The Scottish Poor Law, and some contrasts between its principles and the practices that have grown upon it : being a paper read ... on 28th May 1869, at the request of the Chalmers Association ... / by D. Curror.

Date:: 1869

Credit: The Scottish Poor Law, and some contrasts between its principles and the practices that have grown upon it : being a paper read ... on 28th May 1869, at the request of the Chalmers Association ... / by D. Curror. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh. The original may be consulted at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh.

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$Christiauity .itself. At, siame; timet, tiowevq?-, it.wa|s enj.oine^j^' thaf:if any would iipt .woi^k, p?,ithpr/should he e^^t^'' , a^a^, ,ti]^t/ tilose '('w!9Tkin..g: not at aU.'^ shpiivld; ''vyith quietn.ess worlc anci^a^ their <3wn bread. The announcenient, wa.<^ also, maflg, V ijiiai:,'j^y £©y man provide; ■ no,t for his; qjy^^, aiid; .especially, for,.th6s,e/o^^ l}is p\vn hQusej he :l^as-.4sn;ied; tlie ,i,s wo'r§^ 'tii.p.|i,^^ infidei. jVojunitary provision, you see, was. here mack'fQv/|yj,^^' celief of the pqor, unable to ^yol:k. A.lJ, fVl;)le tp work were'.c,pjTa^ manded to work in quietness and,;eafn4hfi.ix^.pwn . bread,;/'^™ he who would, not work and make provisloh 'for himself an^ his dependants was excommunicated from;^he Christian brot}:|e{j hood. Any risk of moral deterioratipn pt,the SryJ^y, po^ot^ ihose unable to work—and those .able and willing,—^-^as thit| provided against, while the able-bodied who would not w.o.rL' were punished with the denial pf all .Christian privileges benefits. Now, that is the principle of the Cliristian p.iibw but voluntary provision for the poor, and before leaving it let me ask you just to notice the apostoHc distinction between (i.) The poor unable to work; and (2.) The idle able to worki and the command applicable to each class. The Jirsf wetf provided out of the goods—the means and substance—of ljjT0 Christian brotherhood; the second were told to work and they would win their bread. The Christian brotherhood were cbnt- manded to communicate of their substance .to the poor of the first class. The poor of the second class were comiiianded fp earn their own bread under pain of starvation and excomnp.uni-* cation. _ _ Turn now with me to the provisions made for the pdorli)}'' the Scotch Poor Law Acts. I do not go, farther back daan thS -Act 1579, which-is the foundation.,of ;P|iff presep,t Topr. La'w legislation. It was passed for ''staunching. maister(ul .ahii idle beggars and away putting, of siprners; , and for provisiop for the pure and impotent. The first axe\t9Vb.e pAinish'e(i.' . aivd . punished mpst severely,- unks§:: some hpnest ,aad !'ie- sponsible man will of his charity enact hiipl^elt fp^^ to work for twelve months—getting his wor)c/fof. his. rneat. : That class are described as. Egyptiahs, or any' others . that fenzies them to have knowledge of charming, prophesy,,: pr other abused sciences, whereby the;y persuade people that they can tell their weirds, deaths,' and fortunes, and uther sick fantastical imaginations—all persons haill . and staiTc, in body and able to work—uthers having neither land nor raaister,s, ^Cff-H3ing.,Anyi..laiyfiil fla§rGl}ajid^e,jC5a£t,,pi- ^uj^at«^^wh^f0y$