... it meant that the poor would have to work in order to survive. Typical outlooks were of unconcern, complacency or patronising charity epitomised by Samuel Smiles' pamphlet "Self Help", where he stated that "the common life of everyday provides the workers with scope for effort and self-improvement...even if a man fails in his efforts it will be a great satisfaction to him to enjoy the consciousness of having done his best." Self-help and independence were valued as virtues but help had been being given to the poor since the Poor Laws were created in Elizabethan times. Aid given to the poor was known as "outdoor relief" as it was out of the place of work. It was easy to administer and could be applied flexibly depending on the circumstances of the family. People were, however, concerned with establishing the links between poverty and what they saw as morality, dividing the ...

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