CO129-193 - Governor Hennessy - 1881 [5-7] — Page 120

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事而來 窮窘之 有殷戶有聲望善品之人自樂以此爲已任者而後可照職愚見凡國家治理本土人應以人心趨向爲要然後教使日上卽推尊其所有 之法理 不以甘受調濟爲如此則畏葸幾希失望之人不愁絕望又不患無慮偷閒之輩漸樂流爲無賴之徒但如此之曾非人手所可立者必須 心猛烈 建屋宇之資如此之會可察窮窘人之景況實爲有補但無庸官支俸只須有聲望之殷戶踴躍輸誠耳如此之會足使棍徒莫展其狡又使 望者數位爲公局之基而商以國家所欲知者如此之人國家宜尊重之照華人規矩使彼有榮兼之賴彼與國家商酌所有華人窮窘求濟事 殘忍之 百姓自行施濟情事且用國家資財助彼周邮之項故香港應特立者卽華人爱理濟貧會按該會卽華人自行勸捐樂助而國家亦可助以創 長之處而使凡有辛勤明敏仁愛者莫不明榮故欲本港華民自立理濟貧會照卑職所陳腐見 督憲大人以爲可否卽立華人之有聲 本由以 語此等道理卑職心甚悅服與之符合故理香港窮窘之事濟貧之法最妙莫如使百姓自行施濟盡力維持但國家須用所有之權立例安理 此情事 國家可讓則必讓與百姓自司施濟之職卽分別某歎確是劬勞及某欸不是等語他又云國家斷莫能分別貧人中軌爲堪當孰爲不堪者等 委蓋如 彼雖墼名狠藉卑職亦未肯謂夷理所陳人必信爲全璧但照愚意確知他在食貨總要一書第五百八十五篇所言不謬斷莫能摘其疵卽云 莫知原 各法本因英國情形而立制故與本港商民大異者不符發此事諒或不難竊職愚意美理所陳之道非謂操全璧之權成富信服者是以 遇屍骸 四提舉濟貧法 由上所言可見卑職非謂請立養貧人例非强人輸貧人餉亦非謂國家應自理施濟之事謹按大英食貨之道甚繁所定

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constantly occurring in Hongkong, and of cases of persons found dead, is to be laid at the door of this brute deterrent policy in dealing with) destitution.

4.-Remedies Suggested.

As will be seen from the preceding remarks, I neither recommend the introduction of a Poor Law and compulsory Poor Rates, nor direct assumption by the State of the work of dispens ing public charity. It could easily be shown that many of the canons of English Political Enomy, based as they are on the state of things which the United Kingdom presents, are inappli- cable to the different conditions of commerce and society in this Colouy. I an therefore by no means prepared to accept even JOHN STUART MILL as an infallible authority. Nevertheless I am also persuaded that he is incontrovertibly right in saying (Principles of Political Economy, People's Edition, p. 585) that “what the State may and should abandon to private charity is the task of distinguishing between one case of real necessity and another," and that the State cannot undertake to discriminate between deserving and the undeserving indigent." harmony with this principle I would recommend that the remedy for Hongkong destitution be left in the main to private charity and to voluntary effort, but that the Government should do every- thing in its power to organize by law private charity which may then be supplemented by State What Hongkong specially needs therefore Chinese Charity Organization Society" which would raise funds by voluntary subscrip- tions, supplemented if need be by the Government for constructional purposes at first; which would subject destitutes to a vigilant and beneficial

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scrutiny, not by paid Inspectors but by voluntary workers of social position and wealth; which would render fraud impossible and relief unpala- table and thus neither discourage the faint-hearted and despairing, nor suffer the improvident and idle to lapse into contented pauperism. Such a Society, however, can of course not be created

artificially. It requires men of wealth and posi- tion, mell of character and influence, men who have love and vocation for such work. But in my opinion it is the duty of a Government deal- ing with native races to take advantage of native virtues and educate them up to a higher level by encouraging and drawing out every good tendency and giving countenance to deserving men of energy, intelligence and humane feeling. The best way of encouraging the Chinese in the Colony to establish of their own accord such a

Charity Organization Society” as I recommend,

would be for His Excellency the Governor at once to appoint a certain number of influential Chinese gentlemen as a first nucleus of a “Com- mittee of Referees." They should be recognized

as such by the Government, honoured in native style, and trusted to advise the Government in all

cases of appeal made by individual Chinese desti-

tutes, to investigate such cases, to deal with them discriminately and to afford relief so as to

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云只須監牢鞭笞已耳而絕不施一指一臂之力以窮窘為愆尤不以爲不幸如此實使人喪膽寒心手足無措而絕諸望也香港自盡之案其多異常每 之持籌妙算受害尤甚夫助人者貴使人自助卽使彼窮之人設法不須求助於將來反乎此則堅拒不與一毛不拔惟以殘忍之心猛烈攔阻之法卽 實傷其活潑自力辛勤蓋以殘忍之心行猛烈之政如鞭笞遷徙窮窘之人而於窮窘之事則一指不動此亦未嘗無害且於窮人之困苦顛連及國家 國家選賜貧人此事多傷行孝謹守五常等善郎華人現在勝比別國所有者要之叉有反乎此者雖然惠此無賴之人必須施與因凡使靠他人資助者 英埃蘭蘇格蘭濟貧人例所有之法而待本港無賴則不但行所不當行且使歐洲無願可惜之情形植於香港也更有一端歐洲美洲諸人素諳此理凡 又如英國各縣人其中貧富不齊且工值無多不足爲預後計如是則立養貧人例輸貧人餉亦理所宜然但因香港未嘗有此情形故若效大 者浸假國家應承必香港中窮窘者之命雖所給無多而使成例誠足傷壞華人所守五常及節制廉儉之品卽如歐洲黎庶數等人中每多蕩檢踰閑者 此乃由不幸所生庶免輕與傷惠適足壞波辛勤節儉自食其力之道而犒彼遊蕩無慮無賴之徒按華人原是節制廉儉慮後且以孝爲貴而謹守五常 所有周邮無賴流民亦慎施與故濟被窮窘而亦未嘗忘此本由不幸而生據實言之歐洲各國之人邇來學得華人向所知者卽理此無賴之徒須勿忘 【聯會按季娟簽面各行會館每逢年節賞以酒餚又有托砵門前久立乞得撮米交錢而店舖之人亦未嘗逐之使去要之華人以窮歎爲天命果報前愆 人在廣東各江河傍立有村落叉向來往舟船乞收錢米而乞兒等藉各處廟堂爲苴第宅天每

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beggar or pauper is not a very hard one in China. There are infirmaries for the aged of both sexes, asyluns for the blind, homes for the lepers, and orphanages in Cantou and elsewhere.

Lepers have their homesteads everywhere along

the rivers in the Canton Province, and levy their

fees on the river traffic. Professional beggars make their homes in temples, and are formed into guilds and receive quarterly allowances and semi-annual public dinners from mercantile corporations. No shopkeeper dares to turn away a beggar though

he may keep him waiting for a handful of rice or for a cash some hours at a time. Nevertheless,

pauperism is treated by the Chinese as the evidence of Divine Judgment, as a pre-destined calamity. Chinese charity, though it does afford

relief to paupers, treats pauperism in such a discreet way that it leaves pauperism, in spite of the relief afforded to individuals, its innate character of a misfortune. Indeed the experience

of Europe has also served to teach, what the Chinese maintain, that we must leave pauperism

as we find it, viz., as a misfortune, or else we

poison by misdirected charity the first springs of industry, thrift and self-help and put a premium

on imposture, improvidence and pauperism. The Chinese are habitually temperate, thrifty, provi.

dent and loyally devoted to the duties of filial

piety and the obligations of social ties. If the certainty of subsistence, be it ever so scanty, were

held out by law to the destitute of Hongkong, it

would tend to undermine the moral tone, the thrift and frugal industry of the Chinese. Where

large classes of the population, as in Europe, are habitually intemperate, or where, as in many agricultural districts of the United Kingdom,

there is an unsatisfactory diffusion of property

and where wages are too low to provide for the labourer's future, Poor Laws and Poor Rates

are justifiable. But as none of these conditions

exist here, any dealing with pauperism in Hong-

kong on the model of English, Irish or Scotch

Poor Laws is not only uncalled for but would

tend to produce here those same deplorable features

of European pauperism. Again, both in Europe

and in the United States, it has been found that

all State aid given directly to the poor tends to

lessen the exercise of filial and domestic duties,

the very virtues in which Chinese at present excel.

On the other hand, whilst all pampering of pau-

perism is to be earnestly deprecated, as anything

tending to encourage habitual reliance on the aid

of others is fatal to energy, self-help and industry,

so on the other hand a system of brute barbarisin,!

such as flogging and deportation, and the utter

absence of Government care for the destitute, is

equally or even more fatal to the interests of the i

destitutes and the State. As judicious aid en-

courages self-help and places the destitute into

such a position that he shall never require aid

again, so the refusal of all aid and assistance and

the brute sternness of the deterrent policy which

bolds out but the cell or the lash and no kindly

hand to help, and treats poverty as a crime and

not merely as a misfortune, causes loss of hope

and courage, paralyzes all energy and drives to

wild despair. The unusual number of suicides

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