The study of the problems of rural life that were thought to underlie eastern agrarian discontent in the first quarter of this century was published originally in 1913 under the auspices of the Board of Social Service and Evangelism of the Presbyterian Church of Canada. It has been republished in an attempt to counter the bias of social historians who tend to emphasize the industrial and urban problems of a changing society. Most Canadians lived in a rural environment not so many years ago and their problems -- depletion of the rural population and its economic and social causes and consequences -- are surveyed here in the special context of the work of the country church.
The 1911 census had shown Canada's rural life to be in peril. The lure of steadily rising wages in urban factories and mills was intensifying the movement away from the country. Political leaders took worried note: "There can be no health in the cities without corresponding health in the country," said the Minister of Agriculture.
The book is a vivid example of the public concern of Canadians over the impact of industrialization and urbanization upon their farming population. The questions it poses and attempts to answer, and the social assumptions behind them, reveal the anxiety of thoughtful citizens that the agricultural roots of their society were being eroded by the attractions of the new era. It is also an interesting period piece in Canadian social history, in that it reflects the values, prejudices, and aspirations of the author and his generation.
Author Biography:
JOHN MACDOUGALL was born in Ormstown, Quebec, in 1859. He studied at McGill, graduating with 'highest honours in philosophy' and the gold medal in English, and at Presbyterian College in Montreal. After some years as a missionary in China he returned to Canada to begin a long career in the service of rural Presbyterians Robert Craig Brown, FRSC, is a professor emeritus in the Department of History and a senior fellow of Massey College at the University of Toronto.
Choose a destination to see accurate shipping times, delivery options, pricing and product availability.
Afterpay logo
Shop now. Pay later. Always interest‑free.
Swing through the checkout with Afterpay.Get your order now, pay in four fortnightly payments.
Afterpay offers simple payment plans for online shoppers, instantly at checkout.Buy what you want today, pay for it over time. Interest free, with no additional fees if you pay on
time.
1
Select Afterpay as your payment method
Use your existing payment card
2
Complete your checkout in seconds
No long forms, instant approval
3
Get your items just as fast as always
Your order ships straight away
4
Pay over four payments, interest free
Enjoy now, pay later
How it works
Simply select Afterpay as your payment method in the checkout or when picking up your items from the Mighty Ape distribution centre,
and enter your details at Afterpay to complete your order
Your payment schedule will be shown in the checkout, and emailed to you
If you are a new Afterpay customer, the first payment will be made at the time of purchase, with
remaining payments over the next 6 weeks
Once you have been an Afterpay customer for 6 weeks, on subsequent orders you may be eligible to
make your first payment in 14 days, with final payment in 8 weeks
If you need to return your items for a refund, the payment plan can be cancelled
If you fail to make a payment, you will be charged a late payment fee of $10 with a further $7
fee added 7 days later if the payment is still unpaid