tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3287675141745937676.post2580698861418535076..comments2024-03-20T23:43:28.613+00:00Comments on Caroline's Miscellany: Held to accountCarolineLDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00197813252586559665noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3287675141745937676.post-67362952822695611362012-09-29T09:56:32.826+01:002012-09-29T09:56:32.826+01:00It's less the expectation of attending service...It's less the expectation of attending services that struck me - as you say, that was pretty standard - than the tone of the various exhortations. These recipients were repeatedly and explicitly told to be humble, grateful, and well-behaved; yet they had only been chosen because of their suitability. It's equivalent to accompanying every payment of the state pension with a little moral lecture. I don't imagine that would be popular!<br />CarolineLDhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00197813252586559665noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3287675141745937676.post-57395102337877395522012-09-28T19:21:05.218+01:002012-09-28T19:21:05.218+01:00I suppose if a philanthropist today were to give m...I suppose if a philanthropist today were to give money to, say, ex-convicts, and, in addition, make them listen to a sermon exhorting them to turn away from their criminal ways, we woud not be too shocked. Our surprise comes from the fact that it is <i>religion</i> that is being promoted here, but we have to remember that even up to the Victorian era it was considered meritorious to do good in order to persuade the recipients to be dutiful to church and God.<br /><br />Ever and anon when we discover some picturesque almshouses somewhere, if the conditions of residence are still extant, they always impose upon residents the duty to attend services in the chapel twice on Sunday, the chapel often being the most notable part of the building. (This regulation is still visible in the Geffrye Museum, for example.)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com