Social Administration, including the Poor Laws. By John J. Clarke.
(Sir Isaac Pitman and Sons. 7s. 6d. net.)—Mr. Clarke was an official of the old Local Government Board, and is now a lecturer on local government at Liverpool. His book opens with a useful survey of the 'English and Scottish Poor Laws and of the proposals for reform made in 1909 by the Royal Commission and since then by Dr. Addison's Committee. This is followed by an account of what is done for children, adoles- cents, criminals, unemployment insurance and so forth, under the head of "social administration." The author then reviews the problem of unemployment since the War and discusses the effect of the various measures of relief. Mr. Clarke is unfair to the modern universities when he says that "their staffs go blindly on their way, apparently oblivious of the scenes of crime and immorality with which they are surrounded, and which it is within their power to prevent or mitigate." He might say the same, with equal lack of justice, of all other educated and virtuous people in large cities. The professors and lecturers
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at a university have their own educational work to perform; they are not employed and paid to be social reformers or police- men. We have known more than one professor who, in his scanty leisure, did admirable service to the poorer members of the community without fee or reward, but it would be unreason- able to expect as much from every university teacher.
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