She Hath Done What She Could: A Discourse Addressed to the Ratepayers of St. Marylebone, Urging the Adoption of the Public Libraries Act, 1855

Written in the mid-19th century, 'She Hath Done What She Could' by Matthew Feilde is a persuasive discourse aimed at the ratepayers of St. Marylebone, advocating for the adoption of the Public Libraries Act of 1855. Feilde argues for the establishment of free public libraries as a means to promote education and combat poverty, framing access to knowledge as a matter of social justice. He addresses objections to the Libraries Act, emphasizing the benefits of public libraries for all societal classes and calling on women to play a pivotal role in this initiative. The work combines personal anecdotes, statistics, and biblical references to underscore the transformative power of literature.