Page:Whole works of joseph butler.djvu/237

206 are reminded of their duty, and "provoked to love and to good works," Heb. x. 24. And let me add, though one is sorry any should want so slight a reason for contributing to the most excellent designs, yet if any are supposed to do so merely of course, because they see others do it, still they help to support these monuments of charity, which are a continued admonition to the rich, and relief to the poor: and herein all good men rejoice, as St. Paul speaks of himself in a like case, "yea, and will rejoice," Phil. i. 18.

3. As all human schemes admit of improvement, all public charities, methinks, should be considered as standing open to proposals for it; that the whole plan of them, in all its parts, may be brought to as great perfection as is possible. Now, it should seem that employing some share of the children's time in easy labour suitable to their age, which is done in some of our charity-schools, might be done in most others of them with very good effect, as it is in all those of a neighbouring kingdom. Then, as the only purposes of punishments, less than capital, are to reform the offenders themselves, and warn the innocent by their example, everything which should contribute to make this kind of punishments answer these purposes better than it does, would be a great improvement. And whether it be not a thing practicable, and what would contribute somewhat towards it, to exclude utterly all sorts of revel mirth from places where offenders are confined, to separate the young from the old, and force them both in solitude, with labour and low diet, to make the experiment how far their natural strength of mind can support them under guilt and shame and poverty ; this may deserve consideration. Then, again, some religious instruction, particularly adapted to their condition, would as properly accompany those punishments which are intended to reform, as it does capital ones. God forbid that I should be understood to discourage the provision which is made for it in this latter case: I heartily