The Vagrant, What to Do With Him. A Problem of To-Day.

Fergusson, R. Menzies

Published by James Nisbet & Co., Limited, London, 1911

8vo, pp. 62. Original buff wrappers printed in black. Just a touch of spotting. Front joint sometime reinforced with paper tape, front joint splitting at half-title. A small, scarce book by jobbing Scottish writer Robert Menzies Fergusson, whose other written output includes a cyclist travelogue through Holland and Belgium, a volume of Ochil fairy tales and a book of poetry. This book seems to have been produced owing to an excess of (ill-)feeling on Fergusson?s part - he views vagrants as ?regular loafers, lookers for work without the desire to find it, migratory tramps who accost every traveller they meet and glibly tell a made-up story of dire misfortune, with which the prey upon the kindly feelings of the unthinking, who hand them a few coppers in order to get rid of their melancholy pleadings? (p.12). His uncompassionate solution is large-scale labour colonies, which in the short final chapter he also advocates as a desirable thing for Scotland?s epileptics, calling such a colony an ?urgent necessity.? Library Hub records 7 copies. Seller Inventory # 6059

Bibliographic Details

Title: The Vagrant, What to Do With Him. A Problem ...
Publisher: James Nisbet & Co., Limited, London
Publication Date: 1911
Binding: Soft cover