TOYNBEE HALL: ITS IDEOLOGICAL ORIGINS AND DEVELOPMENT.
Item
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Title
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TOYNBEE HALL: ITS IDEOLOGICAL ORIGINS AND DEVELOPMENT.
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Identifier
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AAI8112364
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identifier
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8112364
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Creator
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LAGANA, LORETTA MAE.
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Contributor
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Professor Ann Burton | Corinne Weston
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Date
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1980
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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City University of New York.
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Subject
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History, Modern
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Abstract
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In 1884 Toynbee Hall was founded in East London under the leadership of Canon Samuel A. Barnett (1944-1913). The first university settlement was a response to the persistent problem of urban poverty confronting later Victorian society and a reflection of the heightened interest in social questions during that period. The failure of existing social institutions to deal effectively with the mounting distress of the urban poor challenged prevailing social theories and practices and led some men to seek alternative methods of social reform.;The goal of the university settlement was to promote social harmony through the close association of university settlers and residents of poor districts. It was believed that from this shared experience of urban life the underprivileged would derive cultural and spiritual benefits while the settlers would acquire the knowledge and expertise necessary to promote effective social reform.;As an institution embracing traditional, scientific, and modern philanthropic attitudes and practices, the university settlement made unique contributions to social work and social reform. Toynbee Hall provided an outlet for the philanthropic energies of university men and furnished them with first hand knowledge of urban problems. As an unusual experiment in social integration, the university settlement became a social laboratory and a training ground for future social reformers. Through its programs and investigations Toynbee Hall prepared the way for state action, particularly in the areas of education and unemployment. Former Toynbee men filled the ranks of the civil service and assumed elective office. Hubert Llewellyn Smith, the Secretary of the Board of Trade and a prime mover of New Liberalism legislation, Vaughn Nash, private secretary of H. H. Asquith, William Beveridge, architect of much of England's social insurance programs, and Clement Attlee, Labour leader and prime minister, were among a distinguished list of Toynbee associates who carried social reform into government.;The ideological origins and development of Toynbee Hall may be examined through the thought and work of John Richard Green, Edward Denison, Arnold Toynbee, and particularly its founder, Samuel A. Barnett. As graduates of Oxford all four men shared a common intellectual heritage and each contributed to the formation of the social philosophy of the university settlement. Working among the poor of East London in the 1860's, Green, an Anglican clergyman and later social historian, and Denison, a socially concerned layman, were involved in the operation of the traditional philanthropic machinery of urban relief. As a result of this experience they became advocates of the principles of scientific charity and of the idea of a university settlement as an innovative instrument of social reform. During his career at Oxford from 1875 to 1883, Toynbee played a primary role in preparing his university for the favorable reception of a university settlement scheme. Barnett, Vicar of St. Jude's, White-chapel, created an institutional bond between the university community and East London with the establishment of Toynbee Hall and until 1906 he successfully guided and directed the policies and programs of the first university settlement.
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Type
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dissertation
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Source
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PQT Legacy CUNY.xlsx
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degree
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Ph.D.
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Program
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History
