Chapter 1338: A Symbol of Civilization
Today wasn't the Crown Princess's usual lottery day on her weekly ball-watching day, but thousands of people had gathered in the open space in front of Alexandra's bakery, blocking even the adjacent streets.
This was because people had read in the newspapers that the Crown Princess was going to announce an important matter concerning charity.
There was no royal band playing as Alexandra's usual discreet "Gem II" carriage slowly approached from the west.
Warm cheers immediately erupted, and many women began to pray devoutly for the Crown Princess. Many poor families relied on the discounted bread sold by the bakery to feed their children, which had earned the Crown Princess an excellent reputation among the common people.
Alexandra, dressed in a light purple gown, stood on the flowerbed in front of the bakery and waved to the crowd, immediately drawing another round of cheers.
Once the crowd finally quieted down, she declared loudly:
"I believe you have all heard of Mr. Landry's terrible experience at the Blois district welfare home."
Angry murmurs immediately rippled through the crowd.
Alexandra raised a hand to quiet them and continued, "In reality, similar situations are widespread in welfare homes across the country.
People nodded excitedly, whispering among themselves, "With the Crown Princess in charge, those poor souls will never be abused again."
"The Crown Prince has never forgotten those who suffer."
"From now on, those black-hearted scoundrels won't be able to do as they please."
For the common people, welfare homes were not merely about simple charity. In this era, if one were to get injured or fall seriously ill, they would immediately face unemployment, and then they too would likely end up in a welfare home.
In truth, even before the journalist Landry exposed the dark secrets of the welfare homes, most people knew they were not good places; public outrage simply hadn't exploded en masse.
Alexandra continued, "According to the Crown Prince's plan, orphanages, relief homes, and shelters will be established across the country.
"Orphanages will be responsible for caring for children under 14 who have lost their parents, and will fully assist them in finding adoptive parents."
The crowd began murmuring again. "Adoptive parents? What's that?"
"It seems to be about finding people to adopt orphans."
"Perhaps similar to an apprenticeship system."
Indeed, this era had no system for adopting orphans. For orphans in welfare homes, the best outcome was to be noticed by a workshop, have an apprenticeship contract signed, and be taken away.
The so-called "apprenticeship" was, in reality, unpaid labor for the workshop in exchange for food, and freedom was typically not granted until one's twenties.
Alexandra explained, "Adoptive parents will become these children's new parents. Adopted children will not have inheritance rights, unless the adoptive parents voluntarily make a will for them to inherit. Adopted children will have an obligation to support their adoptive parents.
"Furthermore, adoptive parents are forbidden from abusing or selling adopted children, and must ensure their basic living conditions and education.
"His Majesty the King has signed the 'Adoption Law,' and the adoption details I just mentioned are all part of it."
The crowd erupted into even more fervent discussions.
Indeed, in the past, orphans were often treated as mere commodities, disposed of at will or subjected to forced labor. Now, the government was helping them "gain" a new family.
It certainly sounded humane, bringing a touch of warmth to everyone's hearts.
The Crown Princess's clear voice resonated once more: "Relief homes will primarily provide assistance to the elderly who have lost family care, as well as to the injured and disabled. They will also distribute food to those struggling to survive."
These were all routine tasks of the church welfare homes, but previously, the church had done little more than distribute some black bread for show, without achieving any real impact.
Now, the relief homes, supported by the Ministry of Civil Affairs, would screen those genuinely in need to ensure that relief supplies were not wasted on idlers.
"As for shelters, they will primarily provide temporary accommodation for able-bodied individuals facing hardship. Shelters will offer them work and skills training."
Shelters primarily targeted groups such as vagrants and refugees. In this era, these individuals were often involved in crimes like theft and robbery, so providing them shelter was a common choice for most nations.
Naturally, they would be required to perform labor in exchange for food.
In practice, the old welfare homes treated everyone, from children to the elderly, as vagrants. Now, with the segmentation for different groups, the true nature of social charity could finally be realized.
Alexandra looked at the surrounding crowd and raised her voice: "From now on, whether it's an orphanage, a relief home, or a shelter, they will all be open to the public at any time, and anyone can enter to visit.
"From the moment the Public Relief Office is established, every person in France facing hardship will receive assistance.
"This is our true practice of 'inherent human rights,' and the best testament to civilization!"
Indeed, these institutions, which would appear utterly commonplace in later eras, were nothing short of a divine blessing to humanity in the late eighteenth century.
One must remember that in this era, orphans, elderly people living alone, and the disabled would largely face a fate of fending for themselves, or have the last vestiges of their lives squeezed out in welfare homes.
Joseph's actions were effectively spearheading a wave of genuine charity across Europe.
Among the Ministry of Civil Affairs officials accompanying Alexandra, Baron Gagnon, head of the Audit Department, watched the Crown Princess as she gestured with her hands while speaking, frowning as he muttered, "Spending millions of francs annually on these utterly worthless people is a complete waste. We'd be better off building a few more factories with that money."
Armand Bizeau, the Deputy Minister of Civil Affairs, who was standing nearby, glanced at him and shook his head. "No, you're mistaken. The money spent by the Public Relief Office will bring our nation tens of millions, perhaps even hundreds of millions of francs in revenue."
Baron Gagnon turned, surprised. "How is that possible?"
Bizeau stated calmly, "Just as the Crown Princess said, compassion and assistance for the vulnerable, extended to all regions, will make our nation a symbol of progress and civilization.
"And the appeal of progress and civilization can sometimes be even greater than that of gold coins.
"I foresee that increasingly, foreigners, especially the wealthy and educated, will choose to come to France to invest and live.
"Paris, in turn, will become a 'pilgrimage' destination for all of Europe!"
An hour later, Alexandra departed the bakery amidst farewells from the crowd. She still had to rush back to Versailles to preside over a large-scale charity fundraising event.
In truth, the day-to-day operations of the Public Relief Office were primarily handled by Bizeau and others, while her main roles were supervision and fundraising.
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