A small royal-blue hard-covered book with the title, author and publisher printed in black on ths spine. The fly leaf has just the simple 'Dr Barnardo' title, and the frontispiece is a version of the boardroom picture of Barnardo that appears in other books in this bibliograohy, including the author's earlier volume (Notes 15). The title page has the title in bold italics, and underneath the author. The publisher is at the foot of the page, and overleaf is an impressive international list of Longmans P)ublishers and the author's copyright and publication date. At the foot, in small italics, is the printer, Cox and Wyman Ltd., London, Reading and Fakenham.

The Contents list seventeen chapters with catchy short titles, followed by an Acknowledgement, which begins with quite a few members of the Barnardo family and its ramifications, as in his earlier book, followed by the Committee of Management of Dr Barnardo's Homes, and two members of the London Hospital where Barnardo was a student in 1867. A final paragraph acknowledges Barnardo's as the source of the fifteen Illustrations listed on the back of the Contents page, and that they were derived from illustrations commissioned by Barnardo for his Night and Day magazine, for many of these are far less vivid than the illustrations used in his earlier book, and both are distinctly lacking in vividness compared with the orginal etchings of Barnardo's time. Furthermore, the collection of Barnardo family photographic portraits so extensively used in the earlier book are no longer included.

There is an index but no listing of sources

Comment:A shortened version of the author's earier book, possible designed to have a more popular appeal.

Barnardo's family background and birth are described in a short Prologue, so that the first chapter is devoted to 'The Convert', and the account is filled out a little with the valuable reminder on page 6 of 'how surely religion can increase charity' by mentioning William Wilberforce, Elizabeth Fry, John Howard, and Dr Arnold.

'The Slums of London' described in the second chapter are given an historical background similar to that in the bigger book, and the Medical Student chapter also has no further development.

The next five chapters describe the main East End adventures of Barnardo, in Barnardo's already well-recorded language, and chapter ten records the origin of the Girls Village Home in Barkingside.

The Arbitration Award is presented shortly in chapter eleven under the title 'Slander and Libel,' and chapter twelve turns to the rapid expansion of Barnardo's work thereafter, including to the New World, in chapter thirteen, with a succinct account of Barnardo's trips to Canada in support of his numerous emigration parties.

The concentration of sad events in Barnardo's working life by the loss of his great supporters Earl Cairns and Lord Shaftesbury, and in his family by the deaths of two of his children, as recorded in chapter fourteen, headed 'Trial, Tragedy, Triumph', is followed by the successful development of the 'Boarding Out' of children with families, and a great expansion of his work in Queen Victoria's Jubilee Year of 1887, with resulting massive indebtedness.

There is an interesting time-table of a day in the Stepney Boy's Home at the beginning of chapter fifteen that starts at 5.25 a.m., and finishes with lights out at 9.00 p.m., reflecting well the Founder's concept of an active life, and chapter sixteen is given to the Barnardo Helper's League, which leads to a detailed description of the Doctor's busy life, his cardiac illness, and his eventual quiet death in the care of his wife.

The Epilogue describes briefly Barnardo's funeral, and the huge public response to the Memorial Fund that cleared the debts of Dr. Barnardo's Homes, which is followed by another of the author's reflections: the passage into history of the destitute child through welfare legislation, and the continued development of Dr. Barnardo's Homes thereafter, and retaining Royal Patronage.

Comment: A deservedly popular account of the Barnardo story.

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