These subscriptions being PERFECTLY VOLUNTARY, might be augmented
or diminished at pleasure. When any person chose to alter his
subscription, he sent to the public office for two blank
subscription lists, and filling them up anew, with such
alterations as he thought proper to make, he took up his old list
at the office, and deposited the new one in its stead.
The subscription lists being all collected, they were sorted,
and regularly entered according to the numbers of the houses
of the subscribers, in sixteen general lists[9], answering to
the sixteen subdivisions or districts of the city; and a copy of
the general list of each district was given to the commissary
of the district.
These copies, which were properly authenticated, served for the
direction of the commissary in collecting the subscriptions in
his district, which was done regularly the last Sunday morning of
every month.
The amount of the collection was immediately delivered by the
commissary into the hands of the banker of the institution,
for which he received two receipts from the banker; one of which
he transmitted to the committee, with his report of the collection,
which he was directed to send in as soon as the collection was
made.
As there were some persons who, from modesty, or other motives,
did not choose to have it known publicly how much they gave in
alms to the poor, and on that account were not willing to have
put down to their names upon the list of the subscribers, the
whole sum they were desirous of appropriating to that purpose;
to accommodate matters to the peculiar delicacy of their feelings,
the following arrangement was made, and carried into execution
with great success.
Those who were desirous of contributing privately to the relief
of the poor, were notified by an advertisement published in the
news-papers, that they might send to the banker of the
institution any sums for that purpose they might think proper,
under any feigned name, or under any motto or other device;
and that not only a receipt would be given to the bearer, for the
amount, without and questions being asked him, but, for greater
security, a public acknowledgement of the receipt of the sum
would be published by the banker, with a mention of the feigned
name of device under which it came, IN THE NEXT MUNICH GAZETTE.
To accommodate those who might be disposed to give trifling sums
occasionally, for the relief of the poor, and who did not choose
to go, or to send to the banker, fixed poor-boxes were placed in
all the churches, and most of the inns; coffee-houses; and other
places of public resort; but nobody was ever called upon to put
any thing into these boxes, nor was any poor's-box carried round,
or any private collection or alms-gathering permitted to be made
upon any occasion, or under any pretence whatever.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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