The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1909-05-16
Life Among the Poor.

For some years past among books deal
ing with the condition Of the English pool
those Of NJ. LoANE have been remarkable
Her opportunity for observation has beer
that of O visiting district nurse, but the
qualities that have distinguished her &C
counts in the desultory papers collected
in THE Queens Poor The Next Street
But One" and now in An Enpishmdn',
Castle Edward Arnold: Longmans
Green and Company are the eItraordi.
narily objective name in which she de-
scribes the people who have come under
her care, the absolute lack Of illusion
about what ph%ilanthropic work accom-.
| plishes and the blunt frankness in pointing
out the blunders Of organized and unor.
ganized charity and. above all. the in.
stances and anecdotes she gives to illus.
trate her points. These are vivid photo
graphs that give in a few lines a oomplete
story that impresses itself on the mind
In her latest book the author takes herseh
more seriously than before; her stories
are fewer, but her arguments are still
far from coherent. She begins with the
intention Of MAXI ing a point, in which she
succeeds we'll enough at h very start,
but wanders away easily into other ex.
periences and to other matters. This
was one charm Of the earlier books, but
il detraots a little from the force OF these
more formal articles. For the didactic
element the reader must consult the
book itself. Here we shall only present
some of the examples that show the acute
ness and the value Of tho authors obser.
walton.
In the essay on AN Englishman's Cas-
tle,' which gives a name to the book. the
author starts to describe the difficulties
that well meaning philanthropists have In
entering the dwellings Of the poor. and
her sympathies are not wholly with the
visitors. Two stories show the poor
mans point Of view. -One day, while At
blending to a woman who was seriously
III. i heard a constant rapping at the door
It would have been against all etiquette
for me to offer to &c and see what was
wanted. but when | observed that the
patient wal getting nervous and worried
by the sound, I went to look for the hus.
band. who had been requested to remain
within call. found him in the backyard,
squeezed into the only corner which wal
not eaellV NlblDic lTOiu thC ioub. Aio u
a lady knocking at the door, No response
I think II Ia Mrs. -. the Wears wife.
'Lerrer knock them he replied valiantly
I'm not a tome. When the missus II
about. she can dos she like In another
case Il district visitor called time afteI
time al a house. leaving and fetchine
tracts and magazines. but eve receiving
moro than the ourtest Of greetings. On.
day she was welcomed with n beaminp
smile. Come right In, MIN. I'm rea
glad 10 see you. I was hoping you'd b,
round our way She had hardly time II
renew her faith In oopybook maxims a
to the value Of perseverance,. when tn,
woman added oheerfnlly. Two OF the
ohildren's down with the scarlaok fever
I'd like for you 10 look at them Tn,
visitor was a married woman with younl
children OF her own, and hastily pur.
chased the right to decline the privilege.
The author drifts away noon 10 other
aspects Of work among the poor and