The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1893-08-08
How the Poor Are Helped In Ireland.

no" tne fCOr arc hclpeQ IN lrclaHu.
We lately had occasion To refer to a vol
une Of consular reports regarding va
grancy and public charities in foreign coun-
tries. and we gave special attention to the
effective measures for the extirpation OF
tramps which had been taken in Germany
since the war OF 1870. OF equal interest to
Americans is the description OF the system
of poor relief which has been applied IN
ireland during the last half century. and
is likely to remain in operation until it Is
remodelled by a Dublin legislature.
Although. during the early decades OF this
century. 1t was generally recognized that
Ireland was greatly overpeopled. and that
consequently there WAS severe pressure
Of population upon the means Of sub
sistence. no attempt was made by the Brit
ish Parliament until 1888 to organize ar
rangements for the relief Of the widespread
restitution. In that year an act was
passed applicable to the whole Of Ireland.
which established certain districts or
unions, In each Of which a workhouse was
constructed. The government of the work.
house and the performance Of other duties
enjoined by the act were intrusted to a
number Of persons. constituting board OF
so-called guardians Of the poor" Half OF
these guardians are nominated by and
from the local Justices OF the Peace;
the other half are annually elected
by the rate payers In each division
of every union. The guardians. who,
it should be noted. are not paid for
their services. administer assistance in two
ways: first. inside the workhouse. and
secondly. at the dwelling place Of the
pauper. The former method Of dispensing
aid requires the pauper to live within the
enclosure Of the workhouse during the term
he is receiving succor. whereas the other
mode. known as outdoor relief. permits the
INDECENT person to remain In his own home.
and endeavor to obtain some means OF
livelihood. Practically. the first method Is
intended to feed and shelter habitual mend-
cants and Migrants, whereas the second
aims to relieve and encourage those whose
Indulgence Is casual, and who cannot be
described as professional paupers.
The repugnance OF the Irish poor to enter
a workhouse Is proverbial. Even the Off
cial reports. to which one would not look
for sentiment. bear witness to the fact that
many Of them prefer to die in utter desti-
tuition within their wretched cabins, rather
than let themselves be shut up for the rest
Of their lives in workhouse. with the GER
tainty Of witnessing the severance OF all
domestic ties. This aversion to the work.
house is encouraged by the authorities. It
is the fundamental principle OF the admin
istration of indoor relief. that life in a
workhouse should be made repellant, and
to border as closely as possible upon act
ual want. The deliberate purpose Is to
excite such an aversion to the institution as
to keep out all those paupers who would re-
sort to 1t only to live In idleness at the ex-
pense Of the rate payers. Nevertheless. the
system OF indoor relief Ia more general in
Ireland than in England and Scotland; and
consequently the outlay per head OF the
poor relieved Is greater. mainly on account
OF the large administrative expenses in
volved. Thus. in 1889. the total expenditure
for poor relief in Ireland was S4235. 900, or
upward OF S6O0.OOO more than was laid out
for the same purpose in 1879. although the
country had greatly decreased in population
during those seventeen years. OF the whole
sum expended In 1889. less than 81. OOO. 900
was employed In dispensing assistance to
INDECENT persons who were lmpeled by self
respect and by their domestic affections to
cling to their humble dwellings, We may
| add that the aggregate number relieved
the year last named. was nearly 100000. or
almosy 100000 mora than received assist
| ance OF any kind from the guardians of the
poor in 1872. 1t seems impossible to recon-
Gle these figures with the assertion that