Down and Out with Orwell in London

I have just finished reading George Orwell's " Down and out in Paris and London". In the second part of the book Orwell find himself homeless in the London area. As I read of his experiences a range of thoughts go through my mind about charity and the church. There are a number of occasions when Orwell goes to a church for a free meal, usually tea, bread, or the like. Once fed there is the expectation that the homeless stay on for some type of religious service, in one case the men are even expected to kneel down and pray. Orwell comments that this type of charity is not really liked by the men. There is a resentment at the expectation that they should be grateful for the charity offered them. Now Orwell is not really critical of the church people giving out the charity as he sees good intent in what they are doing, but as the old saying goes "the way to hell is paved with good intentions".  It got me thinking about the reasons people have for giving to charity, or doing charitable works. If as a Christian I am trying to follow Jesus as my model for life then I should try to help people when I can. But when I am doing this I should not expect anything in return, even if sometimes the experience is disappointing. When Jesus healed ten leapers only one returned, and that, a Samaritan ( Luke 17: 11- 19). I sense a note of disappointment, even sadness in what Jesus says: "Were there not ten cleansed?", but even so the other nine still were healed. So I wonder if we are going be involved in any type of charity, especially with people who do not always fit in with societies expectations, we should do so as a sign of our love of God and our fellow humans, not for some sense that we have done good.

At the time of Orwell there were still workhouses and attached to these were "spikes", places were tramps could stay overnight. These were very institutionalised. When you went in you gave over all your belongings, including clothes and put on some type of uniform. The standard bread and tea, sometimes cocoa was given and you were allotted a cell or bed in a dormitory.  In the morning your belongings were returned and after a breakfast and inspection by a doctor (apparently to check for smallpox not to help with any ailments), you were given some bread and cheese and sent off on the road again. By law you could only stay at a spike once a month, twice at some London ones. Registers were kept of all who stayed.  Such places are long gone but homelessness is not. The issues homeless people face may be different to the tramps Orwell got to know, but it seems that almost a hundred years since Orwell wrote about these things, people still find themselves "on the road".  In thinking about the situation in his time Orwell saw providing work for the tramps as a way to help resolve the situation. He suggests that they work on farms attached to the workhouses to grow their own food. This could also help improve the status of the tramps and even help them eventually settle down.

Today there are many marvellous charitable organisations that provide a home and training for people in need and who for all sorts of reasons have become homeless. As a result many lives are changed for the better.

Dear God

We pray for all those who seek

to offer help to those in need.

Let our charity be given with 

an open hand and heart.

We pray for all those who are

homeless today, 

for whatever reason.

Keep them safe on our streets, 

especially from coronavirus,

and let them find the help

they need, not what others

want to give.

Help us all to care for 

each other in these 

difficult times.

Amen

Now off to Burma with " Burmese Days"!!