Philanthropy in 1900 London

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LONDON 1832 JOHN HENRY&CHARLES LIAS STER.SILVER SPOON
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Arthur H. Beavan made a survey of London charities in Imperial London, published in 1901:

The number of so-called Charities and Charitable Institutions in London is legion, and if any one desires exact information on the subject, he cannot do better than consult Mr. Herbert Fry's exhaustive work, The Royal Guide to the London Charities.

There exist the distinctive City Guild Benevolent Societies, the London Parochial Societies, and private Institutions for every conceivable object of beneficence.

The late Mr. Montagu Williams, QC, who as a magistrate had gathered a large amount of experience amongst the poor, was of opinion that the only way to grapple with permanent pauperism was by State interference.

"The disease," he said, "is national, therefore the cure should be national. I would institute a system of graduated taxation. I know scores of men with incomes from £10,000 to £40,000 a year, who have never given one single sixpence to the struggling poor of London."

A sad indictment, if true; but since those words were written, great efforts have been made to brighten the lives of those who live amidst dismal and sordid surroundings, to benefit the needy and destitute, and to feed the starving.

Next: Philanthropic London in 1900: The University Settlements