$52 
week, during his occupation of such 
holds” I believe such an Act as this, 
making the penalty 101. per week, would 
tend to relieve the poor’s rate, and’re- 
duce the price of provisions, with more 
certainty than can ever be expected from 
the well-meant. endeavours of all our 
prime breeders and speculative agricultu- 
rists. 
Relief of the Poor—That the 
poor-iaws, in- respect of relief, had 
their commencement in wisdom and 
humanity, is certain; the helpless 
young and old, unprovided for and un- 
protected, have a natural claim on the 
community, of which they are members, 
for succour in their necessities; a claim 
to be fulfilled, and not trusted to the 
chance of private benevolence. But 
though the extremes of age, as well as 
casual infirmity, be fair claimants of help 
in their distress, it becomes a question of 
some moment, how much further paro- 
chial relief should be allowed: it cer- 
tainly should not be extended so far as to 
damp the actual exertion of the poor, by 
holding out ind:scrimmately to all the- 
able and unabie, willing and unwilling, a 
sure provision under all circumstances of 
apparent want; for if so, the able will be 
less solicitous to procure work, and the 
unwilling will, 1f possible, decline it when 
" offered; both induced, by this very pro- 
vision for their support in cases of real 
need, to prefer indolence to labour, a 
subsistence on the dole of public charity, 
or rather of public contribution, given 
with reluctance, and often with rebuke, 
to that obtained by the well earned 
wages of their own active efforts. ** The 
parochial fund should be rendered a sti- 
ulus to industry, not a boon for the en- 
couragement of idleness.” But it is 
most certain, that a compulsory allow- 
ance of relief to the able poor, in all in- 
stances of temporary privation of work, 
actsasa discouragement to their laying 
up something in store against a time of 
extremity, as a premium to idleness with 
all its evil consequences. Hence it has 
been said, that the very law that pro- 
vides for the poor increases their num- 
ber. 
The able pauper out of work, who gets 
an allowance of money, for the support 
of himself and family, from his parish of- 
_ficers, and which, if they cannot employ 
him, they dare not refuse, is almost 
compelled to a misemployment of his 
time, and of course of becoming an ex- 
ample to his neighbourhood of idleness 
and mischief. His allowance must needs 
be mthe lowest proportion to his wants, 
Observations on the Poor- Laws. 
[May 1, 
and to improve it he has recourse to il- 
legal practices, into which his whole fa- 
mily is initiated, going on progressively 
from beating hedges and fences for fuel, 
and pilfering loose articles, to stealing 
poultry and corn; poaching and smug- 
gling; and if, by these aids, a little ex- 
cess of money be gotten, it is commonly 
Spent at the alehouse, where congenial 
company and tippling soon confirm his 
disgust of regular labour. A few instances 
of this sort occuring in our parishes, and, 
I am sure, a great many such cases are 
continually occurring in most country 
parishes of any extent, must divert great 
numbers of the poor, yearly, out of the 
regular pursuit of industry, into those of 
trespass and outrage on the community. 
If we look back to the statute 43 Eliz. 
we shall find no provision made for pe- 
cuniary relief, but to such of the 
poor as are lame, impotent, blind, 
and unable to work; for all others who 
cannot maintain themselves and fami- 
lies, it commands the overseer to find 
employment, and thereby enable them 
to earn their living. The legislature by 
this statute meant to discourage all idle- 
ness among the able poor, both cbil- 
dren and adults, and that the unable 
should be relieved according to their ne- 
cessities, and provided, as far as human 
foresight could do, against any failure, 
in the execution of the provisions of the 
act, by 1st, subjecting the church- 
wardens and overseers of parishes to a 
penalty, for neglecting this duty of set- 
ting the poor to work ;—2dly, by enabling 
justices of the peace to tax other pa- 
rishes of the hundred; or, if those of 
the hundred were unable, of the county, 
in aid of any parish whose inhabitants 
could not levy sufficient sums among 
themselves ;—and 3dly, by authorising a 
commitment to the house of correction, 
or common goal, of such poor as would 
not employ themselves to work being 
appointed thereto. All the means, there- 
fore, which power and money could give 
were placed by this act in proper hands, 
for carrying a general plan of industry 
amony the necessitous poor into effect. 
It might seem wonderful with such a 
straivht line of duty before parish officers, 
that this important part of the statute 
should have become almost a dead let- 
_ter; and yet, owing to the causes before 
stated, as every overseer can ‘confirm, 
the requisite employment, notwithstand- 
the ample power given by this act, can- 
not with certainty be found, and advan- 
tageously exercised in single . parishes ; 
and, in consequence of it, the abuse of 
granting 
