The Gentleman's Magazine/1780/06/Letter from Dr Lettsom

June 10

Mr. ,

HEN an event has been communicated to the public, accompanied with uch peculiar circumtances as to excite attention, or demand aitance, the public have a claim to every explanation repecting the help afforded, and the benefit produced; but where benevolence and humanity have information peculiarly intereted, uch information is indipenably requiite, in order to obviate any upicion of deception, and thereby encourage the future exertions of public generoity. The cae I would particularly allude to was inerted in your Magazine for January lat, giving ome account of a poor family in uch extreme ditres, that they mut have perihed, had not immediate uccour been extended, which in jutice to the community was peedily and abundantly applied.

The aurance that a happy change in the ituation of this family has ince taken place, I thought would convey pleaure to many of your readers, and exhibit a triking intance of the favourable etimation in which your Magazine is held by the public. I am peruaded alo that the well-timed relief which this family has in conequence experienced, was not the only good effect produced. As the ditres of many of the poor throughout the nation, and particularly in the metropolis, has encreaed from various caues to extreme miery, a dipoition to beneficence has been proportionally excited in thoe of uperior ituations; and where want has crept into the habitations of the poor, charity has been animated by a divine ardour to purue and expel the unfriendly intruder.

When the preent exigencies of the times are conidered, it is not a matter of urprize, that a poor man, with a large family, from want of employment, or by the viitation of icknes, hould be reduced to extreme indigence. This, however, is gradually incurred; the firt tep towards poverty, with only trivial aid applied in the intant, is eaily reclaimed, and the progreive decent prevented; but as ditres encreaes, the difficulty of obviating it is augmented: it is, therefore, of the utmot importance to the community to cloe the wound, on the firt application, with the oil and the honey, before it cankers; and becomes incurable. This was the conduct of the good Samaritan who without enquiring into the principles, or country of the traveller, generouly adminitered immediate relief. It is this kind of attention to the firt appearances of wants that enables a religious ociety to boat, that there is not one ditreed peron in their community unnoticed or unrelieved. I have often lamented that uch a ytem of conduct, which has uniformly ucceeded for upwards of a century, has not been adopted more generally in parihes. On the contrary, the poor upplicant, intead of finding pity and protection, is too often repuled by thoe who hold the power of relief in their hands, with threats of a work-houe if they renew their petitions and again urge their neceities.—There is a love of freedom in the human breat; it is the birthright and boat of an Englihman, who ill-brooks unmerited retraint.—A man with uch feelings, when oppreed with unavoidable want, is apt to acribe every intance of neglect to a contempt of his poverty; and thus chagrin of mind is added to his other mieries. It is therefore the duty of thoe in higher tations, to treat the poor with peculiar tendernes, even where they cannot grant their requets; and with repect to perons entruted with the care and proviion of the poor in parihes, the immediate extention of relief, when firt required would not only render the ditreed object happy, but eventually ave accumulated expences to the community—it would enable him at an eay rate to tem the preent torrent, encourage him to future exertions of indutry, and thus preerve him from becoming a lating burden to the parih, and a real los to the public.

Though I have mentioned freedom as the birthright of an Englihman, I would be far from defending the leat appearance of licentiounes among the labouring poor: but when we conider the immene importance of this clas of people, their executive powers in manufactures, in commerce, in arts, and bodily labour, which are great national concerns, we cannot be too cautious of depreing this love of independence, the genuine fruits of which are virtue, indutry, and public pirit.

Indeed our happines requires us to make this part of our fellow creatures happy, as there is no poibility of intentionally rendering others happy without rendering ourelves o; neither is it poible to procure happines for ourelves, without firt procuring it for others—Happines, therefore, is reciprocal, and is of all things the mot eaily purchaed;.

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P. S. In your Magazine for the lat month, a writer, under the ignature of "A Friend to Humanity," has very politely noticed my endeavours in favour of the late Captain Carver, and recommends a new edition of his Travels by ubcription, for the relief of the widow and children——I approve the writer's cheme, and acquaint him that it has been in part executed.