The Vagabond Papers by John Stanley James aka ‘The Vagabond. Edited by Michael Cannon. Melbourne University Press, 1965

Description

In April 1876 the Melbourne Argus published ‘A Night in the Model Lodging House’ written anonymously by John Stanley James and signed by ‘A Vagabond’, the first of a series on ‘the social life and public institutions of Melbourne from a point of view unattainable to the majority’. The most substantial of the series were based on his first-hand reports of what it was like to be ‘inside’ certain institutions: to gather material, he spent a day in the Immigrants’ Home, was admitted to the Benevolent Asylum and worked as the porter at the Alfred Hospital, an attendant at lunatic asylums and dispenser-cum-dentist at Pentridge gaol. His accounts of these institutions combined intimate knowledge of their day-to-day working with a breadth of perspective gained from his knowledge of other societies. His shrewd observation, practical judgments and suggestions for reform reveal a compassionate spirit behind his cultivated flamboyancy. His articles were successful partly because of the mystery of their authorship.

Publisher: Melbourne University Press, 1969

ISBN: 522 83946 0

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