Charity and philantrophy have always been seen as something extremely positive and commendable. Those two qualities have been popular in all ages but they somehow became especially prominent in Victorian times.
Basics:
Philanthropy etymologically means “the love of humanity”—love in the sense of caring for, nourishing, developing, or enhancing; humanity in the sense of “what it is to be human,” or “human potential.” In modern practical terms, it is “private initiatives for public good, focusing on quality of life”—balancing the social-scientific aspect emphasized in the 20th century, with the long-traditional and original humanist core of the word’s ancient coinage. This formulation distinguishes it from business (private initiatives for private good, focusing on material prosperity) and government (public initiatives for public good, focusing on law and order).[1]
Charities exist to help people, animals, places or things in need. People often set charities up because nobody else seems to be giving this help.
Charities are not allowed to make a profit: all the money they raise has to spent helping whatever it is they were set up to help. So they are also called “not-for-profit” organisations. [2]
The Victorian era is generally agreed to stretch through the reign of Queen Victoria (1837-1901). It was a tremendously exciting period when many artistic styles, literary schools, as well as, social, political and religious movements flourished. It was a time of prosperity, broad imperial expansion, and great political reform. It was also a time, which today we associate with “prudishness” and “repression”. Without a doubt, it was an extraordinarily complex age, that has sometimes been called the Second English Renaissance. It is, however, also the beginning of Modern Times. [3]
As the century progressed the plight of the poor, and of the destitute homeless children, impinged on the consciences of more and more people. The Victorian era can also be thought of as one of intense philanthropy. Many of our modern day charitable institutions, such as The Children’s Society, have their roots at this time.[4]
Civic identity and civic engagement were more powerful forces in Victorian than in early 20th-century Britain.
Nor were the Victorian middle and upper classes parsimonious over charitable giving. The 1860s alone saw the formation of the Society for the Relief of Distress, the Peabody Trust, Barnardo’s Homes and the Charity Organisation Society.
These national organisations were multiplied several-fold by local charities. Christian gentlemen considered it a duty to make legacies to worthy causes.
True, much of this giving came with strings. Most Victorian charities were aimed at those sections of the working classes disposed towards helping themselves. Its overall impact, however, should not be underestimated.[5]
Just as the Victorians gave serious thought to the principles governing relief, so they did to the principles of charity. Somewhat later in the century, in 1869, the Charity Organization Society (COS) was established to coordinate the multitude of private charities and philanthropies that were being founded. (In London alone there were about seven hundred philanthropic societies, devoted to every conceivable human misery or affliction.[6]
This chapter is important because the theoretical insights of Granovetter’s work on weak ties and Mauss’ on gift exchange are employed in order to invert the conventional taxonomy, which separates friendly societies and charities. In foregrounding the overlapping range of activities, functions, members and structures of friendly societies and charities the chapter demonstrates that both forms of organisation placed importance upon reciprocity and maintaining relationships, both drew upon the traditions of the guilds and both operated within the context of widespread familiarity with cycles of exchange. This illuminates how power circulated within and between charities and friendly societies and how, even as friendly societies became less dependent on patrons, ties of trust with charities were created and renewed. It also highlights the centrality of charities and mutual aid to the maintenance of social stability and to the development of civic politics and kinship survival strategies. [7]
Conclusion:
Victorian times as somewhat a renaissance period of England have left a huge impact not only on the UK but on the whole world as well. Those were the times of great technology and literature prosperity but also a period of great poverty and misery. That lead to creation of charity societies and awakening of philanthropy which was a basis for creating organisations of such type in years to come.
References:
[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philanthropy
[2] http://www1.barnardos.org.uk/futurecitizens/charities/today_what.html
[3] http://www.victoriaspast.com/FrontPorch/victorianera.htm
[4] http://www.hiddenlives.org.uk/articles/poverty.html
[5] http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/victorians/overview_victorians_01.shtml
[6] http://www.catholiceducation.org/articles/social_justice/sj0022.html
[7] “Supporting self-help: charity, mutuality and reciprocity in nineteenth-century Britain” Weinbren, Daniel
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