The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1895-08-10

a new thing. Remembering its spir-
it and its object, the "bread and the
circus" of old Rome can hardly be
considered as benevolence. Perhaps
the nearest approach to it was the
open handed hospitality Of the mon
asteries of medieval Europe, where
every travel worn wanderer was sure
of rest and refreshment to help him
on his way. The hospitals, like the
schools and colleges, were for the
most part established on private
foundations. State relief = and by
Estate" here I mean to say any polit-
ical unit-in every form. was abso-
lutely devoid of the spirit of benevo-
lence, for the very good reason that
it was dispensed in the exercise of
that most primitive of functions of
the State; that function to which we
owe our armies and navies, our forts
and arsenals-the function of pub
lie protection. The criminal, the
vagabond, the lunatic, the pauper,
and even the helpless aged, have
been regarded as public enemies,
with whom society was engaged in
perpetual warfare. Their treatment
was dominated by the war spirit, by
spirit of ruthless and brutal war,
devoid of even the excitement, the
enthusiasm, the music and banners,
the ardor and "glory with which we
mask the horrors of conflict with
foreign foe." For the most part, it
has been very cowardly as well as
a foolish war on -combatants,
without a gleam CT soldierly gener
osity to the vanquished, and resulting
mainly in the development of blind
vindictiveness on the one side and
deep degradation on the other.
Treatment of Poor and Insane.
1t may be objected that the State
provided insane asylums, work
houses and poor houses, as well as
prisons. The answer is that all were
built for the same purpose, "the pro-
lection of society,"" Prisons and poor
houses were administered land in
many places are SO stilI in the same
spirit by the same sort of people.
The same criminal magistrate who
commits the thief to the penitentiary
and striped suit, sends the worn out
old wash-woman to the work house
and a striped frock. In both cases
the dearest of human rights, personal
liberty. is denied; in both cases dis
grace, odium, degradation are in
ficted. All know we'll that until
recently it was the rule to consider
anything good enough for paupers
and prisoners" and to decry any pro-
test against foulness, neglect, abuse
and torture in these institutions as
"silly sentimentalism." 1t is signifi-
cant that one of the first effects of
the awakening of the social spirit in
philanthropy in America was the
utter abolition, first in Hartford,
Conn, and afterward in Brooklyn
and many other cities, of what was
known as outdoor relief" This
system, relic of the barbarous old
English poor laws, was originally
adopted because the poor house
would not hold all the paupers; its
most marked result was a constant
increase in pauperism. There wasn't
much pretense of "benevolence"
about it. Similarly has sentiment,
enlightened by knowledge, brought
about most encouraging reforms in
prison construction and management
and in the treatment of the insane,
the sick and the poor. We have even
progressed so far as to consider it
worth while, not as matter of be-
nevolence, but economically, and
from the point of public protection,
to try to reform young prisoners. At
such institutions as the Elmira Re-
formatory, in New York State, the
Cincinnati House of Refuge and the
Whittier School in California, results
regarded as simply marvellous have
been attained by training juvenile
offenders to the use of their hands in
manual arts and crafts. Here the
social spirit of philanthropy made a
large entering wedge.
1t demonstrated in degree the su-
periority from even the most cold
blooded view of material economy of
the ounce of prevention to the pound
of cure. The wedge was driven still
further in the same direction with the
Inauguration of the kindergarten
movement on anything like a general
scale. We are told that out of nearly
$4,000 children educated during the
past fourteen years in the San Fran
cisco kindarpa rfen0 0nlv nina have