Generational Shifts in a Puritan Ethic

Francis Stuart Chapin, Sr. was a leading figure in shaping sociology as an academic discipline in the first half of the 20th century. He was sometimes referred to as the father of sociology in America. Professionally, he was best known for developing a statistical foundation for sociology and for the application of sociological principles to solving societal problems through social work. This book explores the intertwining of his personal and professional life and that of his ancestors...
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Francis Stuart Chapin, Sr. was a leading figure in shaping sociology as an academic discipline in the first half of the 20th century. He was sometimes referred to as the father of sociology in America. Professionally, he was best known for developing a statistical foundation for sociology and for the application of sociological principles to solving societal problems through social work. This book explores the intertwining of his personal and professional life and that of his ancestors and family based on written materials and stories passed down through family members to his grandchildren, who are the authors of this book. Stuart Sr.'s biographer, Ronald Althouse, referred to his prodigious intellectual contributions as a product of a Puritan or Protestant ethic shaped by religion and hard work. Indeed, the three generations that preceded Stuart Sr. were ministers or leaders in their church, as was Deacon Samuel Chapin, the first Chapin to came to America. However, Stuart Sr. was also a painter and lover of nature, habits he inherited from his parents and passed on to his children and grandchildren. With respect to his work, he seemed motivated mainly by his search for the sociological and psychological rules that governed society and by the humanitarian goal of using these insights to improve the lot of humanity. This ethic of "doing good works" came more from his Uncle Henry Chapin than from his father, a minister. This book shows that, if there was a Protestant ethic that cascaded across Chapin generations, it certainly followed circuitous routes and become increasingly intertwined with art, poetry, love of nature, and care about family, society, and the world around them.