one may judge from later accounts
of other parishes even up to 1834, usually it remained the same,
purposeless and unintelligent; and it can hardly be denied that,
generally speaking, only since the middle of the 19th century has any
serious attention been paid to the charitable side of parochial work.
Parallel to the parochial movement of the poor-law in England, in France
(about 1617) were established the _bureaux de bienfaisance_, at first
entirely voluntary institutions, then recognized by the state, and
during the Revolution made the central administration for relief in the
communes.

Charitable movements after 1601.

In the 17th century in England, as in France, opinion favoured the
establishment of large hospitals or _maisons Dieu_ for the reception of
the poor of different classes. In France throughout the century there
was a continuous struggle with mendicancy, and the hospitals were used
as places into which offenders were summarily driven. A new humanity
was, however, beginning its protest. The pitiful condition of abandoned
children attracted sympathy in both countries. St Vincent de Paul
established homes for the _enfants trouves_, followed in England by the
establishment of the Foundling hospital (1739). In both countries the
method was applied inconsiderately and pushed to excess, and it affected
family life most injuriously. Grants from parliament supported the
foundling movement in England, and homes were opened in many parts of
the country. The demand soon became overwhelming; the mortality was
enormous, and the cost so large that it outstripped all financial
expedients. The lesson of the experiment is the same as that of the
poor-law catastrophe before 1834; only, instead of the able-bodied poor
of another age, infants were made the object of a compassionate but
undiscerning philanthropy. With widespread relief there came widespread
abandonment of duty and economic bankruptcy. Had the poor-rates instead
of charitable relief been used in the same way, the moral injury would
have been as great, but the annual draft from the rates would have
concealed the moral and postponed the economic disaster. To amend the
evil, changes were made by which the relation between child and mother
was kept alive, and a personal application on her part was required; the
character of the mother and her circumstances were investigated, and
assistance was only given when it would be "the means of replacing the
mother in