"The service of social work is directed primarily to freeing and helping individuals to find and fulfill themselves—their own unique selves—within the society of which they are a part."

This emphasis on "respect for individual personality, for the significance of the individual as such and in his own right" is the keynote of these writings of the late Dean of the Pennsylvania School of Social Work.

Chosen for the most part from the work of the last decade, the writings collected here stress his interest in public welfare and penology, the two fields in which his contributions have been most extensive and consistent.

The volume is divided into four parts:

I. Earlier Formulations of the Philosophy Underlying Social Work Practice
II. Public Welfare
Ill. Penology
IV. Final Statement of the Philosophy Underlying Social Work Practice

This sharing of the wisdom and understanding of a lifetime dedicated to professional service in the field of social work will prove helpful and stimulating to administrators, teachers, and social workers everywhere.