Beyond benevolence : the New York Charity Organization Society and the transformation of American social welfare, 1882-1935

"Not alms but a friend": the moral economy of scientific charity -- Organizing charity in the city of strangers: the New York COS -- Neither alms nor a friend: organizational obstacles to the practice of scientific charity -- "Hoping for your kind interest": donors, clients, and uses of scientific charity -- "I beg to call your attention to a very deserving case": entitlement, respectability, and the politics of charity in working-class communities -- If not a friend, then alms: relief and reform in the progressive era -- The COS and the state: widows, deserted wives, and the battle over mothers' pensions -- From friendly visiting to social casework: the triumph of professionalism -- Conclusion: the legacy of the New York COS.