘ Little 
Things”), we have hinted at certain sturdy 
beggars,—their wives, and children,—who 
go about soliciting alms to the perfect terror 
of respectable housekeepers. Since our re- 
marks have been in type, one of our con- 
temporaries (The Times), has taken notice 
of the same subject; and shown the im- 
propriety, as well as folly, of relieving 
mendicants. So pertinent are the observa- 
tions of the writer, that we shall embody in 
our columns some of the evils to which he 
justly directs attention. At ¢hzs season, they 
demand all the attention we can give them. 
Let us begin, by earnestly imploring all 
benevolent persons, of either sex (old or 
young), to take into their serious considera- 
tion the consequences of indiscriminate 
almsgiving to those pitiable objects who are 
to be met with at every turn in the streets 
of London. The adult portion of them are 
impostors almost to aman or woman. The 
case of the wretched, dwarfed children, who 
are turned adrift upon the pavement, stands 
upon a different foundation ; but let the hu- 
mane and charitable bear in mind that, in 
poimt of fact, the imdiscriminate almsgiver 


as the cornerstone of that nefarious system 
which results in the despatch of these little 
unfortunates on their daily quest. We do not 
say that with regard to them the fountains 
of charity should be dried up; but simply 
that the stream should run in a different 
channel from heretofore. 
See yonder tiny bundles of rags, with dirty 
feet protruded, covered with filth and chil- 
blains. These pale-faced little creatures— 
for they are in very truth human beings— 
heirs of immortality—have lain crouching 
here under the rails of St. Martin’s through 
the long hours of fog and frost. It gives 
asharp pinch to the heart of any man of 
ordinary humanity to pass them by, and 
leave so much real misery unassuaged. But 
mark the consequences of giving! It 2s just 
because alins are bestowed upon them, that these 
litle children are sent out day after day, and 
placed at their post as sentinels of misery. 
They derive no benefit from the little hoard 
of coppers which they may in the course of 
the day have collected. The money will be 
spent at night by their parents, or owners, 
in guzzling and gin. To be sure, a lucky 
quest may secure them immunity from stripes 
for that day only ; but to-morrow, they must 
resume their watch; and should the result 
be different, the heavy hand of brutality will 
be stretched out upon them as soon as they 
have sneaked back to the garret or cellar 
which is their home. 
When the abominable trade of child-ex- 
posure is starved out, there will be an end 
of the practice,—and not tillthen. The pence 
of the indiscriminately benevolent constitute 
the fund which maintains the system. The 
ladies and gentlemen who comfort themselves 
with the fag-end of the old sophism, that 
‘it is better to be imposed on for once, than 
to harden one’s heart for ever,” are the real 
patrons of the dealers in beggar-children. 
The poor little things are sacrificed for the 
luxury of a sentiment ! 
Now, are we not justified in turning round 
upon these gentlemen with their plush phy- 
lacteries,-—for surely the Pharisee must have 
had a stripe of warmer material for winter 
wear—and in saying, ‘“ If your charity could 
carry you thus far, why not a little further ? 
Why not meditate a little on the conse- 
quences of your acts? If it should give 
you a little more trouble to do real good than 
evil under the semblance of good, surely this 
should be no consideration with people who 
are actuated by such noble sentiments.” 
The answer, no doubt, will be in the form of 
a question,—‘ What are we to do?” The 
nearest policeman and the nearest police- 
court will soon solve the difficulty. 
The lady or gentleman who would be at 
the pains of following out one of these dis- 
tressing cases, would render more service to 


