Mary Ellen Richmond (1861-1928) was an American social worker, teacher, and theoretician. She was general secretary of the Baltimore Charity Organization. In 1897 she delivered her historic speech at the National Conference of Charities and Correction calling for direct social work practice. She published Friendly Visiting Among the Poor in 1899 which was intended for those beginning to do charitable work in the homes of the poor. She became general secretary of the Philadelphia Society for Organizing Charity in 1900. She published her most celebrated book Social Diagnosis in 1917. Her other works include: The Good Neighbor in the Modem City (1907), What is Social Casework? An Introductory Description (1922) and The Long View: Papers and Addresses (1930).

Excerpt from Friendly Visiting Among the Poor: A Handbook for Charity Workers An even more recent development would be found in what is called the sociological novel. Monstrous and misshapen as this must seem to us Often, if considered as a work of art, it would have to be reckoned with in any investigation Of the treatment Of poverty in fiction. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

"[...]down the necessary qualifications of the friendly visitor to be tact and good-will. If we consider that tact includes knowledge, either instinctive or acquired, this may still stand. We cannot be tactful with those whose point of view we fail to understand, or do not even strive to understand. The best helps toward such an understanding, and the best training for charitable work, must come from life itself. If we take no interest in the joys and sorrows of human beings, if we show \'7b15\'7d neither judgment nor energy in the conduct of our own affairs, if life seem to us, on the whole, a flat and unprofitable affair, then no amount of reading will transform us into good friendly visitors. Given the tactful, kindly spirit, with a dash of energy added, study and experience can teach us[...]".