"It's all a foolish business," said he.

"Why?"

"Your whole society is foolish, and nothing good can come out of it,"
he repeated with conviction.

"Why not? Why is it a stupid business to help thousands, at any rate
hundreds, of unfortunate beings? Is it a bad thing, according to the
Gospel, to clothe the naked, and feed the hungry?"

"I know, I know, but that is not what you are doing. Is it necessary
to render assistance in that way? You are walking along, and a man
asks you for twenty kopeks. You give them to him. Is that alms? Do
you give spiritual alms,--teach him. But what is it that you have
given? It was only for the sake of getting rid of him."

"No; and, besides, that is not what we are talking about. We want to
know about this need, and then to help by both money and deeds; and
to find work."

"You can do nothing with those people in that way."

"So they are to be allowed to die of hunger and cold?"

"Why should they die? Are there many of them there?"

"What, many of them?" said I, thinking that he looked at the matter
so lightly because he was not aware how vast was the number of these