An Inquiry Into the Nature of Benevolence, Chiefly With a View to Elucidate the Principles of the Poor Laws

An Inquiry Into The Nature Of Benevolence, Chiefly With A View To Elucidate The Principles Of The Poor Laws by James Ebenezer Bicheno. This work surveys the historical origins and operation of English poor relief, tracing its evolution from medieval alms and church duties through the Tudor and early modern statutes that regulated vagrancy, apprenticeship, and parish relief, to the later workhouse framework. The author argues that the existing system, grounded in mistaken notions of charity, has fostered idleness and distress by promoting indiscriminate subsistence rather than moral improvement. He distinguishes instinctive benevolence from rational benevolence and contends that true charity should maximize real happiness and moral progress, not merely alleviate bodily wants. He sets forth four principles: almsgiving is a duty; every able-bodied person has a right to sustenance; every able and willing person has a right to employment or wages; and virtue can be encouraged by legislative direction. The book critiques universal relief and defends discriminative bounty, advocating gradual reform, oversight, appeals, and educational measures to reduce dependence. It engages moral philosophy, natural law, and population theory to argue that indiscriminate charity undermines virtue and national welfare, concluding with a cautious case for prudent reform grounded in reason and duty.