Economic essays

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Monograph

Identifikator:: 1753623200

URN:: urn:nbn:de:zbw-retromon-136107

Document type:: Monograph

Title:: Economic essays

Place of publication:: New York

Publisher:: Macmillan

Year of publication:: 1927

Scope:: viii, 368 S.; Ill., graph. Darst.

Digitisation:: 2021

Collection:: Economics Books

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Document type:: Monograph

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Title:: The early teaching of economics in the United States / Edwin R.A. Seligman

Collection:: Economics Books

THE EARLY TEACHING OF ECONOMICS IN THE UNITED STATES 297 son was translated in 1784 to the chair of moral philosophy and political economy, and taught The Wealth of Nations from that time on. This understanding of the subject has been generally accepted. It may be well to analyze the authorities for the above state- ments. In the first place we are told that a copy of the Wealth of Nations, belonging to a student of the College, bears the inscription of 1798. This is indeed a fact. Mr. W. G. Stanard, Librarian of the Virginia Historical Society, was good enough to write to us on October 16th, 1925: “Mr. Robert Stanard was my grandfather. The book of Smith, which came almost acci- dentally into my hands, contained the inscription ‘Robert Stan- ard, Wm. and Mary College, 1798." I unfortunately lent it to a man who was preparing to deliver an address on education for a considerable period, and when I asked for it, he claimed to have no recollection of my lending it. But there is no question about he inscription. I have a copy made a long time ago.” While the fact, therefore, is undoubted, it is nevertheless no proof of any thing except that a student at the college owned such a book. More significant seem to be the forty-three pages of questions on Smith’s work found in the correspondence of Mr. Reid. But Andrew Reid was a student in 1806, and his statement can there- ore tell us nothing as to what happened during the eighteenth entury. We come next to the assertion of Bishop Meade tha President Madison first introduced the subject into the College. But Bishop Meade made this assertion in 1846, and tells us noth- ng as to when this introduction is supposed to have happened. As Madison remained professor until 1812 it does not follow that he taught political economy in the eighteenth century. Now follows the letter from Mr. Brock, who owned a three-volume edition of Adam Smith, published in 1796. On turning to the assage in question, however, it will be found that according to Ir. Brock’s statement the first volume of the work bears the name of the owner and the date 1820. Finally, the statement by Mr. Rogers, made in 1845, also says nothing about the time hen this alleged first course on political economy was given. We are thus reduced to the assertion of Mr. Tyler that President Madison had, after 1784, charge of the departments of natural nd political philosophy, international law and political economy. a a matter of fact, however, the term political economy is

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