The Precept. "Cast thy bread upon the waters.**
There can be little doubt that this admonition applies to the deeds of compassion and beneficence which are the proper fruits of true religion. In times of famine, in cases of affliction and sudden calamity, it is a duty to supply the need of the poor and hungry. Almsgiving is the natural, the necessary, expression of a healthy Christian character. The Christian cannot but be com- municative of the goods which he has. Almsgiving is not a con- cession to importunity, by which we free ourselves from unwelcome petitioners ; it is not a sacrifice to public opinion, by which we satisfy the claims popularly made upon our place or fortune ; it is not an appeal for praise; it is not a self-complacent show of generosity ; it is not, in a word, due to any external motive. It is the spontaneous outcome of life.
But there are many other ways in which benevolence may express itself besides almsgiving. The Christian is called upon to care both for the bodies and for the souls of his fellow-men — to give the bread of knowledge as well as the bread that perisheth, and to provide a spiritual portion for the enrichment and con- solation of the destitute.
^ Sir Thomas Browne, Christian Morals, 90.
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1. The Bread of Kindness. — Cast seed on the soil, and you may reasonably expect a harvest. But to "cast bread upon the waters " — what good can come of that ? And yet there are many acts of beneficence which seem quite as unlikely ever to bring any return to the benefactor. "We are to be kind to others, even although we can see no ground for hoping that we shall ever be recompensed by them. There are many cases in which simply the need of others ought to be our chief motive in well-doing. It is indeed quite true that mere indiscriminate almsgiving is likely to do harm instead of good. But here, we shall suppose, is a case in which we know a man to be in real need, and we are able really and truly to help him. We are not sure that he will be even grateful to us. We cannot well conceive of our ever coming into circumstances in which we shall need his help. Well, let us " cast our bread upon the waters." Let us be generous without calcula- tion. Let us do good to the man without any considerations of personal advantage. Let not our benevolence take the form of a mere " investment." However unprofitable to ourselves our well- doing may appear to be, still let us continue to do well.
^ It surely cannot matter to you whom the thing helps, so long as you are content that it won't, or can't, help you ? But are you content so ? For that is the essential condition of the whole business — I will not speak of it in terms of money — are you content to give work ? Will you build a bit of wall, suppose — to serve your neighbour, expecting no good of the wall yourself ? If so, you must be satisfied to build the wall for the man who wants it built ; you must not be resolved first to be sure that he is the best man in the village. Help any one, anyhow you can : so, in order, the greatest possible number will be helped ; nay, in the end, perhaps you may get some shelter from the wind under your charitable wall yourself ; but do not expect it, nor lean on any promise that you shall find your bread again, once cast away ; I can only say that of what I have chosen to cast fairly on the waters myself, I have never yet, after any number of days, found a crumb. Keep what you want ; cast what you can, — and expect nothing back, once lost, or once given.^
(1) Charity, in the sense of the gospel, is disinterested. The design, in every act which is entitled to this name, is to do real good to those who are its objects. The intention of the author of
' Ruflkin, Fors Clavigera, Letter 19 ( Works^ xxvii. 328).
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it will invariably be to promote the happiness or to relieve the distresses of the sufferer ; not to advance his own reputation, to promote his own selfish purposes, or even to prevent the reproaches of his own conscience. In a word, selfishness, of whatever kind, and in whatever form it may exist, is not charity.
^ Lady Blanche Balfour was a person whose thoughts were not like other people's thoughts, and who could do things which other people could not do. The Cotton Famine in Lancashire during the American Civil War stirred her sympathy greatly. As it happened at the time that her establishment was being reduced, — probably with a view to her going abroad with her children, — she used the opportunity to make a novel proposal to them. They were told that, if they liked to do the work of the house, any money that was saved in this way would go to the help of the distressed people. When they agreed to take this up, the house was divided. The few servants remaining had the use of the still- room at one end of it to prepare their own meals in, and the kitchen was made over to Lady Blanche's daughters, who, after the two eldest had a few lessons from the cook before she left, did the family cooking, with only the assistance, for the roughest work, of two quite untrained Lancashire girls, who were brought from amid the " idle sorrow " of the time in Manchester to stay in Whittingehame House. Lady Blanche's sons [of whom the Eight Hon. A. J. Balfour is the eldest] had also work of the house which they could do allotted them, such as cleaning of boots and knives. Of course the young ladies were new to cutting up and cooking meat ; so the meals at first were very irregularly achieved, and were trying enough even to youthful appetites. They must have been still more trying to Lady Blanche herself, who was really an invalid always. But more than one purpose of hers was served. The help sent to Lancashire was greater by the amount saved in household expenses; her children had the sense of giving this share of help through their own labour and self-denial ; and they had besides a discipline of great value, as no doubt their mother intended, in the thorough knowledge acquired of details of house- keeping, and in the check given to dependence on comforts. Others, perhaps, in her circumstances might have imagined and planned such a procedure as this ; but few could have carried it through.^