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

Structure type:: Chapter

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

Collection:: Economics Books

2908 ECONOMIC ESSAYS IN HONOR OF JOHN BATES CLARK : nowhere to be found in the designation of the chair or in any other college document during the eighteenth century. Dr. Tyler has been good enough to confirm this fact in a letter to us in which he explains his inferences: “While not certain as to the exact time the lectures on political economy were introduced, I came at last to the conclusion that they began in 1784 when Dr. Madison took over the duties of the moral chair.” In another letter Dr. Tyler was good enough to go into greater detail. After repeating some of the above statements he adds: “It is not a farfetched conclusion that Bishop Madison was teaching political economy in 1798 and using Smith’s book. I first assumed that the date of the printing of this edition (1796) was the begin- ning of the study in the College, but later assumed that the sub- ject was taken up in 1784, when the duties of the ‘Moral Chair’ were taken over by Dr. Madison, political economy being a subject properly coming under that Chair. The terms moral philosophy and politics had to the minds of our predecessors a much broader signification than they have at present. Moral philosophy appears to have meant anything that was not mathematics and natural philosophy. Politics covered every- thing political and political law covered political economy and nolitical science.” With reference to this statement, however, it must be observed that the term ‘political law” is not found in the eighteenth cen- tury. It was first used at William and Mary in 1817, when Thomas R. Dew was made professor of that subject. Mr. Tyler was mistaken when in 1901 he stated that “Thomas R. Dew was advanced to a chair and given History, Metaphysics, Natural and National Law, Government and Political Economy.” * In the Faculty minutes of the College of October 7, 1826, as we are officially informed, there is an entry that “Thomas R. Dew, who was yesterday appointed professor of Political Law, took his seat at the board.” The secretary first wrote “Political Oeconomy,” but later carefully cancelled “oeconomy” and inserted the word “law.” As late as 1829, Dew published his Lectures on the Restrictive System, delivered to the Senior Class of William and Mary College, in which he still describes himself as “Professor of History, Metaphysics, and Political Law.” We are thus reduced to Mr. Tyler's statement that Bishop William and Mary College Quarterly Historical Magazine, ix, p. 81.

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