[Review of the book Our Rural Heritage

Abstract

Reviews the book, Our Rural Heritage by James Mickel Williams (see record 1925-10477-000 ). Our Rural Heritage is a pioneer, historical treatise on the social psychology of rural life. It is a "cross sectional description of the attitudes and beliefs" of a few typical New York communities (chiefly one) from the close of the Revolution to the end of 1874. The author believes that the historical, social psychology of a typical rural community in Iowa, Illinois, or Ohio would not be essentially different. As in the case of all pioneer studies, this one will no doubt be subjected to severe criticism. However, the reviewer believes that it is all that it purposes to be--an honest, scholarly attempt not merely to enumerate rural traits or to make a social survey, but rather to interpret psychologically and genetically rural attitudes and beliefs in respect to their causes and effects. It should be in the hands of all students of rural problems (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)