Fifty Years Ago

DOI10.1177/026455056801400109
Published date01 March 1968
Date01 March 1968
Subject MatterArticles
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FIFTY YEARS AGO
From the Journal of the National Association of Probation Officers, No. 9,
July 1918 (Price, One Penny).
[The following is from a report of an address to the Annual Conference by
Mr. A. Maxwell of the Home Office.]
&dquo;The call of the probation officer was really that of physician, being entrusted
with the diagnosis of the causes of the evil and the application of the most
appropriate remedies. The first quality needed for a successful probation oflicers
was the instinct of sympathy - {he capacity for getting into touch with the
probationer and all the subtle influences which could be summed up in the
word personality. Then, too, it was necessary that the probation officer should
have a very wide view of the society among which he or she worked and of the
agencies, also knowledge of the industrial conditions. They should have a
knowledge of local government and of public health, so as to know how to
deal with cases of mental and physical defect, should know how to cope with
educational problems, and should be in touch with all such agencies as
charitable, social and religious. Such a thing demanded co-operation, and
that was the keynote of his remarks that evening. Firstly, co-operation amongst
themselves, by which he felt ,that their Association could become a great national
force. (Hear, hear.) Such an Association ought to be a great help in the days
to come when, as they all hoped, what was now called Reconstruction would
come from the region of talk into the region of actuality. And not only...

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