fair, cheap and easy method of making these
children sound useful members of the commonwealth would deserve so well
of the public, as to have his statue set up for a preserver of the
nation.

But my intention is very far from being confined to provide only for
the children of professed beggars, it is of a much greater extent, and
shall take in the whole number of infants at a certain age, who are born
of parents in effect as little able to support them, as those who demand
our charity in the streets.

As to my own part, having turned my thoughts, for many years, upon this
important subject, and maturely weighed the several schemes of other
projectors, I have always found them grossly mistaken in their
computation. It is true a child, just dropped from its dam, may be
supported by her milk for a solar year with little other nourishment, at
most not above the value of two shillings, which the mother may
certainly get, or the value in scraps, by her lawful occupation of
begging, and it is exactly at one year old that I propose to provide for
them, in such a manner, as, instead of being a charge upon their
parents, or the parish, or wanting food and raiment for the rest of
their lives, they shall, on the contrary, contribute to the feeding and
partly to the clothing of many thousands.

There as likewise another great advantage in my scheme, that it will
prevent those voluntary abortions, and that horrid practice of women
murdering their bastard children, alas, too frequent among us,
sacrificing the poor innocent babes, I doubt, more to avoid the expense,
than the shame, which would move tears and pity in the most savage and
inhuman breast.

The number of souls in this kingdom being usually reckoned one million
and a half,[130] of these I calculate there may be about two hundred
thousand couple whose wives are breeders, from which number I subtract
thirty thousand couples, who are able to maintain their own children,
although I apprehend there cannot be so many under the present
distresses of the kingdom, but this being granted, there will remain an
hundred and seventy thousand breeders. I again subtract fifty thousand
for those women who miscarry, or whose children die by accident, or
disease within the year. There only remain an hundred and twenty
thousand children of poor parents annually born: The question therefore
is, how this number shall be reared, and provided for, which, as I have
already said, under the pres