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Sermons Out of Church, by the Author of 'john Halifax, Gentleman'.
Sermons Out of Church by the Author of 'john Halifax Gentleman' Author:Nicolas Joseph Laforet, Dinah Maria Craik Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: IV. BENEVOLENCE—OR BENEFICENCE ? " T DO believe that one half the so-called 'charity' going is, in its results, worse than an error—an actual crime. Suppos... more »e you were to write an essay upon 'The Crime of Benevolence!'" The arch-heretic who suggested this had been spurred on thereto by a recent visit to a very " benevolent " parish, probably one of the richest and most charitable parishes in the kingdom. It possessed—possesses still, for aught I know—within a very moderate area, not too densely populated, three churches, one chapel, and two iron rooms for mission services. It had clothing clubs, coal clubs, blanket clubs, provident and work societies. At its parish school an admirable educationcould be got for threepence a week. Its penny readings for the men, its mothers' meetings for the women, gave every opportunity of mental and moral improvement to that class which we patronisingly term " our poorer brethren." In short, everything was done that could be done to make poverty unnecessary and vice impossible. Yet, my informant confessed, both abounded. Public-houses stared you in the face at every corner, and were always full—of women as well as men. Consequently, wretched homes, neglected children, young women whom no wise mistress of a house ever thought of taking into her service, middle-aged women whom to employ as laundresses, sempstresses, or even charwomen was hopeless—their characters were so bad. Even the long-suffering clergymen's wives and district visitors, trying continually to do good, were as continually baffled. Nobody having once employed the objects of their hopeless compassion, ever did it again. Charity these people were always open to receive, but the best kind of charity—work—it was useless to give, if the giver wished it to be anything better tha...« less