The Scotch

by John Kenneth Galbraith

In 1908, in Dunwich Township, a patch of rural southern Ontario that was more Scottish than much of Scotland, the renowned economist and public servant John Kenneth Galbraith was born. In 1963, Galbraith wrote The Scotch, a memoir of the tight (in every sense) community in which he was raised.

Galbraith tells how the men were distinguished by the amount of land they’d accumulated, how hard they worked, how hard they drank, but mainly by how frugal they were. It was said that Codfish John McKillop was so economical that when he died and was being lowered into his grave, he lifted the cover of his coffin and handed out his clothes. Educated himself first at the one-room Willey School, where team sports were held to be “bad for a youngster,” and later at Dutton High School under the aegis of an incompetent teacher who believed in learning through terror, Galbraith raced through the early grades and left for the Ontario Agricultural College, en route, eventually, to Harvard. He may have left the community, but, it’s clear from this affectionate, if pointed, portrait, it never left him.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Canada, Scotland

176 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1964

About the author

John Kenneth Galbraith was a Canadian-American economist. He was a Keynesian and an institutionalist, a leading proponent of 20th-century American liberalism and democratic socialism. His books on economic topics were bestsellers in the 1950s and 1960s. A prolific author, he produced four dozen books & over a 1000 articles on many subjects. Among his most famous works was his economics trilogy: American Capitalism (1952), The Affluent Society (1958) & The New Industrial State (1967). He taught at Harvard University for many years. He was active in politics, serving in the administrations of Franklin Roosevelt, Harry Truman, John Kennedy, and Lyndon Johnson. He served as US Ambassador to India under John F. Kennedy.

He received the Presidential Medal of Freedom twice: one in 1946 from President Truman, and another in 2000 from President Clinton. He was also awarded the Order of Canada in 1997, and in 2001, the Padma Vibhushan, India's second highest civilian award, for strengthening ties between India and the USA.

Reviews

[Tim Null · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this shortly after it came out in paperback at the time my dad was focused on family genealogy. Probably 1965.

[Brian Granger · Rating 1 out of 5]

The author said he wrote this because he was bored, and in turn, he bored me to death. I'm not even sure the 1 star is deserved.

[Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The wise economist writes a memoir of his Ontario childhood both pragmatic and wistful. The places of his memory abide today, vibrant farming communities still steeped in tradition and an evolving conservatism.

[Jan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading a JKG-book is always a great joy. Going through The Non-potable Scotch is no exception to the rule. The fact that this book, published in 1964, is of a personal nature, adds a lot to the pleasure of turning the pages. In the first chapter Galbraith states that he wrote the book to amuse himself, and that he - with his personal experience as the main resource - could easily fit the writing in with his duties as US ambassador in India under the Kennedy administration in the early sixties. In his customary sharp and witty manner he paints a lively picture of the part of Canada in which he was born and raised, within the wider community of Scottish clans. Galbraith covers a lot of topics relating to this hard working, farming community, and mentions his Baptist background. This latter aspect was of special interest to me, having just read the book 'Gereformeerden overzee' by Agnes Amelink, in which the author describes the way Dutch immigrants with a Reformed Church background in the Netherlands settled in Canada and the US. As in the case of the Dutch immigrants, whom, despite the proximity of Scottish and Dutch areas (southern Ontario), Galbraith does not mention, the Scotch, according to Galbraith, also had their ecclesiastical arguments. In this autobiographical account Galbraith combines sharp observation with affection for his roots. I enjoyed reading this book tremendously!

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

My great grandfather was around the same age as John Kenneth Galbraith, and was in fact one of the aforementioned McCallums. They knew each other, which is how I, born 91 years later, came upon this book.

My grandfather obtained it from a library in New York and passed it on to me, knowing how much I love to read.

This book was a delight. First of all, I grew up very close to where Galbraith did (and he even mentioned my hometown)! There’s just something that hits different reading about places you’ve lived in and been to all your life. Regarding the landscape: his descriptions were spot on and hilarious.

This was a very intelligent read, as one could expect from an economist, and I thoroughly enjoyed looking through the window of time to the politics and religion and history of the region. For this book is certainly a piece of history. It was very startling to read “The Prince of Wales” and realize he was talking about the future Duke of Windsor.

The tone of his voice was impeccable, and read like the stories my grandmother told me of her childhood, though she was born later.

Overall this was a thoroughly enchanting and engaging read, and certainly a book to add to your list if you have ever lived in Southwestern Ontario.

[Tom Axworthy · Rating 5 out of 5]

John Kenneth Galbraith is easily the best known graduate of the Ontario Agricultural College ( now the University of Guelph) and perhaps the only one to have made a decades- long career at Harvard University, becoming in the process one of the best known economists in the world.But economics is not the subject of The Scotch: it is instead a wry and often hilarious account of growing up in Dunwich Township in western Ontario.Born in Iona Station to parents of Scottish descent in 1908, Galbraith paints an affectionate portrait of the rural Ontario of his day in one of the books he most enjoyed writing,he informs us in the Introduction. The one room school house in Iona Station, the machinations of Old Tommy the principal of Dutton High School, the delights of near-by Detroit, the sanctity of the Presbyterian church and the verities of the Liberal Party all played their part in the upbringing of the world famous scholar and Democratic party activist.Only 150 pages, The Scotch rewards the reader with a laugh on nearly every page as Galbraith remembers a by gone era and the characters who inhabited it.The book is a delight.

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

A look at one of the colonies of Scots that came over in the 19th century to settle Canada. I read this both as an homage to Galbraith’s career as well as to have a comparison to my own family line in New Kincardineshire.

My takeaway was, not surprisingly, on how similar the stories were of life in small boroughs. The same focus on local gossip, distrust of technology, education, the church and government… and all that in my DNA.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

An entertaining first person account and historical overview of life in a Scottish pioneer farming community along the shores of Lake Erie. Educational and entertaining. A little piece of colourful Canadian history.

[MattA · Rating 5 out of 5]

This delightful little book written by J.K. Galbraith -- author, economist, and Canadian ambassador to the U.S. during the Kennedy administration -- is a memoir of his time growing up among the Scots of southern Ontario (or "Scotch", as they refer to themselves, as per the title). It's less of an account of the author’s own personal experiences as a boy and more a description of the rural community where he grew up in the early decades of the 20th century.

The book covers a different aspect of the Scotch society in each chapter: the natural history and political history of the region, a general description of the Scotch, their economy, their farming practices, their social structures, their politics, their religion, their approach to education, and the contrasts between rural and town life. Some chapters appealed more than others. In particular, I liked the first chapter, "An Uninteresting Country"; the chapter on the town, "The Urban Life"; and the final chapter, "L'Envoi".

I grew up in the American midwest, where many of the towns have northern-European roots (German, Dutch, Norwegian, etc). It was interesting to read about a community with distinct anglo/celtic roots. In some ways similar to the regions I'm familiar with, but with its own distinct character. It's a mere 200 miles from my home town, but as described seems like a different world. The references to Detroit in particular tickle me. As Galbraith tells it, the Scotch considered it to be on par with the greatest cities in the world, primarily because of the jobs provided during the boom years of the American auto industry. Quite a different perspective than what we see now in the 21st century.

Galbraith's style is somewhat academic, but still very readable. Anyone who is interested in regional history of Canada, the American midwest, or the Great Lakes region, should consider this book. At only 136 pages, its worth the short time it takes to read.

[I picked up my edition for $1 at "Bearly Used Books" in Parry Sound, Ontario. (A highly recommended stop if you're travelling the north shore of Georgian Bay.) My edition is the British version, with the extended title, "The Non-potable Scotch: a Memoir on the Clansmen in Canada" and was published by Penguin Books, Ltd. Apparently the book was originally published by Hamish Hamilton under the title "Made to Last".]

[Robyn Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

J K Galbraith was an influential writer and academic on economics of the mid-20th century, but this book is a departure from this topic and is, instead a memoir of this great man's life growing up in a "Scotch" community in Ontario, Canada.
With impressive writing and narrative skills, Galbraith paints a picture of a very closely knit, tight-fisted community, narrow in its beliefs and attitudes to change. (not tight-fisted when it came to drinking though!) However, he livens up the story by interspersing funny tales of some of the people in the community and his wit is very dry.
This is one of my husband's books, bought before we met, and one of those I had planned to read when I retire. However, as it looks as though we'll never retire if we want a bit more money than the pension provides so i'm starting to read some of these books now!
Galbraith was an excellent writer (he only died a few years ago, living into his 90s), but I got the feeling, reading this book, that he thought "his people" might've been a cut above some of the others in Canada. It depressed me a bit because the Scottish influence is strong in NZ as well and I wonder sometimes if it contributes to our tendency to be dour and mean, sometimes, yet go in for binge drinking and other delightfully unsociable habits. Just a thought....

[Susan Walker · Rating 3 out of 5]

John Kenneth Galbraith (1908-2006), an Ontario-born economist, author, Harvard professor and one-time American ambassador, is best remembered for works such as The Affluent Society and The New Industrial State. Yet he called The Scotch his favourite book. Admittedly written off the cuff, sometimes during meetings where he could look as if he were keeping notes, The Scotch is a memoir of his childhood and adolescence living on a farm among the clans that dominated rural Elgin County. Writing in a chatty style, Galbraith reveals what seemed to him to be the truths about third- and fourth-generation Scots who, cleared out of the Highlands, came to work the soil in what is now southwestern Ontario. Amusing, but not every edifying.

[Woodsie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anything that has jokes that haven't been meaningful for 100 years is funny.

The first half of this book is really funny, in my opinion. Everything Leacock should have been. Also based on a town very near Deptford. The second half has a few laughs left, too. Book's short and is worth reading if you're interested in a narrative history of "pioneer" era Ontario.

Galbraith says it's one of the 3 books of his he didn't loathe seeing on a shelf.

[Czarny Pies · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fabulous story about the Scotch of Southern Ontario who were entrepreneurial, honest and above all resolutely Liberal. Their way of life and their politics dominated Canada from the time of Laurier through to the end of the Trudeau era.

Anyone majoring in Canadian history has to read this book by John Kenneth Galbraith who chose to leave his roots to pursue a career in the big leagues.

[Kelly Kilcrease · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bought this at a second hand bookstore and really enjoyed this quick read. Very interesting in how Scottish this area of Canada was and the simplicity of the time period. In so many ways it seems to have been a better time to live.