Health is a duty picture from hygiene pamphlet 1910.
Cleanliness is next to godliness, we’ve all hear that one. But in the 1910 period this was no joke, it was the mantra of social reformers.
The last chapter in Mariana Valdere’s Light, Soap And Water traces the origins of modern scientific social welfare practices in the crude surveys conducted by the Methodists and Presbyterians in 1910 and 1911 in Canada. The church sent university students into the slums to gather data, so that they could add some statistical support to their moral position. They were afraid that if the didn’t, the state would take over from them.
Here is a bit from the June 1911 Report of General Meeting of the Presbyterians from the Montreal Gazette with subhead ” Study Social Problems”…. That month, Flora was finishing her final year of academy. She’d fail French but still get into Macdonald Teaching School. The School Inspector pulled strings for her. Edith was at Ecole Methodiste, Marion at Royal Arthur. The family was involved in Church Union voting; they were against it. I have it in the letters. But there’s no mention of this General Assembly’s social work directive. No doubt Margaret heard all about this new directive, but I imagine she just sighed and thought, “I have enough of my own problems.” At least, that’s what I will have her say in the book. She didn’t like the Missionary Ladies.
One of the motions:
“That the Central Assembly hereby urge all the members of churches to give serious study of social problems, and to avail themselves of their opportunities for social service; to bring the sense of justice and righteousness which is fundamental in Christianity to bear upon matters of every day life, in business, in society, or wherever their influence may extend, and to create Christian Public sentiment demanding the removal of wrong wherever found. “
The Gazette report continues:
The report covered a wide scope, including efforts along the line of evangelism, Sabbath observance, temperance, gambling, the social evil, suppression of the white slave trade, rescues of its victims, immoral books, obscene pictures and literature, recreation and amusement, the study and improvement of industrial conditions… On the question of gambling, it is stated that it is indulged in by many church members.. Social conditions in the province of Quebec, especially in the city of Hull, came in for strong condemnation.. The recommendation is that there should be a prison farm in every province… The new laws regulating the sale of obscene books and pictures and the sale of opium and other habit forming drugs is dealt with in detail… The problem of industrial conditions is dealt with in a exhaustive manner.. as for picture shows, the board does not consider them wholly bad but makes some recommendations…
Hmm. How did we go from “social evil” to world’s oldest profession, which is kind of glib. Where did that phrase originate. With Ben Jonson or someone, I bet.
Oh, with Kipling. I checked. Well, if homemaking could be called a profession…
The Church was against the Masons (they especially didn’t like that Masons kept secrets from their wives) but this didn’t stop Norman from joining and faithfully paying his rather considerable dues to his St Francis Lodge. (And one of the Nicholsons clipped a newspaper item about the Presbyterians and the Masons.) Were he not a Mason, he could not have any social standing in the community. And I’m sure their cough syrups contained all kinds of opiates. They got a lot of colds, too.
