Giving: Charity and Philanthropy in HistoryTransaction Publishers - 241 pages "According to Greek mythology mankind's first benefactor was the Titan, Prometheus, who gave fire, previously the exclusive possession of the gods, to mortal man." With these words the esteemed scholar Robert Bremner presents the first full-fledged history of attitudes toward charity and philanthropy. "Giving "is a perfect complement to his earlier work "The Discovery of Poverty in the United States. "The word "philanthropy "has been translated in a variety of ways: as a loving human disposition, loving kindness, love of mankind, charity, fostering mortal man, championing mankind, and helping people. Bremner's book covers all of these meanings in rich detail. Bremner describes the ancient world and classical attitudes toward giving and begging; Middle Ages and early modern times, emphasizing hospitals and patients and donors and attributes of charity; the eighteenth century and the age of benevolence; the nineteenth century and the growth of the concept of public relief and social policy; and a careful multiple chapter review of the twentieth century. Bremner reviews the act of giving in such comparative contexts as London, England and Kasrilevke, Russia with such figures as Thomas Carlyle, Charles Dickens, and Sholem Aleichem, as well as the more familiar wealthy industrialist/philanthropists, forming part of the narrative. The final chapters bring the story up to date, discussing the relationships of modem philanthropy and organized charity, and the uses of philanthropy in education and the arts. Bremner has an astonishing knowledge of the cultural context and the economic contents of philanthropy. As a result, this volume is intriguing as well as important history, written with lively style and wit. Whether the reader is a professional in the so-called "third stream" or "independent sector," or simply a citizen wondering just what the act of giving and the spirit of receiving is all about, "Giving "will be compelling reading. |
From inside the book
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... Century Prologue : The World Is All Alike 6 The Age of Benevolence 7 Poets and Philanthropists 8 Beggars , Importunate and Long Remember'd 11 23 25 35 2 2 3 45 55 57 71 85 Part Four The Nineteenth Century Prologue : If All Were.
Charity and Philanthropy in History Robert H. Bremner. Part Four The Nineteenth Century Prologue : If All Were as Happy as We 9 Relief of Need 585 95 99 10 The Good Samaritan : Charles Dickens on Public Relief and Private Charity 111 11 ...
... century philanthropy meant a benevolent disposition and humanistic turn of mind . In the eighteenth and nineteenth centu- ries it became associated with active participation in humanitarian reforms to improve the treatment of prisoners ...
... century B.C. These attitudes , like ours today , were ambivalent . Both Homer and his characters express contempt for common vagabonds who lie and cheat , and advocate harsh punish- ment " to teach beggars not to cheat . " On the other ...
... centuries . Ennius ( 239-169 B.C. ) was the first major epic poet in Latin . Only fragments of his work survive in quotations by later writers . Cicero used the following in his On Moral Obligations : The man who kindly guides a ...
Contents
5 | |
11 | |
23 | |
25 | |
Donors and Attributes of Charity | 35 |
God and Neighbor | 45 |
The World Is All Alike | 55 |
The Age of Benevolence | 57 |
Philanthropy and Reform | 121 |
Love and Kindness | 135 |
And May Not This Be? | 145 |
Paupers Tramps and Beggars | 147 |
Modern Philanthropy and Organized Charity | 159 |
Philanthropic Foundations and the Uses of Philanthropy in Higher Education and the Arts | 169 |
Giving by and for the Poor | 185 |
Current History Stories from Life | 199 |
Poets and Philanthropists | 71 |
Beggars Importunate and Long Rememberd | 85 |
If All Were as Happy as We | 95 |
Relief of Need | 99 |
The Good Samaritan Charles Dickens on Public Relief and Private Charity | 111 |
Afterword | 213 |
Bibliography | 219 |
Index | 235 |