登陆注册
5568700000016

第16章

The poor laws of England were undoubtedly instituted for the most benevolent purpose, but there is great reason to think that they have not succeeded in their intention. They certainly mitigate some cases of very severe distress which might otherwise occur, yet the state of the poor who are supported by parishes, considered in all its circumstances, is very far from being free from misery. But one of the principal objections to them is that for this assistance which some of the poor receive, in itself almost a doubtful blessing, the whole class of the common people of England is subjected to a set of grating, inconvenient, and tyrannical laws, totally inconsistent with the genuine spirit of the constitution. The whole business of settlements, even in its present amended state, is utterly contradictory to all ideas of freedom. The parish persecution of men whose families are likely to become chargeable, and of poor women who are near lying-in, is a most disgraceful and disgusting tyranny. And the obstructions continuity occasioned in the market of labour by these laws have a constant tendency to add to the difficulties of those who are struggling to support themselves without assistance.

These evils attendant on the poor laws are in some degree irremediable. If assistance be to be distributed to a certain class of people, a power must be given somewhere of discriminating the proper objects and of managing the concerns of the institutions that are necessary, but any great interference with the affairs of other people is a species of tyranny, and in the common course of things the exercise of this power may be expected to become grating to those who are driven to ask for support. The tyranny of Justices, Church-wardens, and Overseers, is a common complaint among the poor, but the fault does not lie so much in these persons, who probably, before they were in power, were not worse than other people, but in the nature of all such institutions.

The evil is perhaps gone too far to be remedied, but I feel little doubt in my own mind that if the poor laws had never existed, though there might have been a few more instances of very severe distress, yet that the aggregate mass of happiness among the common people would have been much greater than it is at present.

Mr Pitt's Poor Bill has the appearance of being framed with benevolent intentions, and the clamour raised against it was in many respects ill directed, and unreasonable. But it must be confessed that it possesses in a high degree the great and radical defect of all systems of the kind, that of tending to increase population without increasing the means for its support, and thus to depress the condition of those that are not supported by parishes, and, consequently, to create more poor.

同类推荐
  • 诗镜总论

    诗镜总论

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 佛说了义般若波罗蜜多经

    佛说了义般若波罗蜜多经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 太上神咒延寿妙经

    太上神咒延寿妙经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 上清太上九真中经绛生神丹诀

    上清太上九真中经绛生神丹诀

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 梅花拳秘谱

    梅花拳秘谱

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 界神天

    界神天

    在这片浩瀚的大陆,武者便是金字塔顶端的生物,强大的武者可以粉碎天地,打破苍穹,战上九重天。而要想成为武者,就必须拥有武魂!叶星辰是一名华夏的特种兵,穿越到了这个崇武的世界,凭着与生俱来天赋,他在十五岁时便达到了觉醒武魂的条件,可惜命运和他开了一个玩笑,他竟只有低级武魂。但是一次奇遇之后,让他得到了上古强者的禁忌密典练成了吞噬体质,可以吞噬别人的武魂。从灵武大陆崛起,征战各个神位面。
  • 重生之机械神话

    重生之机械神话

    宇宙机械之神重生回到了地球时代,那时候的星际在人们眼中还仅仅是一款游戏。但星际竟然是死兆星用来培育战士的摇篮,而地球也被称之为摇篮星。当这一切重演,东昇重新走上机械之神的道路,去改变未来。
  • 民国往事之归路

    民国往事之归路

    这部长篇小说的整个故事发生于民国时期。没有波澜壮阔的战争场面,没有风花雪月的卿卿我我,没有宫廷的尔虞我诈,没有集万千宠爱于一身,没有倾城之貌,没有万人敬仰……有的只是一个平凡的女孩,在乱世中对理想的追求与坚持,对亲情的感人寻觅,对友情的舍生相护,对爱情的执着相守,对命运的抗争与不屈。这是一个中国的大长今,民国的长今。
  • 福尔摩斯探案全集4

    福尔摩斯探案全集4

    《福尔摩斯探案全集》是英国作家阿瑟·柯南道尔创作的一部长篇侦探小说,主角名为夏洛克·福尔摩斯(Sherlock Holmes,又译作歇洛克·福尔摩斯),共有4部长篇及56个短篇。第一部长篇《血字的研究》完成于1896年,隔年与其它作品合集出版于《比顿圣诞年刊》。被多次改编为电影与电视剧。
  • 无痛生存

    无痛生存

    萨小如女士与我离婚的时候,我们俩不能说如释重负、欢天喜地,倒也一团和气、相敬如宾。办好了离婚手续的那一个傍晚,我们俩含情脉脉、藕断丝连,极力流露出忧伤的惜别之情。分配共同财物的时候,亦你推我让、高风亮节。临了,祝愿对方快快寻到新的一片生活天地,重新找到自我的情感位置:接着,两人都发现离婚能离出这样的感情境界来真太不容易了,唏嘘感叹一番后,都说要是换了别对的男女,离婚能离出我们这样的水平来吗?我们一块儿探讨着我们能够如此通情达理的原因,我和萨小如不约而同地庆幸我们婚后未生儿育女,萨小如说:“我们真要有孩子,那离起来就难了。
  • 孤岛实验日记

    孤岛实验日记

    我是一名实验室记录员,每天跟着教授做实验记录,每隔一段时间就会换一个教授和研究对象。这里的研究对象十分奇怪,活的死的,甚至不明生死的...随着研究的深入,我发现了一些秘密...
  • 追妻无门:女boss不好惹

    追妻无门:女boss不好惹

    青涩蜕变,如今她是能独当一面的女boss,爱了冷泽聿七年,也同样花了七年时间去忘记他。以为是陌路,他突然向他表白,扬言要娶她,她只当他是脑子抽风,他的殷勤她也全都无视。他帮她查她父母的死因,赶走身边情敌,解释当初拒绝她的告别,和故意对她冷漠都是无奈之举。突然爆出她父母的死居然和冷家有丝毫联系,还莫名跳出个公爵未婚夫,扬言要与她履行婚约。峰回路转,破镜还能重圆吗? PS:我又开新文了,每逢假期必书荒,新文《有你的世界遇到爱》,喜欢我的文的朋友可以来看看,这是重生类现言,对这个题材感兴趣的一定要收藏起来。
  • 我的超级武器

    我的超级武器

    “宿主,你要怎么才能相信我啊?”“没看见这边蚊子多么,你把这屋子蚊子灭了,我就相信你!”“这个……容我找找……天基武器系统,误差为7厘米,这个不行。无污染核武器,最小当量1.3万吨,我还想多活几年……女武神机甲,最低驾驶要求:十兆计算力与27g加速度承受能力…………对不起,我真的办不到啊!”“所以说嘛,你就是个废物系统啦!”“才不是嘞!”“明明就是!”……“启动生化病毒,放心,宿主,你是天然抗体!”“我信啦,快收了神通啊,你是想毁灭异界么?”……
  • 废材至尊之灵师悠然

    废材至尊之灵师悠然

    一纸婚约,素不相识的两人有了关联,你不情来我不愿。听到未婚夫的凶名,明昕然吓的暗夜逃离,失足落崖,遇到了千年前的人物,自此得奇遇,废材变天才。离火城城主之子凤倾云听到未婚妻的废材之名,离家出走,素昧平生的两人在外面阴差阳错地走到了一起,一路同行,互生情愫。为了和心爱的人在一起,风倾云亲自退了与明昕然的婚约。当他高兴的以为可以和心爱的人在一起了,却原来爱人就是他千方百计摆脱的明昕然。是从此不再相见?还是前缘早已注定?且看一对有情人如何再续他们的情缘——
  • 高冷大叔,宠妻无度!

    高冷大叔,宠妻无度!

    【1V1,强女、强男,爽、宠、甜!】他高冷薄情,视女人为无物,独独将她捧在手心。他睥睨众生,从不假人颜色,偏偏对她无可奈何。京城有句童谣,无人不知,无人不晓——“宁与阎王爷动刀,不碰裴云轻一根汗毛!”重生前,她怨他、恨他,躲着他;重生后,她撩他、护他,缠着他。自始至始,唐墨沉都只有一个想法:宠她,宠她,好好宠她。