Star. — London, England, 1817-04-09 00:00:00

mechanism must be rendered subservient, Instead of being applied at present to supersede it." To conduct a change so important. and of such Vital necessity to our well-being, demands a comm. behave view, and an accurate knowledge of the real state of society. The measure should be well considered with re. spect to its present bearings and connexions, and its consequences traced by minds uninfluenced by pre • jodices of party or of class. The circumstances of the times render a change in our internal polity respecting the poor and work ing classes absolutely necessary ; And the first ques tion to be decided by every man of all rinks is, shall the alteration be made under the guidance of mode-i radon and wisdom, foreseeing and gradually pre paring each step, one regularly after another, thereby preventing a single premature advance—or shall the change be effected by ignorance and prejudice, under the baleful influence of the angry and violent pas sions ? Should these prevail, then will the truly dis interested, those whoa* ardent wish is to ameliorate the condition of mankind, withdraw from the con test, and society be involved in confusion. But, surely, the experience of past ages, and particularly of the last twenty-five years, will have taught men , wisdom, and prepared the minds of all for a calm , and dispassionate inquiry—how the evils which' at present afflict society can best be remedied. I proceed, therefore, with the subject, and shall i endeavour to shew in what manner advantageous! employment can be found for all the poor and work- , lag classes, under an arrangement which will permit mechanical improvement% to be carried to any extant. Under the existing laws the unemployed working.j classes are maintained by, and consume part of, the ! property and produce of the wealthy and industrious, while their powers of body and mind remain unpro- ductive. They frequently acquire the bad habits which ignorance and idleness never fail to produce; they amalgamate with the regular poor, and become a nuisance to society. Most of the poor have received bad and Ticions 4 habits from their parents; and so long as.the present treatment continues, those bad and vicious habits will be transmitted to their childien, and through them to succeeding generations. Any plan, then, to ameliorate their condition must prevent bad and vicious habits from being Wight to their children, and provide the means by which only good and useful ones may 1* given to them. The labour of some individuals is far mere valuable than that of others ; and this arisen principally from the training and instruction they receive. Means should therefore be 'devised to give dia l most useful training and instruction to the children of the poor. The same quantity and quality of labour under one direction, will produce a much more valuable result than under another. It is necessary then that the labour of the poor should be exerted under the best. • One mode of management as to their expendi. Lire will create many more advantages and comforts than another. • ' Such arrangements should therefore be made in this department as should produce the largest bene fits at the smallest expense. Most of the vices and misery of the poor arise from their being placed under circumstances, in which their apparent interest, and their apparent duty are op posed to each other ; and in consequence of their being surrounded by unnecessary temptations which they had not been trained to overcome. , It would therefore be a material improvement in the management of the poor; to place them under sue circumstances as would obviously unite their real interest and duty, and remove them from unne cessary temptation: ' Under this view of the subject. any. plan for the amelioration of the poor should combine means, to prevent their children from acquiring bad habits. and togive them good ones—to provide useful training . and.inatruction for them—to provide proper labour for the adults—to direct their labour and expendi. tare, so as to provide the greatest benefit tn them . seises and so society; and to plate them,tdider such ciriumstances as shall remove them WWI unnecessary temptations,ind dimly unite theirinterest and duty. These advantages cannot be gives either to indi viduals, or families, separately, or to large congre. gated numbers. • 'They can be effectually introduced into practice only under arrangements that :mould unite in one establishment a • population of from 500 to 1,500 person, averaging abeam 1,000. I now sobsek to the Committee the following plan, founded on the foregoing principles; which, it is pre sumed, will combine all the advantages dist - have been enumerated, add, in progress of time, lead to many. others of equal importance. As the seeming novelty of the plan might possibly induce a hasty or premature decision respecting it on the part of those who have not had.much prgetical capering* among the poor, of Who may be ender the oadoenes of some favourite theory of political mammy, to which* utight . oear to be ,OPpesedr. 41 beg tweabasit It as the teak of dad* toenail, among the poor and wmalng chasm* da 'stens)", seek, for terepty•five years ; and during which the moot Unceasing attention)** beep directed to'lliteever the prlMary.eauses of their-poverty and misery ,and the best menus of providing a remedy for births A . casual or superficial consWeration of - the plea now proposed cannot bet' expected to impart a stilt/ chat knowledge of the various bedeficial reanka.et such a combination; or to form . the mead of mu eatable opinion as to its practicability. • ' " • • • I now beg leave to solicit the **Mks .. arthe Committee to the drawings and' taptaanaliii which accompany thig Report. ••• They sue intended to represent isquare of building sufficient to accommodate about 1200 persons,. and be surrounded by a quantity of land, from =--- to .—. acres. Within the square are public buiWings. which divide it into two parrallelogragas. I.lle can. tral building cootaint a public kitchen, mess rooms, , and all the acCommodation necessary to economical and comfortable cooking and eating,. To the right , of this is a building of which the first floor will form the infant school, and the other a lecture room and , j place of worship. • 4 , The building to the left contains a school for the . , older children and re Committee-room on the first , door, above a library and a room for adults: In the I vacant space within-the square are inclosed grounds 't foe exercise and recreation 1 these indosures to have trees planted in them. It is intended that three sides of the square shall be lodging-houses for the married Poor, consisting of four rooms in each. Each room to be sufficiently large to accommodate a men, his wife, and two children. The fourth side is deigned for dormitories for all the children - exceeding two in a family, or above three years of age. In the centre of this site of the square are apart ments for those who superintend the dormitories; at one extremity of it the infirmary, and at the other a building for- the accommodation of strangers who may come from a distance to see their friends and relatives.. In the centres of two sides o( the squares I are apartments for general superintendents, and in the third are store rooms, for all the articles required for the use of the establishment. „ On the outside and at the back of the houses around rte spare arc gardens, bounded as the drawings re present by roads.. Imusediatfy ; beyond these on one side, are build ings for nolchairical and manufacturing purposes, slaughter-house; &c. separated from the establish ment by plantations. At the other side are offices for washing, bleach ing, &c. and at a still greater distance from the , square are two farming establishments, with conve niences for malting, brewing, and corp-mills. etc. laround these are cultivated inclosures, pasture lands, &c. the hedge rows of which to be planted with fruit 1 trees. The plan represeuted is on a scale considered to be sufficient to accommodate about one thousand two hundred person.. And.these are to be supposed men, women,- and i children a all ages, capacities, and dispositions; most of them very ignorant ; many with bad and vicious habits, possessing only the ordinary bodily and men tal faculties of human beings i and who require to be supported out of the funds appropriated to the maintenance of the Poor—individuals who are at pre sent not only useless and a direct' burthen on the public, but whose moral influence is highly prrni. cious, since they are the medium by which ignorance and certain classes of vicious habits and crimes are fostered and perpetuated in society. It is evident, that ediile the poor are suffered to remain under ise circumstances in which they have hitherto existed, they, and their children, with very few exceptions, teal continue unaltered to succeeding generations. In order to effect any radically beneficial change in their character, they must be removed front the in fluence of such circunsitances, and placed under those which, being congenial to the natural constitution of man, and the well-being of society, cannot fail to produce that amelioration in their condition, which all classes have so great an interest in promoting. Such circumstances, after incessant application to the subject, I have endeavoured to combine in the arrangement of the establishment represented in the drawings, so•far as the present state of society will permit. These I will now attempt to explain more particularly. Each lodging-room is to accommodate a mats, his wife, and two children under three years of age; aid to be such as will permit them to have much more comfort than the dwellings of the poor usually aifwe. It is intended that the children above three years. of age should attend the school, eat in the mess-room, and sleep in the dormitories,- the parents being of course permitted to see and converse , with them s meals, and all other propel times. That before they leave school they shall be well instructed in all ne cessary and useful knowledge; that every possible means should be adOpted to prevent the acquirement of bad habits, from their parents or otherwise; that no pains should be spared toimpress upon them sorb habits and dispositions as may bemost conducive to their happiness through life, as well as render ahem useful and valuable members of the community to, which they belong. It is proposed that the womep should be employed in the first place, in the care of their infants,. and in keeping their dwellings in the best order —2dly, in cultivating the gardens to raise vegetables for the supply of the public kitchen—Sdly, in attending to such of the branches of the various manufactures as women can well undertake; but not to be employed more than four or five 'boors in the day-4thly, in making up clothing for the inmates of the establish ment—Sthly, in attending occasionally, and in rota• tion, in the public kitchen, mess rooms, and dormito ries; and, when properly instructed, in superintend-,,1 ins some parts of the education of the children in the schools. It is proposed that the elder children should be trained to assist in gardening and manufacturing fur a portion of the day, according to their strength . ; and that the men should Se employed, all of them, in agriculture, and also-in manufactures, or some other occupation, fur the benefit of the establishment. The ignorance of the poor, their ill training, and want of a rational education, make it necessary that throe of the presen t generation shoild be actively and regularly occupied through the day in some essentially useful work ; yet in such a manner, as that disk em ployment should be *healthy and productive. The plan which has bile despihed will most amply ad. apt of ihis.-- In ordsietiara• some practical idea of ' the expenses that would be incurred in founding seek an establishment for 1200 persons, the following items are submitted : 'RMS Off WJ$$Ll FOR FORMING AN ISTABLISII. NWT PO& TWILVS NUM= MN, woauts, AND =ULMER. It the Lindh. pnrcbastd 1100 Acres el Land, ae alleper Acre , - seali,ooo Lakin Armaments fee 1,11110 persons - 17,000 '1 brae Piddle Maw wields the Square - 14000 Uswatereery, firS f le ta irs, and Washing Mute 1,000 iallashlng SOS Mas i at AI each - 11,4100 livnieldng Mem, ' and Donnkerles . - gone "Itesia 7 llo•l Rololetiolinosge °nth Corn MA MAi . and lielsoMg Appendages • ' - . - 0,000 Mahlon Ms leterlor of IM keine and Roads - 11,000 block rue the ham ander Spade Cultivation - 4,0111 Contingencies and Rivas . . . - GAM _-TI t ei t# 3°6 .Which bring divided by £1,200, gives a capital to be adianced of £BO per head, or at 5 per cent. per annum, 44 each per year; Thus, at so small an expense as a rental of £4 Or bead, may these uartnßloyed poor bc pot into a condition to Maintain themselves. and, as may be easily conceived, quickly to reply the capital advari ced it thought necessaty. But, if wit bad be rented, day £BO,OOO capital would be required. There ere several seetillilphieh this ptaa may be effected. It may be arreoniplished by individuals, by parishes, by countries, by districts, Itc. comprising more coin: ties than one, and by the nation at large through its government. Some may prefer one mode, some another; and it would be advantageous certainly to have the experience of the greatest variety of parti cular modes, in order that the plan which such di. venified practice should prove to be the best, might afterwards be generally adopted. It ma y therefore be put into execution by any parties, according to their own localities and views. The first thing necessary is to raise a sum of money adequate to purchase the land (or it may be rented) to build a square, manufactories, farm-houses, and their appendages, to stock the farm, and provide every thing to pat the whole in motion. Proper persons must be procured to superintend the various departments, until others should betraieed in the establishment to supply their places. The labour of the persona admitted may then be applied to procure a comfortable support for them selves and their children, and to repay, as might be feted, the capital expended on their e sta bli s h ment . When their labour shall be thus properly and tem perately directed, under an intelligent system, easy of practice, it will soon be found to be more than sufficient to supply every reasonable want of man. How wails and useless to acknowledge the truth of the principle that men may be trained to produce more than they will consume, unless the means shall be de vised by which the principle may be carried into practice I The period is arrived when it may be caret advantageously put into practice. And the period it. also arrived when the state of society imperiously re quires the adoption of some measures to relieve the wealthy and industrious from the increasing burthenk of the poor's rate, and the poor trout their increasing misery and degradation. It is impossible to find language sufficiently strong to express the inconsikency, as well as the injustice, of our present proceedings towards Ole poor and work ing classes. They are tilt in gross ignorance. They are permitted to be trained up in habits of vice wind in the commission of crimes; and, as if purposely to keep them in ignorance and vice. and goad them on to commit criminal acts, they are perpetually spr roanded with temptations which cannot fail to pro duce all those effects. The system, or rather want of system, which ex ists with regard to the management of the poor, has been emphatically condemned by a long and painful experience. The immense sums annually raised for their relief are lavished in utter disregard of every principle of public justice or economy. They offer greater reward or idleness and vice than for industry and virtue; auJ thus directly operate to increase the degradation and misery of the classes whom they are designed to serve. No sum, however enormous, administered after this manner, could be productive of any other result : rather will pauperism and wretchedness in. crease, along with the increase of an expenditure thus applied. The poor and unemployed working classes, how ever cannot, moat not, be abandoned to their fate, jest the consequences entail misfortune on us all. In stead of being lett as they now are, to the dominion off ignorance : and to the influence of circumstances which are fatal to their industry and morals—e situa tion in which it is easy to perceive the inefficacy, or rather** injuriousness of granting than a provision in k mere pecuniary shape—they .should, on the con trary, be afforded the means of procuring a certain and comfortable subsistence by their labour, under a system which will not only direct that labour and ks earnings to the best advantage. but, at the same time, place them under circumstances the most favourable to the growth of tweak and of happiness. In shirt, instead of allowing their habits to proceed under the worst influence possible, or rather as it were to be left to chance, thus producing unintentionally crimes that render necessary the severities of our penal code—e let a system for the prevention of pauperism and of crimes be adopted, and the operation of our penal code will soon be restricted to very narrow limits. The outlines of such a plan, it is presumed, have been, however imperfectly, suggestedind sketched in this Report. It may be hoped that the Government of thiscoun try is now sufficiently alive to the necessity of aban doning the principle on which all our legislative mea sures on this subject have hitherto proceeded : for no thing short of this cut place the Empire in perma nent safety. Until the preventive principle shall be come the basis of legislative proceedings, it will be vain to look for any measures beyond partial tempo ray expedients, which will leave society unimproved, or inviilve it in a much worse state. If such should be the conviction of Government, the change proposed in the management of the poor and unemployed working, classes will be much better directed nationally than ptivately. In fact, many of the benefits to be derived to so. eiety at large sill not be realized until the plan be. dome national. Should the practical outline, which is now sub mitted, be approved., and. engage the attention of Parliament, the nest consideration would be, in what manner it may be carried into effect with - the least loss of time, and without immediate or future injury to the resources of the country. The money necessary tor founding Establishments on the principle of the Plan now proposed, may be obtained by consolidaties the Funds of son)e of the Public Charities; by equalizing the rate, and bor rowing on their security 40 . The Poor, including those belonging to Public Charities, should be made national. Hence will arise a superabundance of funds and labour. The country should be surveyed, and the best situations for these agricultural and ma nufactories establishments be ascertaiced. • Such as can be the mosteasily procured, in various parts of the kingdom, should be f a i r l y va l ued. and eittrchared by the nation, on perpetual lease, or other wise, and be properly laid out by competent persons for the purposes required. The labour of the poor and unemployed may be most advantageouily ap plied to the execution of every part of the work, under • Or the toads may be raised by horrowleg of Individual. who have new a sorplos capital unemployed ; by borrowing from the Sinking Fund; er br any other Guancial arrangement that may be deemed preferable. The establishment* rapidly increasing in vales by the labour ut the Individuals on the land s will soon become a sulkient security for a large proportion of the nuoiey that any be expended la on mhos% 'the direction of proper-persons appointed to sui tend the various departments. Nothing new would be required ; all that could wanted is in daily practice all over the kingdom. The land and houses would not only possess ?it( original• worth, but as the plan advanced, both W - .11 materially increase in value, and all the districts , the neighbourhoods of these communitie. would p take of the general amelioration which they could not fail to introduce in a very extensive degree. When these arrangements shall be adopted ar , J carried into execution—and sooner or liter they n,u, t be—in order to permanently relieve the national dn. tresses, new end extraordinary consequences w i ll follow. The real value of the land and lab-uts rise, while all the productions of land anJ lab( ur w :I fall; mechanism will be of more extensive worth 4 , 1 ,; benefit to society; every encouragement L, given to its extension, and its extension ad infinitsim, but only in aid of, and not in coayezizi‘a with, human labour. A summary of the advantages to be derived f,rm the execution of such a plan may be presented the following heads:- 4. Estpwisire as such a system for the unemployed ploy any appear to a superficial observer, it will be Mumd on mature la. ♦estiption, by those who tndere*and all the l 011) quencrt of mat a combination, to be by far the most tcmomlcal that ba. Itt been devised. L Many of the unemployed poor are now in a stat: of r - iss ignorance, and have been trained in bad h tbi r—eons, underthe present system, are likoly to contmue for end:.,. rations. The arrangements rropored (ler the most in a manner gratffying to all the parties insert-Led, and s. even Mind mind, of overcoming bath their ignorance and their unit habits, in one generation. S The greatest evils In satiety arise from onitikind tidined in prindples of disunion. The proposed rat agree nary to Mite men in the pursuit of common objects rt,r their mutual benefit, by presenting an easy practicable pl.t a for gradmillt w . th. dirliwing the must-s 01 . difference among intlividuats, and of .nik• ing their interest and duty very gen rally the sam.. 4. This system will aka afford , the most simple al , ' ff.e.431 means of giving the brit habits and senfintents to all ;rti of 'the unemployed poor, according as society shall he eh,. to determine what habits and sentiments, or what diameter, iseg t 10 be given to them. _ _ 5. It will likewise offer the most powerful means of inior.iy log the habits and general conduct of the present unen4loy,,l adult poor, who have beets grossly neglected by society from ti.cr infancy. • _ _ _ 11. owjng to the peculiar arrangement of the plan, it will give to the poor, in return for their labour, more valuable, ►ubstan. IW, and permanent comfort, than they have ever yet been able to obtain. . 7. In one generation it will supersede the necessity for poor ryes, or any pecuniary gifts of charity, by preventing any one from being poor, or subject to such unnecessary drgra Leon. S. It will offer the means of gradually increasing the don of such unpopulous districts of Europe and America as may be deemed necesaary, and of enabling a much greater poi•.ulaticra to soloist In comfort on a given spot, if requisite, than existed before; in short, of increasing the strength and political ;omit of the country in which it shall be adopted, more than tenfold, 9. It is so easy, that It may be put into practice with let lity and nankin than are necessary to estalitth a new manefttc. tavola a new situation. Many individuals of ordinary taints have fanned establishments which possess cunibinstions ranch tastes crimple& ld fact, there would not be any thing requital which is not dolly performed In common society, and whites, der the proposed arrangement, might not be much more racy aecomplished. 10. It will effectually relieve the manufacterlog and labour:mg Poor from their present deep distress, without violently or pre. seater* interfering with the existing Institutions of society. 11. It will permit mechanical inventions and improvements to be carried to any extent. for by the proposed arrangement every iwovensent in mechanism would be rendered subearvient to, sad In aid of. human labour. lab, and lastly. Every port propriety would be essentially be nelked by this'ehange In the condition of the poor. Some Oa, (vended oa mei pHnelphe as have boo developed herein, ap point alosohneby necessary to secure that well-being of society ; al wall as so prevent the adliktlng optetsele of thousands pining to want, and eneldot a sqierabondanee of means, to well.traht, ens. ate, employ, and support in comfort, a population of at least four times the present numbers. THE EVENING STAR. \ LONDON. - 7 WEDNESDAY, APRIL 9, 1817. !RICE OF STOCKS THIS DAY AT TWELVE O'CLOCK; Reduced 'MO 73 ex. dlv.-4 per Cent. Si ea die. 3 per Cent. Navy, 103 3 f —lndia Sends 63 63 pr. Cou. meaty, 73ef—for see. 74—for May 74 Exelbesser 144. to las. prem. It is now reported, with great confidence, that it has. at length been resolved by Ministers to propose a Tax of twenty per cent. upon the property of all Absentees. Such a measure would certainly be a popular one i nor do we see any solid objections that could be proposed against it. There may, however, be some that have not occurred to us. The gloss attempted to be put upon the quarterly statement of the Revenue and the charges upon it, by an over-officious Journal, has become the subject of general reprehension. Every friend to his country would rejoice to see the income once more exceeding the expenditure of the country ; especially if levita without pressing too severely on the necessaries, nnt to say the comforts, of the community. But svil.rt end can be gained by dituising for a day a fact which no artifice can conceal for forty-eight hours Whecan be served by such an imposition but stock jobbing speculators, to whose operations the false hoods of even a single hourmay be made subservient.' The statement alluded to, which would have been fallacious in its conclusions, even if its items had been correct, was erroneous in the latter to no less as amount than £838,90 ; for it is admitted, that the Land Taxes (read Land Tax) of the first quarter of 1817 should have been stated at £154,550, and the £993,493, which stood tinder that head, should have been entitled, as we supposed it should, ifrreart cf PropertyTaxl This we did, and do consider as a rwi.• take ; but the conclusions were not mistakes, but fallacies, pronounced as" most important" proefs () a large surplus, and as' the best answer to all cro.dcers.'t Taken as an illustration of the present state of the country compared with that of last year, to Vt!l3t a different result are we led from the one intended by the writer ! Some war-taxes now rendered permAr.c.:t (the amount of which is still not si , ciried) are tales in tinder the head of Customs, to lw compared with the sum under that head in another )ear, sr 4 r l those taxer, a: thes temporary. xo:re not r::Lreyli —Maly st million is brought in, as arrears of Pic,- F! Ipiet:3. ttld' e ` i on. s !lit* tr. - 0.1!• 1 iris ;., could I anj 41 di,. 6 will ~1 Is vtid trrlll It Att,!, t: 4 3T le ( 1, K oil urr I. of mit yet f rn4s %Wait. ' f"rx. rya, td MU:1141 y 4 .n3k. rree'.l4l h.I :tut 1 0 rmg t tl.&' 31 tire absten. ro able sr poor ny one x);;Ull. ae may ulsokri existed poonr trait e.s 3111 i fn. taletas I ouch equi•ol easily tour!ig or pre. lents Is t every rent !u, illy be. we plan, ap- tey ; as ioing to Nude. tut tour )CK