Flee to the Fields: The Founding Fathers of the Catholic Land Movement [Paperback]

Dr. Tobias Lanz (Preface)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0971828601 | ISBN-13: 978-0971828605 | Publication Date: February 1, 2003

Back in print after 68 years, this anthology of essays is a classic survey of the Catholic reaction to problems created by the industrial revolution and socialism and is a unique milestone in the history of social thought. Reacting to the Depression and the seeming inadequacies of capitalism and socialism, these thinkers contributed landmark essays on the topics of property, craftsmanship, industrialism, and more. With an introduction by Hilaire Belloc, this volume contains a coherent representation of one of the principal schools of thought applying Christian theory to the socioeconomic problems of early- to mid-20th-century Europe. This work will be of interest to anyone concerned with the history of social thought.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"For a book originally published in 1934, it is remarkably on target." -- The Wanderer, February 19, 2004

About the Author

This volume is an anthology of essays by various scholars including Hilaire Belloc, Fr. Vincent McNabb, Herbert Shove, George Maxwell, Reginald Jebb, and others.

Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Ihs Press (February 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0971828601
• ISBN-13: 978-0971828605
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #489,226 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Theology of Homesteading, May 8, 2007

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Fr. Seraphim "Independent Sacramental Christi... (Northern Idaho Indian Country) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Flee to the Fields: The Founding Fathers of the Catholic Land Movement (Paperback)

I, as an Independent Sacramental priest, have been for years looking for a theology that would promote getting back to the land and getting rid of industrialism without turning into New Age non-sense or becoming radical and xenophobic. I have worked hard to develop my concept in this, but "Flee to the Land" has given me a wonderful articulation of this theology, which arises from the Catholic Land Movement of early 20th Century Britain and Scotland.

The names of the authors are all the chief members of the Catholic Land Movement and the Distributism school of thought: Hilaire Belloc, Fr. Vincent McNabb, Harold Robbins, et al. They present the ideals of the Catholic Land Movement from the diagnosis of the problem and its causes, the steps to overcoming it on through various stages until the ideal is presented in a fashion that appears very workable.

The best part about this book is that 73 years after it was first published, there is little about it (aside from a few specific historical references) that is not still very timely. If anything, the premise and thesis of this work has only grown more true and more important.

I would recommend this book to any Christian who wanted a theological or a specifically Christian philosophical basis for a back to the land movement that is based in reality and doesn't overlook the potential problems in achieving the goal.

I am planning to implement a more ecumenical version of the plan herein described in the relatively near future and hope that others will, too. I think the inspiration for those who would like to see this is present in this book and should be looked to for a road map that can be used almost anywhere toward this end.

Anyone who loves Dorothy Day or the Catholic Worker Movement, the Distributivist Movement and related themes will love this book.

5.0 out of 5 stars Pleasantly Suprised, January 16, 2012

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Sinclair - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Flee to the Fields: The Founding Fathers of the Catholic Land Movement (Paperback)

Even though this was written generations ago, the message could be for us today as well. The essays are easy to read and really make one think about the dignity of the person and how this is intrinsically linked with the dignity of work. I highly recommend.

4.0 out of 5 stars Solid Collection of Essays by Catholic Thinkers, January 3, 2012

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Kevin M. Derby (Florida) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Flee to the Fields: The Founding Fathers of the Catholic Land Movement (Paperback)

In 2003, IHS Press reprinted "Flee to the Fields" which contains a number of essays by and about leading members of the Catholic Land Movement which rose in England and Scotland during the early 1930s. The book was originally printed in 1934. Following papal teachings and the thought of Catholic Distributist thinkers like G.K. Chesterton and Hilaire Belloc, who offers the preface to the book, the Catholic Land Movement looked to offer a rural and decentralized alternative to Communism, Fascism, Nazism and industrial capitalism. As Tobias Lanz notes in his essay introducing the book, the Second World War essentially ended the movement.

There are some solid essays here by some of the leading thinkers of the Distributist movement such as Father Vincent McNabb, George Maxwell, Harold Robbins and Reginald Jebb. They argue that the family-not the individual, the corporation or the state--is the cornerstone of society and that modern man has become dehumanized and lost his way from the true faith. While some critics have lumped these thinkers with Fascists, it is clear from this work that nothing can be farther from the truth. These thinkers take aim at centralization which is one of the cornerstones of Fascism and a few of them call out Nazi Germany--and remember these essays were published in 1934, very early in the history of the Third Reich.

The editing is a bit inconsistent. Pictures of some of the writers appear in essays by other writers. Some of the biographical profiles are in one format with dates of birth and death while other profiles do not have them. According to the biographical sketch, Harold Robbins was born in 1888--and apparently is still with us. Still, these are minor flaws to say the least and IHS has performed a great service by returning "Flee to the Fields" to print.