{ 215a} See Dr. Guy’s Evidence. Health of Towns Report, vol. i. p. 92.
{ 215b} In St. George’s, Southwark, out of 1467 persons who received parochial relief, 1276 are reported to have been ill with fever.
{ 233} The mischief that may be done by associations for benevolent purposes, when ill-directed, is admirably shown in a pamphlet on the subject of Visiting Societies by “Presbyter Catholicus.” James Darling, Little Queen Street, 1844. One of the objects of this pamphlet is to show that the command addressed to alms-givers “not to let their left hand know what their right hand doeth,” concerns the receiver as much as the giver—that “a man’s alms will be converted into a source of almost unmixed evil, if their distribution become a subject of notoriety,” which is the case in public charities. This, like most general propositions, is not to be construed over strictly; but there is much truth in it, (especially if we take the word “alms” in its most restricted sense) and it deserves to be weighed carefully by all who wish to render their benevolence most available.
{ 282} The tabular view has been moved to the end of the letter in this Project Gutenberg transcription.—DP.
{ 287} The author of this book has tried one of these “valved openings” recommended by Dr. Arnott, and has found it answer very well.