may continue to live to the end of their days upon the , fruit of their own labour, no burthen to the public, or dependent upon its bounty,--they exhibit a combina tion of admirable qualities, the existence of which could hardly be credited, if it were not seen ; above all, in a country in which the higher ranks too often display an eager desire to benefit themselves at the public expence.
There is much similarity in the constitution of these societies. The rules and regulations of from twenty to thirty of those established in the metropo lis, as well as' those of several in other places, have been perused for the purpose of this article. The payments are, in general, monthly, and about two shillings the most common amount ; though some times associations are formed of persons whose in comes are fixed pretty high, and then the payments are somewhat larger. The mode of regulating the benefit is commonly by three different rates of allow ante ; one during a temporary sickness ; another, commonly one half of the former, during a chroni cal illness ; and a third, still less than the preceding, a permanent annuity for old age. When a member falls sick, so as to be unable to labour, he receives the allowance for sickness ; if the disease continues beyond a specift•d number of weeks, he is reduced to the chronical allowance; if the chronical illness continues beyond a certain number of months, the member is put upon the superannuation list, and re ceives the allowance for old age. Besides these rates, , there is almost always a sum of several pounds which is paid for the funeral expenses of a member or his wife. It is one of the ill-grounded desires of the least instructed part of the population of this coun try, to have what they call a decent, meaning by de cent.an expensive, funeral. As this is so much abso lute waste, a consumption for which nobody is the better, and ravaged from a suffering family at a mo ment when most commonly their resources are di minished, or rather destroyed, the sooner they can be weaned from this superstition so much the better. It might soon be done by the example of their supe riors. If those among them who are above vulgar error would enjoin their successors to put them in the earth at the smallest expence which the physical operation would admit, the childish passion for a cost ly funeral would soon disappear. It is necessary that sepulture should be performed in places, and by per sons pointed out by the proper authority, for the se curity due to -the health of the living. But if the
business- of the cemetery is not performed altogether at the public expence, and in the same manner for all, Which would be the best regulation, there assu redly ought to be no fees, nor any charge beyond the rigid payment of the labour. When the religion cif the relatives requires a devotional service to be performed at the grave, it ought assuredly to be per formed without any fees or presents to the actors in the scene. Fees to the clergyman, and others, in a church of England funeral, are a serious grievance to the poor.
The mode of doing the business is exceedingly simple. When the society is not numerous, there is, in general, a monthly meeting of all the members. When they are numerous, a committee. is formed, of which the meetings are monthly ; and general meet ings, at more distant periods, are held of the whole. Two or more stewards, as the business may require, are chosen at certain short intervals, whose business it is to visit the members applying for relief, and to pay their allowance. Members are admitted only within a specified age, most commonly between twenty and forty-five ; and the persons belonging to occupations regarded as unwholesome or dangerous, are excluded by name from most of the clubs not expressly established for themselves. There are some curious exclusions in most of the London so cieties. From a great proportion of them, Irishmen are excluded ; and in almost all of them, it is par ticularly declared, that no attorney, or attorney's clerk, shall be admitted a member.
Some of their rules are in a very remarkable man ner favourable toNirtue. In almost all the London clubs, it is a rule that sickness or disablement, pro duced by drinking, by the venereal disease, or by fighting, except in self-defence, shall receive no be. nefit. If any member, while in the receipt of an al lowance, is found gaming or intoxicated, or out of his own house after a certain hour in the evening, he is to heavy penalties, very often expulsion. If any member appears at a meeting of the society in a state of intoxication, or uses rude or provoking language to any person present, or is guilty of pro fane cursing and swearing, or offers wagers, he is fined ; in some cases he is fined if he comes to the meeting without being clean in his dress and person; and, in other cases, attention to this object is re commended without being enforced.