ERNEST R. GROVES
Author of "Moral Sanitation," "Using the Resources of the Country Church," etc.
ASSOCIATION PRESS
New York: 124 East 28th Street
1918
Copyright, 1918, by
The International Committee of
The Young Men's Christian Associations
To
GLADYS HOAGLAND
Whose Unselfish and Intelligent Care of
Catherine and Ernestine
Has Justified the Absolute Confidence
of Their Mother
PREFACE
This book is written for the men and women who love the country and are interested in its social welfare. Fortunately there are many such, and each year their number is increasing.
Rural life has as many sides as there are human interests. This book looks out upon country-life conditions from a viewpoint comparatively neglected. It attempts to approach rural social life from the psychological angle. The purpose of the book forces it from the well-beaten pathways, but this effort to give emphasis to the mental side of rural problems is not an attempt to discount the other significant aspects of the rural environment. The field of rural service is large enough to contain all who desire by serious study to advance at some point the happiness, prosperity, and wholesomeness that belong by social right to those who live and work in the country.
The author desires to thank the following for the privilege of using material previously published: American Sociological Society, American Journal of Sociology, National Conference of Social Work, Association Press, and Rural Manhood.
E. R. G.
Durham, N. H.
April 1, 1918.