An Experiment in Altruism

A young narrator arrives amid a brisk October chill, drawn into a lively discussion at Barnet House where a doctor, a spirited girl named Janet, and a troop of well‑meaning reformers argue over the true meaning of altruism. Their conversation swirls from the merits of “brotherhood of man” to the awkwardness of privileged university men trying to live among the poor, exposing the gap between lofty ideals and everyday realities.

The narrator soon joins visits to bustling tenements, a lively settlement for women, and the modest home of a boy called the Lad, where the experiment in charity unfolds in tea‑talk, lectures, and the care of a baby named Jean. Each encounter reveals both the earnest hope and the stubborn doubts that color social reform, inviting listeners to ponder whether good deeds can ever be more than well‑intentioned gestures.