The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1899-06-08
CURSED BY CHARITY, -
How an English Village Was Pau
periEed by . Gift Of Land,

How an English Village Was Pau
periEed by . Gift OF Land.
The well meaning citizen of one Of the
earlier Georgian rsigns left to the village
small tract Of ground for the pasturina
of ten cows, whose milk was to be given,
pint at time, to the deserving poor
at the place. In time the cows died, and
the vicar Of that day. who had the char.
ity in his control, rented the land as a
pasture for the cows of his neighbors,
who paid him 10 shillings, or $3.50, each
year for each COW that grazed there,
! Thus it came about that money instead
of milk began to be dispensed to the SO
called poor. Why there should have been
poverty to any considerable extent in a
village of 20 or "a houses in England's
days Of profitable agriculture, or whether
there. would have been any but for this
premium that was put upon it there,
who shall say? But time went on, and
not very long ago the rich men of some
busy manufacturing towns near by turn.
ed covetous eyes upon the beautiful vii
lage and began to buy land on which to
put up villas there. They bought the
pasture land, piece by piece, until at last
the poor of the village looked to a sum
of something like 100000 well and safe
ly invested.
The reader may be sure that the poor
multiplied proportionately to the growth
of this charity. Sadder tales than those
of the wrecks Of manhood who flung
themselves upon or were sucked in by
this charity could scarcely be conceived
Farming ceased to pay, it is true, but
from below the former farms the earth
began to yield rich mineral store and
work was made for people threefold as
numerous as the population of the orig
inal farming village. Cottages sprung up
In rows, even to the forming of a new
street or two, and earnest honest men
came there to labor. Today many of
these families have succumbcd to the
temptation of the local charity.
Today there Is in that little village
sqnnlor to match the worst in London,
Honest households have been transform
ed into families Of parasites, loafers and
drunkards, who will not work because
aims money comes more easily than
wages. The charity must be distributed.
If 1t is withheld today, It will be bigger
and more harmful later on. The kindly |
man who Is in charge Of 1t at present has
no alternative except to dole it out to |
whoever asks for 1t. Unfortunately he
is too credulous, too kindly, too much I
absorbed In other work, too honest, to
comprehend the wickedness of the peo-
pie who cringe to him for aims and laugh
in their sleeves as they take them. To.
day these parasites go to him with any
story they can invent when they merely
want the means for q debauch. A tale
Of sick wife, lie about a foreclosed
mortgage, or police court fine, or a
fiction about an accident to limb-lies
out Of whole cloth seven times in ten
suffice to get them an order for any sum
between 10 shillings and f5.
And what then? thinks the reader.
They sell the order to the shopkeeper, the
argest beneficiary of the charity, be-
.ause he operates as broker, cashne
he orders for as little as he thinks the
lolders will accept. Two shillings on n
shilling order, Or fl for f5, as am told,
$ how be discounts these tenders. With
What he gives them they get drunk,
The tale Of the poisoning of the vii.
nge by the gift of pasture land is well
Ouched for. 1t was told to me by
nan Of the highest standing in the vii
iSe, WIN ueciiEeS IL 10 De one IOTnl OF | r
n evil which assumes as many shapes
IL over England as endowed charity
Dundations can branch out into. Sooner
/ later England will put an end to these
estilcntial cndowments. 1t will not !
rove too difficult a task to people who '
'formed their pension system as they )
ID and who put the crown lands into q
lie public charge when the time for so
oing was ripe.-Julian Ralph in Provi.
ence Journal.