To me it reads not as a description of what Emma thinks of the poor, or her views of the poor, but as what was the basis for her charity. The cottagers may or may not have been virtuous, the point is that Emma does not either require them to be so for her to give to them, or believe that her giving will somehow inspire them to be so. I think this a very rational and humane basis for charity and I like her very much for it.