"Amish farmer in Lancaster County, PA, remembers the depression and talks about the history of farming in America, concentrating on the changes which have taken place in rural life over the past fifty or more years. This is a book filled with colorful anecdotes, thoughtful observations, and homespun wisdom." The author "also discusses the influences of the outside world which the Amish farmer must continually face and offers insights into how they continue to preserve their way of life." [from the dust jacket]
"John Piersol McCaskey (1837-1935) was a beloved Lancaster, PA, public school teacher and principal, editor of The Pennsylvania School Journal, mayor of Lancaster, publisher, journalist, and compiler of some of America's first songbooks and textbooks. This biography provides a glimpse into the beginnings of Pennsylvania's public schools, with McCaskey as a pupil, and then the system's evolution, with McCaskey influencing its curriculum and goals. Lancaster's history is interwoven in the text, particularly the Civil War years and McCaskey's mayoral years. A man of integrity who expected the same from his students, McCaskey held family and his Christian faith above all else." [from the publisher]