INTRODUCTION. 



It is the purpose of this essay to analyze the economic conditions 

 of life in inland towns in southern New England a century ago, with 

 a view to showing in what way, and to what extent, these conditions 

 were effective in shaping the peculiar features of home and com- 

 munity life of this region at the time. In other words, it is our aim 

 in the first place to discover what were the most important circum- 

 stances which affected the ability of the inhabitants of these towns 

 to produce wealth, that is, to satisfy their wants, to get a living; 

 and in the second place, to show in what ways these people sought 

 to adapt themselves to their circumstances so as to satisfy their 

 wants most easily, to get the best living possible. 



The townships into which the area of Massachusetts, Rhode 

 Island and Connecticut was at this time divided were more than 

 convenient geographical divisions for administrative purposes; they 

 were units of economic and religious as well as of political life. In- 

 side these economic microcosms, these cells of the social organism, 

 there were developed distinctive individual habits and characteris- 

 tics, and distinctive social customs. The stern austerities of New 

 England character have often caused comment and discussion, as 

 have also the remarkable energy, industry and ingenuity of its peo- 

 ple. So also the peculiar unity and cohesion of their social and 

 religious life are well-known and accepted facts. But the interest 

 of most students and writers in these matters has been that of the 

 mere antiquarian. A detached fact, an isolated idea, concerning 

 the life of the early settlers of this region has been picked up and 

 examined with enthusiastic interest and with a certain kind of appre- 

 ciation, such as a connoisseur of antiques might display when rum- 

 maging for old crockery or furniture through the attic of a farm- 

 house. Rarely has there been an attempt at real economic his- 

 tory; that is, at an explanation, a synthetic reconstruction of the 

 way in which these people got their living. To do this all these 

 scattered, and of themselves interesting facts must be fitted together, 

 must be brought into some orderly relation showing cause and effect; 

 they must be interpreted in the light of the fundamental principles 

 of economic theory. In this essay such an attempt at reconstruc- 

 tion and interpretation will be made. 



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