of my own acquaintance have I known to die of old age at twenty-five! so that by the antient method of educating our sons at schools and universities, a great part of them will be in danger of going out of the world before they know any thing of it, Life (says Mr. Pope) can little more supply, Is it not therefore the duty of a father to give his son an opportunity of looking about him as soon as he can? I am, sir, Your most humble servant, NUMB. 44. TUESDAY, JUNE 2, 1753, -O bone, ne te Frustrere, insanis et tu. HOR. My good friend, do not deceive thyself; for with all thy charity, thou also art a silly fellow. I HAVE in a former paper endeavoured to shew, that a rich man without charity is a rogue; and perhaps it would be no difficult matter to prove, that he is also a fool. If a man, who doth not know his true interest, may be thought to deserve that appellation; in what light shall we behold a Christian, who neglects the cultivation of a virtue which is in Scripture said to wash away his sins, and without which all his other good deeds cannot render him acceptable in the sight of his Creator and Redeemer. Even in this world, it is surely much too narrow a view to confine a man's interest merely to that which loads his coffers. To pursue that which is most capable of giving him happiness is indeed the interest of every man; and there are many who find great pleasure in emptying their purses with this view, to one who hath no other satisfaction than in filling it. Now what can give greater happiness to a good mind than the reflection on having relieved the misery, or contributed to the well-being, of his fellow-creature. It was a noble sentiment of the worthy Mr. Thomas Firmin, That to relieve the poor, and to provide work and subsistence for them, gave to him the same pleasure as mag'nificent buildings, pleasant walks, well-cultivated • orchards and gardens, the jollity of music and wine, or the charms of love and study, gave to ' others.' This is recorded in the life of a plain citizen of London, and it as well deserves to be quoted as any one apophthegm that is to be found in all the works of Plutarch. A Christian therefore, or a good man, though no Christian, who is void of charity, is ignorant of his own interest, and may with great propriety be called a silly fellow. Nay, if we will believe all the great writers whom I cited in my former paper, to which I might add Plato and many more, a mere human being who places all his happiness in selfish considerations, without any relative virtues, any regard to the good of others, is, in plain truth, a downright fool. I have been encouraged to treat the want of charity with the more freedom, as I am certain of giving little offence to any of my readers by so doing. Charity is in fact the very characteristic of this nation at this time.-I believe we may challenge the whole world to parallel the examples which we have of late given of this sensible, this noble, this Christian virtue. We cannot therefore surely be arraigned of folly, from the want of charity; but is our wisdom alto gether as apparent in the manner of exerting it? I am afraid the true answer here would not be so much to our advantage. Are our private donations generally directed by our judgment to those who are the properest objects? Do not vanity, whim, and weakness, too often draw our purse-strings? Do we not sometimes give because it is the fashion, and sometimes because we cannot long resist importunity? May not our charity be often termed extravagance or folly; nay, is it not often vicious, and apparently tending to the increase and encouragement of idle and dissolute persons? It would be almost endless to attempt to be particular on this head. I shall mention therefore only one instance, namely, the giving our money to common beggars. This kind of bounty is a crime. against the publick. It is assisting in the continu ance and promotion of a nuisance. Our wise ancestors prohibited it by a law, which would probably have remained in force and use to this day, had not the legislature conceived, that, after the severe penalties which have been since infliced on beggars, none would have the boldness to became such; and that, after the sufficient legal provision which hath been made for the poor, no persons vould have so little regard either to common sense or to the publick as to relieve them. But instead of staying to argue with such people, I shall hasten to the other branch of charity, which is of a public nature; of which there are many species in this kingdom. The origin of this kind of charity was no better than priestcraft and superstition. When men began to perceive the near approach of that great enemy of human nature who was to deprve them of all their ill-gotten possessions, and nt only so, but might, as they apprehended, delive them into the hands of an Almighty justice, to junish them for all those knavish arts by which hese possessions were acquired; the priest stepped in, took advantage of the terrors of their consciences, and persuaded them, that by consigning over a great part (sometimes the whole) of their acquisitions to the use of the church, a pardon for all kind of villainy was sure to be obtained. In this attempt the priest found but little difficulty when he had to do with a mind tainted with superstition, and weakened with disease; especially when he could back all his other arguments with one truth at least, namely,-Give us that which you can by no possible means keep any longer yourself. Thus the unwilling will, as Dr. Barrow pleasantly calls it, was at last signed. The fruits of fraud and rapine were trusted to the use of the church, and the greatest rascals died very good saints, and their memories were consecrated to honour and good example. How notably these attempts succeeded is well known to all who are versed either in our law or our history. So common was it for men to expiate their crimes in this manner; and to finish all their other robberies, by robbing their heirs; that had not the legislature often and stoutly interfered in crushing these superstitious (or as they were called charitable) uses, they seened to have bid fair for swallowing up the whole property of the nation. In process of time, however, the lawyer came to the assistance of the priest; (for, like the devil, he is always ready at hand when called for) and formed a distinction beween the superstitious and charitable use. Henceforvard, instead of robbing their relations for the use of the church, a method was devised of robbing them for the use of the poor. Hence poorhouses, alms-hases, colleges, and hospitals, began to present themselves to the view of all travellers, being always situated in the most public places, and bearing the name and title of the generous founder in vast capital letters; a kind of KTHMA EX AEI, a monument of his glory to all generations. Thus we see the foundation of this kind of charity, and a very strong one it is, being indeed no other than fear and vanity, the two strongest passions which are to be found in human nature. It may be thought, perhaps, that I have omitted a third, which some may imagine to be the strongest and greatest of all, and this is benevolence, or the love of doing good; but that these charitable legacies have no such motive, appears to me from the following considerations: First, if a man was possessed of real benevolence, and had (as he must then have) a delight in doing good, he would no more defer the enjoyment of this satisfaction to his death-bed, than the ambitious, the luxurious, or the vain, would wait till that period for the gratification of their several passions. Secondly, if the legacy be, as it often is, the first charitable donation of any consequence, I can never allow it possible to arise from benevolence; for he who hath no compassion for the distresses of his neighbours whom he hath seen, how should he have any pity for the wants of posterity which he -will never see? Thirdly, if the legacy be, as is likewise very common, to the injury of his family, or to the disappointment of his own friends in want, this is a certain proof that his motive is not benevolence; for he who loves not his own friends and relations most certainly loves no other person. Lastly, if a man hath lived any time in the world, he must have observed such horrid and notorious abuses of all public charities, that he must be convinced (with a very few exceptions) that he will do no manner of good by contributing to them. Some, indeed, are so very wretchedly contrived in their institution that they seem not to have had the public utility in their view; but to have been mere jobs |