The Washington herald., 1909-01-31

Those persons who do survive the strug-
/ gle for existence in London. said an
American critic IN an American magazine
recently, are magnificent specimens Of hu-
manity The weak are crushed in the
gutter.
Poor Always Conspicuous.
The poor form the background Of al
most all great English novels. Dickens.
Defoe. Fielding. Thsckeray. all described
the destitution Of LondCn and they talk
Of It in a way that shows that its horror
was not new 70 them.
Go out upon the streets Of London now
on a cold night, when a shivery wind
blows from the Thames. In the corners
OF rich elubhouses. on vacant. deserted
lots behind signbOards. anywhere that
there is a prospect Of shelter. you viii
find starving men and women trying to
keep warm.
Go 70 any great wedding in London.
The path from house 10 sidewalk.
through which the orange-wreathed bride
must pass. Is lined WITH sodden. weary
faces. drawn 10 the lane OF light cast
from the open doors by a desire for
warmth and hfe
The bright concourses in front of the
theaJers always show one or two desc
late faces drawn from the shadows by
their glare. All this IS 70 be found ia the
greatest and richest city on the globe
e was Queen Elizabeth who first form
ulated the laws that are expressed IN
the sentiment that NO EnElishman need
ever starve" She made provision for
state relief of the poor.
Probably Al this time Shakespeare was
writing Romeo and Juliet" AS You
Like Il" and a Winters Tale" and
England. under the influence OF the ex-
plorations and examples Of Sir Walter
Raleigh and others. was fast developing
from q collection OF scattered rural set
tied districts 20 a solid. high-strung. cul-
tUred nation She was just IN the midst
Of that strange 0Utburst of life that came
after the sm0thered middle centuries and
every man was a worker and filed with a
desire for work. The country was not
ove-crowded and there was plenty OF
work for all
Growth of Poor Laws.
It was Queen Elizabeth who formulated
the sentiment Quoted-Queen Elizabeth Of
the immense white runs. brilliant court.
and virgin history. Then BEGAN that re-
marl5able edifce Of poor laws By which
Great Britain now supports so large
percentage Of her population IN wretched
inactivity.
Queen Elizabeth's first order was 20
find work fer all Of her subjects who had
nothing to do and 20 pay them fsir
wages. This law was hrOadened BY her
enthusiastic subjects and sentimental Sue
ceeding generations until Il began 10
mean a gratuit0us distribution Of aims 10
al who made the right face for II. By
the time OF George III the number Of
paupers O. persons living on the bounty
Of the state was 50 large that between
the upper classes and the paupers there
we're few in the kingdom that worked.
The taxes Of the kingdom had become
enormous by IS2. and then the British
ers began 10 wake up and shake them
selves. A royal commission was ap-
pointed in this year 10 investigate the
whole subject Of almsgiving In England
and 20 recommend a new system OF pro-
cedure-
II did It's work with thoroughness, dill
genee. and careful thought. and. after
two years extended investigation n ali
Of the counties % the kingdom. returned
a report that has become classic among
charity workers Of later times on account
OF its comprehension. clarity. and extraor-
binary good sense. Briefly, the report ad-
vised a very chary giving OF aims.
After the publication Of the report the
distribution Of the public funds was con-
Quoted much more grUdgfngly than be
fore. In ten years the proportion Of oau-
pers fell OF from about 50 in 100 81 the
population to about Is 10 loo There was
hope Of cutting out those that remained
and the welfare OF the nation had seem
ingIy not suffered ar all The charity
boards had time to attend to really de-
serving cases and everything moved hap
PLY.
ChamberIain's Great Error.
It is a strange fact that the British pub
lie. or any public for that matter. doesn't
seem able to stand prosperity. i no
sooner feels the warm south winds Of
comfort than It begins 10 lose those ruder
virtues that allowed it to endure the
blasts OF the bitter north wind.
In 1856 Mr.. Chamberlain opened the
slulce gates Of public alms-giving once
more, and the patriotic British public
once more began TO see the bounty OF
that grand old sentiment announced on
prediction party platform banners, hat
No Englisman shall ever starve" The
public Golfers began TO be thrown open
enthusiastically once more to the poor
and needy. and the poor and needy began
to increase apace. The condition Of af-
fairs began to be as it was before the
poor law commission sent forth It's sui
dent blast. and that's what It is .o-day. !
though there has lately been an indica- /
ton that the British public stomach has
soured once more upon too much cnarisy. /
The famous report Of the poor law
commission OF 1881 set forth very clearly |
the state OF Affairs which il found in the 4
kingdom II said that the independent /
workman had almost ceased to exist. The /
farmers were br,bed with state money /
TO employ pauper labor and man could +
not get work unless he was a pauper.
Boy and girl marriages were encour-
aged. and very often the newly married 4
pair would turn from the church door to i
the commissioners Office TO apply for a 1
dele from the public purse. Allowances /
were made to mothers OF inegitimate 4
children. and this Jed 10 q trade in bas-
tardy
People claimed poor rates for the most
ordinary action OF kindness to their own /
relatives II q man took his father into
his home he would claim poor relief I
Parents threw their children upon the
poor rates, the children threw their par
ents upon the poor rates. and everybody
was having a happy, happy time at the
expense OF the state. happy time st the
descending sun OF the morrow could ever
hnd them without bread 20 eat
what the Commission Found
The report was quite disgustingly and
explicit Il said, without less
Of breath OF cvermany whereasss, many
things. Il said. for one thing:
The injury inflicted upon the poor by
the deliberately hostile legislation of the
Tudors or the Plantsgenets was as dust