In Darkest England, and the Way Out - Softcover

Booth, William

3.9

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9781537546636: In Darkest England, and the Way Out

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1537546635 ISBN 13: 9781537546636

Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2016

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In Darkest England, and the Way Out is the Salvation Army's socially conscious treatise regarding the dire situation of the impoverished lower classes in England.

First published in 1890 at a time of great hardship for working class people, this book was the charity founder William Booth's attempt at publicising the desperate straits many ordinary people found themselves in. A rallying cry for preventing and acting against stark poverty, the book poignantly captures the mass degradation of the poor which characterised late Victorian Britain.

Within its pages we also see the early philosophy by which the Salvation Army operated. Booth categorises various people who approach the organisation for assistance, from the misfortunate who are out of work, to those with alcohol and substance abuse problems, to petty criminals seeking to reform their ways. To this day, the swift development of an organised response to the various causes of poverty forms part of the organisation's success.

Highlights include accounts from individual persons who had received support from the Salvation Army. These accounts put a human face and act to counterbalance the more data-heavy portions of the text. Stories include women rescued from neglect; older men experiencing employer ageism in spite of their skills; missing persons found thanks to communication between branches of the charity; and lives dramatically turned around.

Although William Booth put his prominent name to the publication, it is agreed that most of this book was written by the passionate investigative journalist W. T. Stead. In researching the text, Stead would visit many of the kitchens and facilities set up by the Salvation Army, which in the years after its founding encountered no shortage of people in dire need within Europe and North America.

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Book Description:

This classic work in the literature of poverty, published in 1890 by William Booth (1829-1912), the founder of the Salvation Army, drew attention to the appalling conditions in which the destitute of Victorian Britain's great cities lived, and suggested ways in which their lives could be improved.

About the Author:

William D. Booth has more than 37 years' experience in building materials sales, metal building sales, and running his own company specializing in metal building sales and construction. He is the author of three other books, including one on boating published by Cornell Maritime Press; Marketing Strategies for Design-Build Contracting, from Chapman & Hall; and Selling Commercial and Industrial Construction Projects, published by Van Nostrand Reinhold.

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