Notes

Given to me by my dad in June 2018. Read in 2023. Re-reading in 2026.

Quotes & Ideas

Save the Boys — on the Industrial Revolution and fatherly influence

In 1750, farming was the most important occupation of all people. The ordinary man was a farmer and lived in a village. He raised his own food and unless he was near a large town, he grew little more than he needed. Cloth and clothing, furniture and tools and implements were made at home from wool, wood and leather produced on the farm. The ordinary man bought little outside of his village except iron for his plow point, salt and perhaps an occasional ornament or a bit of ribbon. In the towns, which were generally quite small, some manufacturing was carried on, such as things like hardware, cloth, jewelry, silverware, swords, guns, cannons and ammunition. They were produced by craftsmen working in their own shops with simple tools.

Notice how life was built around the home prior to the Industrial Revolution. Four out of five Americans were farmers. Men worked at home, women worked at home, and so did the children. Their jobs were different, but everyone worked. The pattern remained the same as it had for centuries. The mother raised the children until they were somewhere between five and seven, then the boys would work with their fathers and the girls would work next to their mothers. The point is clear. Prior to the Industrial Revolution, the normal pattern was for fathers to raise their sons. Up until this time, children's education came primarily through the tutelage of their parents.

As the Industrial Revolution began to take hold, more and more factories popped up, and now employment became dependent upon these innovative factories. Here the workers were brought together to operate the machines. The ordinary worker could no longer expect to become an independent producer. He was reduced to the status of a factory hand. Factories tended to crowd together in city areas where coal and labor were cheap. Factory towns grew rapidly, and serious social evils developed.

...the pattern of family life, known for thousands of years, was changing. When factories became the source of income, men had to leave home, thus greatly diminishing their ability to influence their sons. The formula is simple. Less time equals less influence.

Description

Christian leadership book encouraging men to lead their families through modern challenges — divorce, substance abuse, moral compromise — with practical guidance on fatherhood, marital teamwork, and biblical integrity.