Strong, Josiah. Our Country: Its Possible Future and Its Present Crisis; With an Introduction, by Prof. Austin Phelps, D.D. New York: Published by the Baker & Taylor Co., for the American Home Missionary Society, 1885. Fifty-fifth Thousand. [12014]
Black publisher's cloth bordered in blind, gilt titles to spine, binding tight with slight edge-wear, a couple of small spots to the front cover, 7 1/2 x 5 inches. inches, x., 229 clean pp. plus recommendations & adverts. Pencil former owners inscriptions on the end papers. Very good. Hardcover.
"This Volume was prepared for the Home Missionary Society by Rev. Josiah Strong, D.D., then its representative for the work of home missions in Ohio. As well be seen at a glance, its main purpose is to lay before the intelligent Christian people of our country facts and arguments showing the imperative need of Home Missionary work for the evangelization of the land, the encouragements to such effort, and the danger of neglecting it." - Prefatory Note.
Flake 8520 for the Mormon content. "Perils of polygamy and autocracy of the church authorities in Utah, p. 59-68."
Josiah Strong (1847-1916), b. Naperville, IL, Congregational minister, general secretary of the Evangelical Alliance (1886-1898), and afterwards founded the League for Social Service.
"He became famous for the controversial book Our Country: Its Possible Future and Its Present Crisis (1885), which outlined seven perils confronting America (immigration, Romanism, Mormonism, intemperance, socialism, wealth and cities), and called for reform led by Anglo-Saxons, representatives of civil liberty and 'pure, spiritual Christianity.'" - R. T. Handy, Dictionary of Christianity in America.
