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I I U
The University Journal
fO L . I .
WASHINGTON, D. C .( MARCH 15, 1904.
No. 8.
Commercial Education.
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There remainethyet very much laud to be possessed."
' Let us go up and possess it.''
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icause of their own ignorance of the legal standing of the
1concern to which they have lent their names and through
!the manifest ignc ance and the cupidity of the promoters
Iof such enterpriser, or through the lack of information
i of the conditions 'f the institutions which they tliern-
■ selves are managing every day.
Such a spectacle can be avoided by establishing
proper curricula— not only of the ordinary secondary
school where the drudgery of the accountant only is
Viewing the tendency of American progress one can faught, but institutions where the broad work of adminis-
>ut be struck with the trend toward material develop- tralio11 is laid out upon lines calling for wise judgment
ueut as to production, trading, intercommunication and , and discretion. Curricula including civil code and eco-
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lorlalion.
jnomic legislation, in which commercial subjects predomi-
Men of letters have a prominent place in the history llate- 10 wit* Commercial Law, Commercial History,
|>f any great people. That place is one of honor and Commerclal Geography and Local Civics, along with
Lsefuluess. out of which has grown development of char-
with special reference to collation and to de
btor and renown. Hut no less have the Captains of In-1ducinK economic knowledge. Such curricula being in the
hustrv. the Masters of Pittance and the Princes of Trade j vanguard of higher education must conduce to three great
added to the sum total of the worth of the nations and Ib e fits - g e n e r a l intellectual advancement, practical
'the character of the peoples. The former class m ay jc*'*c l)ro8rcss>a,,ci good citizenship.
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In every semester of commercial courses in the
stimulate the mental activity but the latter accepts the
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„ . United States, the English language should be given a
(tinner s achievements,adds more, and evolves the great
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Other
should find
material advancement which so marks the civilization of
he nineteenth anti twentieth centuries.
i modern languages, both oral and written,
cause of tin
national communication.
place, be
heir assistance in inter racial and inter-
Men and classes wiio do not pay heed to the great I
Commercial movements, who do not note trade conditions
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V. U U U H C I V . t H JclY O U U I V I U U . Y ^ l/V. vCCt !U
IW U Y U O U IV .J'IIV .
fetid whodo
not
study the economic principles underhung i, .
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but so sectional are the products of Nature that corn-
law and government as applicable to technical and trade 1
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!merce leaps territorial bounds, either contiguous or re
al], hrough a lack ot knowledge ot causal1
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mote; and in the United States, so cosmopolitan is the
agencies and ignorance of local and state f in a n c e s fail j
,ation that modeni languages have become nec
o anticipate results and to work out success in those basal esiiar>. to great co1;u„ercial ventures,
occupations commonly relied upon to make individuals
Classes, or nations strong.
Definiteness of purpose and plan is the strength
of nv attempt to attack Nature and demand her re
sources. That same definiteness must be one of detail as!
:
The availability of an opportunity is not always
priina facie. Often apparent calamity is the occasion of a
future benefit and may so appear under proper analysis.
; If a limited view be taken the contrary might seem true.
The
Chicago
or Baltimore fire cannot deter the
well as of outline— such detail as can come only I
from a study of local conditions as to population, geology
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co, nmercial
trainil,g and acumen.
This is dealing with
s’pirit and energy of a municipality made up of men of
of soil and topography of environment.
1the exceptional, but be it remembered that the same
Perplexing indeed are the economic questions ot- knowledge and principles applicable to executive opera-
tending the great industrial ventures of the world and tions in a great factory or railway are alike applicable to
without special attention to the economy of an undertak successful management of a peanut stand. Generally it is
|ug as well as the laws enforceable in all possible contin
geiicies. there is danger lurking in any and all commer
cial schemes.
It is a pitiable sight to observe reputable men finan
cially wrecked and having their integrity questioned be-
the fact that the large concerns have grown from small
ones and can be kept successful by consistently maintain
ing the principles of their early growth.
Let the field be viewed with special reference to the
students of Howard University.
It is fair to suppose