"Englishmen are not likely, you may be sure, to let the State encroach too much; they are not likely to be not lovers enough of individual liberty and of individual self-assertion. Our dangers are all the other way. Our dangers are in exaggerating the blessings of self-will and self-assertion, in not being ready enough to sink our imperfectly informed self-will in view of a large general result."-MATTHEW ARNOLD. PREFACE. THE late Mr. Alderman Warburton, of Manchester, in the year 1887 left the sum of £1,000 to the Owens College, for the purpose of promoting the study of Local Government. From the revenue of this "Warburton Bequest" the College offers a prize of £50 once in four years for an Essay on some subject connected with Local Government, all past and present students of the College being eligible to compete. The subject for the year 1890 was "The Law relating to the Powers of Municipal Bodies in dealing with the Housing of the Poor, with a discussion of the Economic Principles relating thereto." This Essay was written for the competition, and the examiners, Dr. Ward (the Principal of the College), Prof. J. E. C. Munro, and Mr. J. A. Bennion, M.A., awarded the prize to it. Hence its appearance before the public. The central idea of the Essay is that experience is the best guide in social matters. Copious use has therefore been made of existing literature upon the subject, and much space devoted to the results achieved by those practically engaged in the work of housing the poor. Some additions have been made since the Essay was written, so as to include the work already done under the new Act. Thetford, May, 1891. F. H. MILLINGTON. |
