As a result of rapid industrialization, urbanization and immigration, Canada underwent great social and economic changes in the final years of the nineteenth and the early years of the twentieth centuries. These changes affected many dimensions of Canadian life including those of agriculture and education. The hypothesis of this study is that no Canadian during this period contributed more to change in these two areas than James Wilson Robertson, 1857-1930. This thesis, biographical in form and chronological in development, examines and analyses Robertson's career in agriculture and education from the time he emigrated from Scotland at the age of seventeen. He embarked on his first job as a cheesemaker in Western Ontario at a time when too little Canadian cheese reached first quality. By turning out from his factories a product which sold well in foreign markets, Robertson demonstrated that Canadians could find a large market for prime grades of cheese. The consequent interest in his methods presented Robertson with the opportunity to display and propagate those better dairying practices which, as they gradually overcame the conservatism of local dairymen, produced improvements in both the quality and quantity of Canadian cheese. His initiative brought Robertson a rapid succession of promotions, from managing dairy cooperatives, to Professor of Dairying at Ontario Agricultural College, and finally, in 1890, to the newly created post of Dominion Commissioner of Dairying which was later extended to include agriculture. During these years Robertson taught students, developed travelling dairies, issued informative bulletins, and encouraged legislation governing standards of quality. In discussion and print he lauded the virtues of country life, preached the gospel of excellence and taught the principles of cooperation. Through a wide variety of educational techniques and devices, and with the aid of a competent staff, he regenerated Canadian agriculture, showed farmers how to exchange a subsistence wage for a decent profit, and brought about a dramatic increase in agricultural exports. In achieving prestige for Canada abroad, he also gained a national and an international reputation for himself. Robertson firmly believed and constantly reiterated that agriculture and education were the nation's most profitable and beneficial forms of investment. By the early years of the twentieth century, having proved the value of agricultural education to adults, Robertson turned his attention to the rural young. At this point in his career, his ideas coincided with those of Sir William Macdonald, millionaire benefactor of higher education. A fortuitous meeting between the two led to a plan for the improvement of rural life and education called the Macdonald-Robertson Movement. This scheme combined elements from two prevailing educational philosophies: that which tried to apply in the classroom pedagogical principles deduced from research in child psychology and the social sciences, and the other which called for a more practical and less "bookish" curriculum in order to prepare young Canadians for life in an intensely technological and competitive age. Sustained by Sir William's money and Robertson's enthusiasm and drive, the Macdonald-Robertson Movement (later known as the Macdonald Movement) provided school authorities, and the public with practical examples of the new educational ideas. They funded three-year demonstrations of manual training, nature study, school gardens, and school consolidation. In addition, Sir William endowed two teacher-training establishments, the Macdonald Institute in Guelph and Macdonald College of McGill University to train the leaders needed for rural regeneration. Robertson became the principal of the latter institution. The successes and failures, contemporary opinion and present ramifications of the Macdonald Movement form a large part of the study. During his lifetime Robertson achieved wide professional recognition. The Dominion Education Association elected him its president. The Federal Government appointed him to the Commission of Conservation and made him chairman of the Royal Commission on Industrial Education and Technical Training. In 1913, this Commission issued its remarkable report, a landmark in Canadian educational history, which formed the basis for Federal Government involvement in provincial technical education. The thesis concludes with a summary of contemporary impressions of Robertson, a description of his war-time and other public and private activities, an enumeration of the honours he gained and a survey of subsequent historical writing in which his work is cited. / Education, Faculty of / Graduate

Thesis (MSc)--Stellenbosch University, 1980. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: No abstract available / AFRIKAANSE OSPOMMNING: Geen opsomming beskikbaar

This thesis includes information on the topography, historical background, military contribution after statehood, social history, economic development, government organization, and early towns and settlements of Roberson County.

Thesis (MSc)--Stellenbosch University, 2015. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The financial decision-making environment within which wine-grape producers function is challenging because of the complex interrelationships between yield, product price and input requirements. The complexity of farm systems is increased because production and financial decisions are necessarily made under uncertainty. Various issues influence the resilience of the wine industry. The goal of this study is to determine the financial implications of irrigation, integrated with canopy management practices on red wine cultivars in the Robertson area. Canopy management and irrigation cost play an important role within the multi-faceted farm system regarding yield, quality and input cost. This necessitates that research be carried out within the context of a systems approach. In this manner the interdependence among the various components of the farm system, and the associated synergies can be captured. Farm management, as a field of research, is dependent on other disciplines that present an alternative perspective to the research problem. Viticulture trials specifically focused on the impact of various irrigation and canopy management activities is being done on Wansbek farm. Nine treatments were tested at various combinations of soil water depletion levels and canopy management strategies. The farm is situated in Agterkliphoogte, an area in the Robertson valley. A multi-disciplinary group discussion was held to firstly obtain insight in the complex working of a farm. Secondly the group discussion was used to gain insight into the application of the Wansbek trial data and the setting of guidelines as to its application to determine the expected farm level financial implications of the treatments. Dealing with complexity necessitates insight form various areas of expertise, which is achieved time efficiently within expert group discussions. A quantitative method is required to reflect the interrelatedness and dynamics of a whole farm system in a user-friendly manner. Multi-period budget models present the ability to accommodate the complexity associated with a farm through a sequence of mathematical and accounting equations. The physical/biological interrelations and structure of the farm can be modelled while the financial performance of various irrigation and canopy management strategies can be determined. Farm-level profitability is especially sensitive to yield and price of farm products. The treatments that showed the highest expected profitability, return relatively high yields and prices at relatively low production costs. The sprawling canopy management treatment at c. 60% and c. 30% plant available water depletion levels returned the highest and second highest profitability at both gross margin per hectare and whole farm level. Scenarios were incorporated to illustrate the expected impact of key variables and the capability of the model. Key factors associated with the success of specific treatments could be identified. Results showed throughout that the balance between yield, price and input cost are the determining factor to profitability, rather than a focus on any particular one of these factors. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die finansiële besluitnemingsomgewing waarbinne wyndruifprodusente funksioneer, is uitdagend weens die komplekse verwantskappe tussen oesopbrengs en -kwaliteit en gepaardgaande insetbehoeftes. Die kompleksiteit van die boerderystelsels word verhoog deurdat produksie- en finansiële besluite noodwendig op grond van onvolmaakte inligting geneem word. Verskeie kwessies beïnvloed die voortbestaan van die wynbedryf. Die doel van hierdie studie is om die finansiële implikasies te bepaal van besproeiing, geïntegreer met lowerbestuur, vir rooi wyndruifverbouing in die Robertson-wynvallei. Lowerbestuur- en besproeiingkoste speel ʼn belangrike rol binne die multifasettigheid van ʼn boerderystelsel ten opsigte van opbrengs, kwaliteit en produksiekoste. Dit vereis dat die navorsing binne die konteks van die stelselsbenadering aangespreek word. Sodoende word die interafhanklikheid tussen die onderskeie boerderystelselkomponente, gekoppel aan die sinergistiese effek wat daarmee gepaardgaan, in ag geneem. Boerderybestuur as navorsingsveld, is gevolglik afhanklik van ander vakdissiplines wat ‘n alternatiewe perspektief verleen aan die navorsingsprobleem. Wingerdbouproewe wat spesifiek fokus op die impak van verskillende besproeiing- en lowerbestuursaksies word uitgevoer op die Wansbek-plaas. Die plaas is geleë te Agterkliphoogte, ʼn area in die Robertson-vallei. Nege behandelings is getoets teen verskillende kombinasies van plant beskikbare water (PBW)-onttrekkingspeile en lowerbestuurstrategieë. ʼn Groepsbespreking met multidissiplinêre deskundiges is gehou om eerstens, insig in die kompleksiteit van die werking van ʼn plaas te verkry. Tweedens, is die groep van multidissiplinêre deskundiges gebruik om insig te verwerf aangaande die hantering van die Wansbek-proefdata. Die groep het riglyne daargestel om die proefdata prakties aan te wend sodat die verwagte finansiële implikasies op plaasvlak geëvalueer kan word. Die hantering van kompleksiteit vereis insig vanuit verskeie gebiede van kundigheid wat tydsdoeltreffend binne ʼn groepsbespreking van multidissiplinêre deskundiges geakkommodeer kan word. ʼn Kwantitatiewe tegniek is nodig om die wisselwerking en dinamika van ʼn geheelboerderystelsel op ʼn gebruikersvriendelike en toepaslike manier te weerspieël. Multiperiode-begrotingsmodelle gee die vermoë om die kompleksiteit, wat met ʼn tipiese plaas geassosieer word, te akkommodeer deur die toepassing van basiese wiskundige en rekeningkundige beginsels. Die fisies-biologiese wisselwerking en struktuur van die plaas kan sodoende gemodelleer word, terwyl die finansiële prestasie van die kombinasies van verskillende besproeiing- en lowerbestuurstrategieë bepaal kan word. Die plaasvlakwinsgewendheid is veral sensitief vir die opbrengs en prys van produkte gelewer. Die behandelings wat die beste verwagte winsgewendheid getoon het, produseer teen ʼn relatiewe hoë produksie en prys en ’n relatiewe lae produksiekoste. Die oophanglowerbestuurbehandeling teen c. 60% en c. 30% plant beskikbare water-onttrekkingspeile is die mees en tweede mees winsgewende strategieë op per hektaar bruto marge en geheelplaasvlak. Die gebruik van scenario’s is geïnkorporeer om die impak van sleutelveranderlikes uit te wys en die vermoë van die model te illustreer. Sleutelfaktore tot die sukses wat aan sekere strategieë verbind word, kan sodoende uitgewys word. Deurgaans wys die resultate dat die balans tussen opbrengs, prys en produksiekoste belangriker is as die fokus op enige enkele een van die faktore.

The Fairy Star; or Boucicault's Revenge is based on an incident which occurred in the relationship between actress Agnes Kelly Robertson and her common-law spouse, the actor and dramatist Dion Boucicault. The action of the play takes place late in the afternoon of September 3, 1875, in the parlor of Robertson's home, Langham Place. The dramatic conflict revolves around their meeting for the first time after a two-year separation, during which time Boucicault had forced Robertson to virtually retire from the stage and remain at home with their six children. When Robertson learns that Boucicault desperately needs her to star in his latest theatrical production, she sets out to win back her place as the star of both his life and his plays.

This thesis presents an alternative picture of Scottish historian William Robertson (172 1-1793). By examining Robertson's works and the contexts in which he wrote, I hope to show that the prevailing view of Robertson as a typically cosmopolitan eighteenth-centwy 'Enlightenment' figure, a devotee of post-Union 'British' values in histonography and outlook, and a practitioner of the progressive eighteenth-century type of historical writing, called conjectural or stadial histoiy, with its associated values, is misleading. These assumptions have given rise to the belief that Robertson was a wholehearted advocate of European expansion and the British Empire. This picture ignores evidence of Robertson's attachment to older Scottish Presbyterian Whig values such as militant Protestantism (generally seen as abandoned by the Moderate Presbyterian church party which Robertson led), defensive patriotism, martial virtue, and resistance to overbearing authority. These are present in his work and career although they are modified by Robertson's need to appeal to 'polite' English, or 'Enlightened' continental readerships in order to achieve distinction as well as by the Moderate political commitment to support govermnent in return for ecclesiastical autonomy. In many ways, these values are incompatible with those of a cosmopolitan figure influenced by French philosophes, or a confirmed advocate of 'British' values supposedly embraced by the Scots intelligentsia Particularly, the sense of defensiveness inherent in Scottish history makes it practically impossible for a Scot whose outlook remains rooted in the defensive patriotism of the Scottish past to be an unqualified supporter of empire. Robertson's work shows constant dubiety about conquest and empire, thus falling into a tradition of Scottish anti-empire writing as old as European expansion itself which is most noticeable in the work of Scots in whom defensive patriotism is highly developed, such as George Buchanan and Andrew fletcher. The Scottish experience of repeated attempted domination by foreign powers seems to cause a corresponding dislike for all such attempts at domination, and sympathy for their victims. The defensive traditions of Presbytei-iarnsm appear to add to this, the more so as attacks on Presbyterianism have historically had a strong foreign element. Most evidence for Robertson's position is found in his narrative history. As narrative makes up the greater part of Robertson's work, I believe that he must be considered primarily as a narrative, rather than a conjectural historian, practicing a form of historiography which Scots had been writing long before the eighteenth century. This thesis will illustrate its arguments by examining Robertson's narrative histories in chronological order, as well as correspondence and other contemporary evidence, and parallels will be drawn with earlier Scottish historians where relevant.

No description available.

No description available.

This dissertation is intended to demonstrate the presence of a contemporary gnostic spirit in the novels of Robertson Davies. / The dominance of Protestant puritanism in English Canadian culture is a frequent theme in the literature of the nation. In his writing, Robertson Davies counters the repressive dynamics of a society shaped by puritanism with an appeal to an alternate vision. This vision, which places greater value on self-knowledge, bears a strong affinity to the precepts of the ancient gnostics. / Davies' critique of an English Canadian context which appears to place higher value on morality than on spiritual adventures can be compared to the gnostic rejection of the material world in favour of knowledge of the inner self in relation to the divine. / The commitment to gnosis as a means of escape from a repressive environment to one of spiritual freedom is another mark of the connection between Davies' novels and the gnostic spirit. / The presence of revealer figures who initiate their hearers into the way of gnosis is found in both the writings of the ancient gnostics and in the novels of Robertson Davies. / Davies' treatment of the concepts of dualism, the nature of evil and human destiny bears a closer relationship to the ideas found in gnostic literature than to the doctrines of Judeo-Christian orthodoxy. / Finally, Davies' emphasis on the importance of the individual in the quest for self-knowledge reflects a gnostic suspicion of communal values. / The identification of the relationship between Davies' writing and the spirit of gnosticism provides a good case study of the way in which theological notions influence and are influenced by a particular cultural context.

Thesis (M.A. in Hist.)--Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 1995. / Includes vita. Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 103-110). Also available via the Internet.