An introduction to the study of the dependent, defective and delinquent classes / by Charles Richmond Henderson.

  • Charles Richmond Henderson
Date:
1893
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: An introduction to the study of the dependent, defective and delinquent classes / by Charles Richmond Henderson. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine, through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine, Harvard Medical School.

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    for the end of pauperism and deformity without patient, earnest and prolonged effort and sacrifice, is an optimism .not justified by history, and it is practically both foolish and wicked. But the relative success already attained in every branch of remedial, preventive and educational effort of philanthropy gives rational ground for a sober hope, a burning zeal and a deathless strife with error, pain, disease and pauperism. The treatment of these special and forlorn members of the race is a part of the universal movement of human history. If we regard these classes as the foot, down in the mire, we may so far adopt the figure as to say that the foot is still a member of the social body ; that while the foot suffers a]l the members suffer with it ; and that until the foot is extracted from the mire, the head will be hindered in its journey of progress. May we not partly explain the frequent outbursts of savage traits in the refined circles of society—as bestial lust and drunkenness, selfish greed, barbaric osten- tation, fondness for display, murderous indifference to the suffering of employes — by the near presence of a neglected portion of the hum^n family? The hovels of neglected paupers furnish the nidus for germs of plague, and in the same hovels are prepared moral temptations for the sons of > the elect. The atomistic notion of society, which regards j each individual as a separate unit with whom we have no | relations, is only evil and cause of evils. To prevent dependency and to diminish the number of defectives, f society must learn to move together and work all its insti- 1 tutions of school, family, church and state in conscious | harmony toward a purposed end. ' Relation of our Subject to Philosophy and Religion. — Pessimism and agnosticism deny that we really know that