Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1818-02-12

ny me universal consent al mankind but
hailed by The poor particularly, rs az
iordins then, new paradise ti,son earth.
Alas iiow short The foresight of human
knowledge How complete has been the
disappointment ct all Instead OF this
para''ise, HE poor have not only heen the
miserable slaves of untetiimy parish Dill &
GERS, but have been huddlcd into dens
for their reception. bcrcaved OF
every comfort, aud surrounded with every
thing which could add 10 the wretcled-
ness Of human existence -whilst il is sup
posed by the most obscrvant and iudicioas
political economists, that there is not
single beggar less in @. Britain, and GER
family not IN the city of London, i'm con
sequence OF these establishments vet
they are so thoroughly incorporated win
the whole political mass OF the country.
that human wisdom has hitherto been UNI
able 10 eradicate them, or to afford corr
peient substitute. Tks evil has now he
come so alarming TO the very existence OF
the government, that it has tor some time
occupied the attention OF The most pro-
found political economists and WHIST
they exhibit MANY different and opposi,e
speculatioUc, as TO The causes, they al!
unIie IN opinion as 10 The effects That the
system has not answered the object of lis
original institution, and that II battles the
wisdom OF the whole nation to afford a
competent remedy. This Institution is
founded precisely upon the prjnciple of
The proposed system of publ, education.
hut upon Infinitely better pretexts. il is
founded upon the principle of absoying
man from The great duty of providing for
hls own subsistence, and undertaking 10
do II Tor Kim III certain extreme cases by
The government. These were only extreme
cases, IN which II was supposed, il was
physically Impossible thai The indiyidnat
could pruli1le subsistence for tie preser
walton OF his life AMI then only vas he
entitled 10 receive from th. public The
Smallest morsel Ofihe coarsest food. which
would serve TO sustain this wretciled ex
istence. Ii is not wonderful then. in cases
so extreme, that all mankind weuld at
once concur IN lie wisdom, as we'll as In
the bencvoience OF The prov ision; vet ex-
perience has demonstrated, that ali would
have beenmis,aken; that n,an could not be
trusted with even this wrelcbcd substitute
In the performance of his individual du
ties. Inns was case the most extreme
that could occur-that the government
should give 10 The poor the merest pit
lance that could serve To sustain his life.
Fortunately, from the peculiarly happy
condition ofthis country, ibis is not the
case under consideration here. In Great
Britain II was question whether the go
vernment should save the lives ofthe poor
here the question is, whether the 90
vernment shall educate the children of the
poor, and convert them into ladies and
gentlemen or AT least, to afford them
the rudiments of the Accomplishments to
become such. Most of the poor in G.
Britain are rendered so from an over
crowded population, compared TO the
quantity of food produced for lis subsist
ence; and from the want of employment.
III consequence of all the scenes of labor
being pre- occupied Here none ought TO
be deemed poor, but the iInsound i'm mind
or body because III years even of the
greatest scarcity, there is always produ-
ced great surplus of food, beyond what
would be sufficient TO sustain the whole
population II and because labor is dear,
and In great and constant demand. None
of the scenes of labor are full, except the
learned professions-these are overflow
ing yet AN addition is to be made. by
this system, TO the supernuneraries' bv
drawing persons from other scenes Of
labor
But case more in point, within our
own country, Immediately within our own
view, enforces The admoniioll oflbe ex-
perience ofGreat Britain. The poor-laws
of Virginia were founded upon the same
principle with those of Great Britain
But vast Improvements 10 the condition,
OF the poor were made in the manner of
their execution. The poor here were ex-
emPted from labor, and boarded comfort.
ably IN decent private families, atfhc eS-
pence of the country. VIVA; has beentIle
actual effect of this absoluion from ndi-
vldual duty, and premium upon idrnessl
SO many were found TO avail themselves
OF this un"ise benevOlence, that some of
The counties have lately adopted tleexp
dent Of poor-houses, and OF putting The
poor 10 labor. What have been The ef
fecis II is said, that many of the in
cumbeGts have found out that thev were
mistaken III their conditi0n-liiat they
were lazy, but not technically poor; and
prefer working at their own pleasure. to
other necessary ware and stuff, to set the poOr
to work."
Upon this act, Mathns remarks:
What is this but SAYING that the funds for
the maintenance of labor in this country NAV
he increased al will, and without limit. bv a
Tat OF government. or an assessment OF The
OveTGeers Strictly speaking, this clause is "a
arrogant and absurd as if il had enacted
that two ears of wheat should in future grow
where. only one had grown before. Canntc.
when he commended the waves not TO wet his
princely feet, did not in reality assume
greater power over the laws of mature"
lie proceeds TO assert that this act never
was, and never could be executed; but from
ITS operations. as far as il has been atier7.ted
To BIZ executed, the most mischievons conse>
gnences have accrued to the British naiion.--
The experience of Great Britain ought to
teach every nation to have as few poor as pos.
sisle shut Virginia seems determined to invert
this awful lesson of experience, and to have as
many as possible and to arrange thcin into
classes. Where this classification will end.
cannni he Told huf Ii knlri,,s ,riih i...l.