Shorter Notices
The Social Servant in the Making. By Elizabeth Macadam. (Alien and Unwin. 6s.)
"AFTER the war there will return to civil life men and women who have had unusual opportunities of learning the c''`ficult art of living in a community, and it may be hoped that many of these will turn their thoughts to a life of usefulness in one or other a the .social services." For the benefit of such returning men and women, and for others of like bent (and the need for social workers will be very great indeed if only a part of the social legislation proposed in recent years becomes law), this book has been compiled.
Its practical information on courses of study available is useiuf Some of its suggestions, however, seem rather ill-considered: for
instance, that the universities should provide special teaching in social study schools " suited to the mental capacities . . . of the students." It is to be hoped that in all branches British university education will continue to maintain a standard to which students must fit themselves. The book would also be more valuable if Miss Macadam had not treated as one, training for work in charitable organisations and for the social services of local and central govern- ment authorities. The approach and terms of reference of these two classes of work are so fundamentally different—the first hold- ing out a helping hand to deserving unfortunates, the second giving effect to the rights by Act of Parlianient of the whole people—that training for the one type of social service would seem likely to unfit, rather than fit, the trainee for the other.
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