ASPECTS OF THE SOCIAL PROBLEM.*
Ma. BOSANQUET has done a useful piece of work. He has put together in a popular form valuable facts and opinions upon a few of the difficult questions which press upon our attention whether we will or not. Much of the popular literature on social questions is unreadable by people sane enough to dis- trust the flagrant Socialism of the Fabian Essayists, and the somewhat milk-and-water imitation of their enthusiastic but more timid followers, who call themselves "Christian Socialists." In this volume Mr. Bosanquet realises the need for a trained observation "in the social field" allied with " reasonable theory," and with this principle in view he has collected these papers. Some are here printed for the first time, while a few are reprints from various sources. As each problem is dealt with more or less completely in each paper, and has only a general accord with the rest, the writer has scope to develop his own experience in the matter ; and this is the more valuable as they are by men who are fully qualified by personal effort among the poor to come to a clear and unprejudiced conclusion in the matter, and this, combined with the fact that the writers have "paid careful attention to the methods and principles of social reform," makes the conclusions they come to valuable to the general reader.
Although these studies were written on different occasions. and by different men, Mr. Bosanquet claims that they have a definite principle " which operates through all the differences of their subject-matter." This principle is that "circumstance is modifiable by character, and so far as circumstance is a name for human action, by character alone." No thoughtful person would be disposed to dispute this if it is not pressed too far, though some of our Radical friends are disposed to make more vigorous attempts to alter circumstances than to reform character. Still, no doubt bad air and bad sur- roundings have a pernicious effect upon character ; but until the public opinion of the working-class is brought to bear through the Trade-Unions to remedy these things, where they are remediable, the circumstances will practically remain the same.
In a volume filled with so many subjects of interest it is impossible to speak of more than one or two in detail, so we would rather dwell upon those chapters which are of more general import. Nothing in the book is more striking
• Aspects of the Social Problem. By Various Writers. Edited by Bernard Bosanquot. London : Macmillan and Co.
than Miss Dendy's paper on " The Meaning and Methods of True Charity," which was first read at a meeting in May, 1893. It should be studied by every one who is in any way interested in the welfare of the poor. While the writer is inspired by genuine sympathy, it is combined with a wisdom that more than doubles its power for good. Not content with theory alone, the writer gives many interesting examples drawn from cases she has personally dealt with. Her inten- tion is " to bring out the difference between charity which only means well and the charity which does well," and then she proceeds to show what charity " which does well " con- sists in. To begin with, it does not consist of " doles," however adequate these may be. Even a 10s. allowance may only tend "to exaggerate the evils we deprecate."
This will be startling and disturbing news to people who, having the 10s. to give away, think that to give it to some "deserving case" recommended by some official, clerical or lay, constitutes the whole duty of " being charitable."
What is meant by "thorough charity" is that it should be " thoroughly thought out," and the writer wants " people to work with their eyes open, to know, so far as it is given to men to know, what the results of their action will be." All help bestowed influences the lives of those helped for good or for evil, and what is desired is that those who help should "recognise that if they assume the heavy respon- sibility of intentionally influencing men's lives, they must form some idea of what their influence is going to be." We are afraid if this excellent advice is taken it may be a certain check on the overflowing of charity, as help given without thought—and there is not one in a hundred who does or can give thought of this kind—may only add to the condemna- tion of him who gives. This responsibility the -writer emphasises in the strongest possible way. Especially are charitable people warned to guard against letting themselves be misled " into underestimating the importance of their influence." Of coarse the fact really is that whether people help or do not help. they cannot escape responsibility of a kind, but to take upon oneself to help definitely a given case which, except for our help, would be dealt with in some other way, is to assume a definite responsibility towards that given case. Let us grant, however, that we have some pounds in our pocket which we are prepared to part with, and with a fair desire to do as much good and as little harm as possible with it, how are we to proceed ? Miss Dendy tells us that knowledge of the case is imperative, and gives us two directions in which we should look for the knowledge. First, it will involve "a careful study of the character and circumstances of the individual men and women " themselves. Secondly, it will demand " a full acquaintance with the wider social conditions and tendencies within the limits of which we work." How true this is, will be seen if we think seriously for a moment what a host of facts go to make up the position of any man or woman in the world. There is a man's own character, then his surroundings. " He is the member of a family, of a church, of a trade." With all of these he necessarily must act in some degree of concert. The fresh ideas you give him must coincide with the ideas he has grown up with and to. The same argument you would use to a churchman, would be of no possible influence over an agnostic. If the man has been in a Trade-Union, he will have seen a different side of life from a casual dock-worker. Knowledge, therefore, is necessary before all things ; sympathy and experience will, as the writer says generally suggest the next step. But one
thing is very certain, and we quite indorse it, that "in the Light of our knowledge, we shall lose all confidence in the adequacy of doles and tickets to stem the tide which is over- whelming the sufferer," and we shall also "cease to believe in the possibility of one remedy for all troubles." We cannot dwell here on the larger issues of charitable help,—the close inter-dependence of human beings with each other, and the certainty of harm being done if all the facts are not accurately known. Neither have we space to give the interesting stories from real life which help to make Miss Dendy's paper so valuable ; but they are well worth the study of those who lightly take in hand cases of poverty and dis- tress which they give themselves no real trouble to under- stand. Yet this understanding alone will make the help given of any avail.
We have dwelt chiefly here upon the papers treating on the more general aspects of Social Reform, and purposely avoided discussion on the more difficult subjects, such as the Poor-law and " Old-Age Pensions." These open up large questions of practical importance, and our readers are likely to hear enough about them elsewhere. At the same time, Mr. Loch's opinion is of the greatest value in both these matters, and his papers should be read by those who are interested in them.
Nor shall we say much of the chapter by Mr. Bernard Bosanquet bearing on Socialism. The preface has been already quoted, and shows the attitude in which he is towards this subject ; and the papers themselves are somewhat too technical for the general reader. They imply acquaintance with the writings of Darwin, Huxley, and Spencer, and though Mr. Bosanquet indulges in some good hard hitting at the affectation of modern culture, which attempts "to designate well-recognised phenomena of civilised society by names drawn from the evolution of the plant and the lower animal world," they have not quite the same charm of simplicity which characterises Miss Dendy's as well as some of the other essays. Altogether, it is a volume which we greatly welcome, and its size is an additional recommendation.
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