Chap. VII.]

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don an aged and bed-ridden mother, to turn her out of his house,and to lay her at the overseer’s door, unless he is paid for givingher a shelter ; he must hear parents threaten to follow the samecourse with regard to their sick children ; and, when he finds thathe can scarcely step into a town or parish in any county, withoutmeeting with some instance or other of this character, he will nolonger consider the pecuniary pressure upon the rate-payer as thefirst in the class of evils, which the poor-laws have entailed uponthe community.” *

Again, another witness says, “ Two laborers were reportedto me as extremely industrious 'men. They maintained largefamilies, and had neither of them ever applied for relief. Ithought it advisable, that they should receive some mark of pub - 1lie approbation, and we gave them one pound each from theparish. Very shortly they both became applicants for reliefand have continued so ever since. I can decidedly state, as theresult of my experience, that, when once a family has receivedrelief it is to be expected that their descendants for generationswill receive it also. I remember, that, about two years ago, afather and mother and two young children were very ill, and re-duced to great distress. They were obliged to sell all their littlefurniture for their subsistence. They were settled with us ; and,as we heard of their extreme distress, went to offer them relief.They, however, strenuously refused the aid. I reported this tothe church-warden, who determined to accompany me ; and to-gether we again pressed upon the family the necessity of receiv-ing relief. But still they refused, and we could not persuadethem to accept our offer. We felt so interested in the case,however, that we sent them four shillings in a parcel with a letter,desiring them to apply for more, if they continued ill. This theydid. And from that time, I do not believe they have been threeweeks off our books, although there has been little or no illhealth in the family. Thus we effectually spoiled the habitsacquired by their previous industry. And I have no hesitationin saying, that, in nine cases out of ten, such is the constanteffect of having tasted parish bounty. This applies as much to

* Report of his (Britannic) Majesty’s Commissioners on the Poor-Laws,1834, p. 97.