The Vagrancy Problem.

Dawson, William Harbutt, 1860-1948Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.2

Word count: 448K words
Chapters: 45

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.The Vagrancy Problem. by William Harbutt DawsonAuthor: Dawson, William Harbutt, 1860-1948,Language: English, Class: HV: Social sciences: Social pathology, Social and Public Welfare, Release Date: Sep 19, 2014

Editor's review

This book is William Harbutt Dawson's thematic study of the problem of vagrancy and begging, an early work of inquiry in the fields of social pathology and social welfare. Approaching vagrancy from the perspective of social investigation, the author examines its causes, types, and remedies, bringing structural factors such as poverty, employment, alcoholism, and physical and mental disability into the discussion rather than simply blaming individual character. The argumentative style and policy proposals presented in the book reflect the currents of British social reform from the late nineteenth to the early twentieth century and offer a point of reference for understanding the formation of modern social security and relief systems. The text is primarily expository, with material organized around classification and generalization; readers will sense the limitations of the era's discourse, which is precisely what makes it valuable as a primary text in social history and the history of welfare thought. Recommended for readers interested in the history of social policy, poverty studies, and urban governance, and best read alongside related materials on the history of social legislation.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Scholars and students studying the history of social policy and poverty
Readers interested in the trajectory of modern British social reform and welfare thought
Practitioners in social assistance and urban governance who wish to trace the origins of institutions
History enthusiasts with an interest in late nineteenth-century social survey texts

Not a good fit for

Practitioners seeking a contemporary operational guide to assisting the homeless
General readers who prefer light narrative or literary reading
Readers unable to read English and without access to a bilingual edition

Reading tips

Begin with the table of contents and conclusion to grasp the author's classification framework for vagrancy, then return to the arguments in each chapter.
While reading, note the two types of claims the author makes—those attributing causes to the individual and those attributing them to society—for easy comparison.
Read alongside background materials on British Poor Law reform and social legislation to understand the historical context.
Maintain a critical eye toward the book's policy proposals, noting which ideas were later confirmed or revised.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

What is the core issue discussed in this book?

At its core is the causes and governance of vagrancy and begging. The author examines the subject by category from the angles of social conditions, employment status, and personal circumstances, and proposes policy ideas for relief and management—an early example of thematic research in social pathology.

Are the views in this book still applicable today?

The specific institutional context belongs to Britain from the late nineteenth to the early twentieth century and cannot be directly applied. However, its discussion of the structural causes of poverty and its caution against simple moral condemnation retain methodological value; it should be read as a historical text rather than a contemporary guide.

What background knowledge is needed to read this book?

Basic English reading ability is sufficient. Familiarity with the basic contours of the British Poor Law, industrialization, and urbanization will make it easier to understand the author's concerns and policy proposals.

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About the author

Dawson, William Harbutt, 1860-1948 Author · British · 1860–1948

William Harbutt Dawson (1860–1948) was a British journalist and writer. He devoted sustained attention to social and political conditions in Germany, writing a considerable number of works on the subject and exerting some influence in introducing German social institutions and public issues to English-speaking readers. His writing is characterized by social investigation and institutional description, with a practical style that emphasizes concrete phenomena and policy contexts. One work by him is held in this collection, The Vagrancy Problem, which discusses vagrancy and the governance of poverty, reflecting his concern with socially vulnerable groups and related policy questions. Overall, Dawson was a modern British writer chiefly concerned with social and political topics, though public information about his life and work is limited and further details remain to be verified.