Page:The Art of Helping People Out of Trouble (1924).pdf/199

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present condition, but his desire to move was not strong enough to decide him in favor of a change.

It was to the quickening of this desire that the social worker addressed himself. Having discovered a possible boarding-house, he suggested that the old man go with him to inspect it, for there is nothing more effective in bringing an individual to a decision than the presentation of a concrete proposition which must be either accepted or refused.

The social worker set forth the arguments in favor of the new living place: its location in a suburb which was within a single fare by electric car of the center of the city, so that visits to town would be easy and cheap; the beauty of its surroundings, especially as contrasted with the neighborhood in which the old gentleman was now living; the convenience of the room that was to be had for rent, and the charming view from its windows; the advantage of being able to eat and sleep under the same roof, the regular living which this would make possible, and the influence it would have in restoring his health; the quietness of the place—there would be only three or four other boarders; and the pleasant character of the woman in charge, a registered nurse who