The problem of diminishing prevalent destitution and temptations to crime / by William Tallack.

  • William Tallack
Date:
[1869?]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The problem of diminishing prevalent destitution and temptations to crime / by William Tallack. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    districts the greater proportion of crimes are com¬ mitted by sturdy mendicants, whose numbers indicate a very extensive amount of public encouragement by the pseudo “ charitable.” Their behaviour is thus described by the Earl of Carnarvon (at Birmingham, October, 1868): “After some ghastly revel during the night, or some brawl in the morning, in which they tear up their clothes or throw the stones, which they are desired to break, at the heads of the workhouse authorities, they once more start upon their circuits with as much regularity as the judges who may have to sentence them, selecting those Unions where the discipline is slack or the diet generous.” It is hopeless to expect that the remonstrances often raised by thoughtful observers, against careless alms¬ giving will prevent the evil, but perhaps rather more discrimination and investigation may be urged with some prospect of usefulness. The scriptural term “ alms ” does not imply mere careless encouragement to idleness and imposture, but a sympathising judicious assistance to the deserving poor. And, says De Gerando, “ Real charity provides for the future. She not only relieves the present evil but endeavours to prevent the recurrence of it, by destroying its causes.” Even many of the excellently intentioned efforts made to relieve the distress in East London in 1867 and 1868, were wholly defeated in their object for want of attention to this principle. An energetic East End clergy¬ man wrote to the Howard Association in November, 1868 : “At present there is no one plan adopted at the East End for relieving the poor without pauperising them, which commends itself to me as satisfactory. The efforts of our Belief Association were a failure. Kindness of heart, wishing to relieve itself, prevailed against practical knowledge. They only relieved in the same old kind but mistaken way, and we have, as