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

Pe —— Se —— = — SESE 204 ECONOMIC ESSAYS IN HONOR OF JOHN BATES CLARK? : - epiIE dm—— attempt of Mitchill to introduce a knowledge of the new French system.” n the light, however, of Mitchill’s political and economic interests, it seems not at all unlikely that he proceeded from the discussions of economic botany and agriculture to other economic opics as well. This hypothesis seems to be confirmed by a state- ment issued in 1794 by the Trustees of Columbia under the lead of Alexander Hamilton and entitled The Present State of Learning in the College of New York. In this document we read that “the ncumbent of this Chair [Economics], who is a practical farmer, deals not only with the classification and arrangement of natural bodies, but also treats of a great variety of facts which form the basis of medicine, of agriculture, and other useful arts, as well as of manufactures; and that especial attention is paid to the sub- jects of gardening and farming.” - So far as the actual evidence goes, we must conclude that by economics Mitehill understood the technical economics of agri- culture. In view, however, of the facts recounted above, and especially when we remember that the instruction of Professor Mitchill was supplemented by that of Professor Gross, on the history and statistics of trade and commerce, it is a fair inference that the students at Columbia must have gotten, at the time, at least some smattering of what we nowadays call economics. The only other place where, so far as can be ascertained, economic subjects may have been taught during the eighteenth century, was the College of William and Mary. It has been asserted, in fact, that the teaching of economics in that institu- tion can be traced back to 1784. This assertion was made a few decades ago by Mr. L. E. Tyler, at that time the president of the institution. In view of the wide acceptance of the statement,’ he matter deserves a somewhat fuller discussion. The current doctrine is to the effect that in 1784, Bishop Madison, the president of the college, was put in charge of the departments of natural and political philosophy, international law, and political economy, and that thereafter and to the end of the century, Adam Smith's Wealth of Nations was one of the bs ria the ven. a uu 1 By Mr. Wills, among others, in the article mentioned at the beginning »f this essay.

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