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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... hand , philanthropic reformers ' devotion to particular causes makes less dedicated people question their sanity . Bad motives are attributed to good deeds , and hypocrisy is allegedly as rife among practitioners of charity and ...
... hand there is always the possibility that a beggar might be a god or goddess in disguise , and so it behooves one to show consideration for him or her . Toward the end of The Odyssey the hero , after years of wandering , returns to his ...
... hands of a great man , and some are too large for the other to take . " As an example of an inappropriate and inconsid- erate gift he cited the proffer by Alexander- " madman that he was and incapable of conceiving any plan that was not ...
... hands ungrudgingly to the poor , giving or lending them whatever they need , and promises that the Lord will prosper those who do so.3 One of the Psalms offers assur- ance that God himself is " gracious , slow to anger , and plentious ...
... hand , the nineteenth century British traveler , Richard Burton , thought it unfair to send Dives to hell merely because he had enjoyed a very modified version of heaven in this life . " If a rich man can hardly enter the kingdom ...
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 |