Search results

This three-volume study by the Scottish churchman and social reformer Thomas Chalmers (1780–1847) is a revealing work of Christian morality as applied to urban economic theory. Having moved to Glasgow in 1815, Chalmers was given a free hand in 1819 for an experiment in urban ministry at the new parish of St John's in the poorest district of the city. His reforms improved education and reduced the need for institutional poor relief by dividing the area into manageable 'proportions' that were closely looked after by parish elders and deacons, reviving a traditional community spirit and promoting self-help. Volume 3, published in 1826, was written after Chalmers left St John's to become Chair of Moral Philosophy at St Andrew's. It focuses on the relationship between labour, wages and poor relief, discussing how labouring classes should not depend upon welfare and wages to relieve want, but rather practise self-help to reform their condition from below

20 p. ; The Latin text of selections from Grotius' De jure belli et pacis is accompanied by an English translation and commentary. ; Reproduction of orginal in Bristol Public Library, Bristol, England.

Sugar cane plantations had operated across almost every island in the West Indies since the seventeenth century. Run by British planters, they relied on slavery as their main source of labour. A surgeon and Anglican minister, James Ramsay (1733–89) witnessed at first hand the exploitation of African slaves in Britain's West Indian colonies. Working there for over twenty years, as both a Christian missionary and a practising surgeon, he became keenly involved in the campaign to improve the welfare of slaves. This extended essay, first published in 1784, was an early and highly influential contribution to the anti-slavery movement, generating both enlightened acclaim and deep opposition. Analysing the relationships between slaves and their masters, discussing the role of slaves in society, and proposing various measures to improve their lives, this work remains a relevant text in Caribbean and colonial history

Coming from a prosperous London Quaker family, the author Priscilla Wakefield (1751–1832) wrote educational books for children, including an introduction to botany (also reissued in this series), and this 1798 work for adults, a fascinating piece of social and feminist history. Wakefield argues for better education for women, and suggests ways for those without the support of a husband or family to earn a living. Her ideas are not radical: she divides women into four social classes, with recommendations on appropriate work for each, and she believes that marriage rather than independence is the best outcome for any woman. Her concern for social norms is illustrated by her belief that field labour and any manufacturing job 'where both sexes are promiscuously assembled' are detrimental to female virtue. There are, however, many occupations which do not destroy 'the peculiar characteristic of their sex', or exceed 'the most exact limits of modesty and decorum'

x, [1], 12-81, [1] p. ; 20 cm. (8vo) ; Half-title: Mr. Sherwood's fast sermon, with Mr. Baldwin's appendix. ; Pages 45-46 numbered xlv-xlvi. ; Errata notes for the sermon and appendix, p. [82].