Under the head of remedies for the disease of beggary, it is necessary to speak of societies for the suppression of it. In the first place, it is abundant ly evident, that an assemblage of private individuals have little power over the chief causes of mendicity ; over wars, for example, excessive procreation, and bad legislation. They can only endeavour to coun teract, by such powers as they possess, the operation of these causes. They may, indeed, contribute in directly to the removal of the causes ; namely, by holding them up in their true colours, to the legis lature, and to the nation. This, it may be observed, in one of the ways in which they may effect the greatest quantity of good ; may, in fact, advance with the greatest expedition to the accomplishment of their own end. With the means possessed in this country of operating upon the public mind, and the . influence of the public mind upon the legislature, a society of gentlemen, rendered conspicuous by their union, and the beneficence of their proceedings, might, by representations, sufficiently persevering, and sufficiently strong, more especially if the opera tion was not confined to one society, but common to a number of societies, in numerous parts of the country ; effect almost any improvement of which the nature of the case would admit.
The first idea of a Society of this sort, as far as we know, was started in Edinburgh, and there carried .into execution in the year 1813. The sole object of this society appears to have been to try what they could do for the cure of beggary, under the existing laws. There is no evidence of their having elevated their views to the thought of operating through the public upon the legislature, and through the legislature upon the sources from which mendicity flows.
In the sphere which the Society of Edinburgh have chalked out for themselves, it is impossible for us not to bestow upon their proceedings the highest encomiums ; since.they have put in practice, as far as it lay within their power, the principles which we have here recommended as the groundwork of re form.
In the first place, the Visitation principle :—" The basis of the whole plan," says their Report, " was to ry be investigation, and personal inquiry" Secondly, the Registration principle :—" For the sake of facilitating the task of making such inqui ries," continues the Report, " and the labour of au - perintending the poor, as the only means of prevent • ing fraud and imposture, it was necessary to divide the city into separate wards or districts." From the want of legislative powers, however, it is abundantly evident, that they could perform the work of regi stration very imperfectly ; were obliged, in fact, to content themselves with the registration of those persons exclusively who applied to them for relief; and instead of placing them- effectually under the superintendence of the district itself, to take the Is bour of superintendence wholly upon themselves If the business of registration, thus imperfecd performed, is yet an important instrument, bow much would that importance be increased, if it were performed completely by legislative regula tion.
Thirdly, the Reformatory, or Employment pin cipk : The society is divided into four committees, of one of whom the business is to find employ. ment for those of the applicants who are able to labour. It is evident under what prodigious dis advantages they carry on this part of their bene ficent work. To perform it with any degree of completeness, a great establishment, such as those which have been called penitentiaries, houses of in dustry, or panopticons, is required; an establishment in which different species of work may be carried on with all the accommodations which belong to them ; in which the parties may work under the most complete superintendence; and in which they may-be as completely as possible ex posed to the operation of all the salutary motives which can be brought to bear upon them. • Fourthly, the Education prmiple : The children of the beggars are clothed, and sent to a Lancas trian school ; and so important is this part of the business of the society accounted, that one of the four committees is wholly employed in conducting it.
What the Society professes is, to provide subsist ence for all•those who really are deprived of it, and of the means of providing it for themselves; and up on the strength of this undertaking the police of the city prohibit begging, by imprisoning and removing the beggars.
' The only which applies to this expedient regards the power of the Society to accomplish all which they undertake. If they can make provision for all who really and truly are in want ; to prohibit begging is then to prohibit imposture, and can pro duce nothing but good. And if, along with this, they are able to make the distinction completely between those who are and those who are not able to provide for themselves; and to draw the benefit of labour from all who are capable of it ; as far as there is any evil in mere begging, beyond the evil of being in duced to the begging condition, which is the prin. cipal, it is removed. It is not absolutely impossible that such an expedient as that of the Edinburgh So ciety, at one particular place, and one particular time ; namely, when taken up with extraordinary ardour, owing to some particular concurrence of cir cumstances,—as in Edinburghet the era ofa newSys tem of Police ; or to the ardour of one or more indi viduals of sufficient influence to set a fashion, may, to a considerable degree, succeed. But it is abun dantly cetrain, that it is not calculated for general or permanent use. How could it be applied to Lon don, for example ?—Besides ; a great national bene fit can never rest with safety on any thing so preca rious, as the chance of extraordinary virtue in par ticular men. . - (p.a.)