The star of the north. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1849-1866, 1855-05-24
From the philadelphia Ledger
Political Economy for Common Schools.

stfuction oil tne modern steam engine. Em-
ployed 10 open valve between the boiler
and the cylinder by hand, as was then the
custom, he SO fastened the handle of the
valve 10 the piston that the machinery per-
formed his work much more accurately than
he could do il. The lad little dreamed
that he was exhibiting some of the high
ST utilities and results of the division of
labor.
But were every child taught at school how
much the whole welfare of society and the
prosperity Of each depended upon ingenious
contrivances Of this kind By every one. for
performing his share of the business of life
as accurately and expeditiously as possible,
with that forethoughi and arrangement which
save labor TO the greatest possible degree,
the sharp eyes Of many bright youth would
find means OF much abridging the most COM
plicated expenditures Of labor For il is on
ly as The division of labor is perfectly under
stood in youth, that lis most effective eonbi-
aations become possible in after life.
Why is it that no one has written some
clear, brief treatise on Political Economy
| that might be introduced into all our Com
mon Schools and High Schools? 1t rests far
more directly and obviously than Moral
Philosophy upon the basis Of facts, such as
are passing daily before the eyes OF every
school-boy IN city like this. Yet Dr. Way
land, master of the science OF education,
| has abridged his work on "Moral Science"
| for Sabbath schools and day schools, where
ii is taught with success. The great work OF
education consists in teaching child to rea-
! son correctly upon the facts that are daily
transporting before his eyes, TO classify and
arrange them according TO the principles in
volved. A few simple elementary truths,
clearly Illustrated TO the mind of a child as
they might be, would enable him easily 10
classify all the phenomena OF commerce and
as he grew up, he would be saved from a
thousand false principles of carrying on any
business in mis- after life. Inlricacies Of the
currency, that for centuries have perpexed
the government of Great Britain, are, il is
found, best solved by keeping in view one
or two fundamental and universal Laws,
which can easily be illustrated, SO that a
| child shall clearly comprehend them.
A lad walks along Chestnut street, and
says 10 himself that oil these people live by
selling some things and buying Others, and
wonders, perhaps, if ingenuity in the lesser
tricks of trade is not the only foundation OF
wealth; like the Yankee mother, who
thought her sons so wonderfully smart, tha,
shut in the room together, they could make
two dollars day by swapping jackets. Yet
William Pitt acted only on The principle of
these smart boys, when he proposed to pay
the English national debt by the sinking
fund. II would be easy and most useful 10
fix deeply IN the mind Of each youth, by
many illustrations, tha: exchange confers no
new value upon producs--ihat production
in some form must be the basis of exchange
that every city " i'll grow rich just in pro.
portion to the weally, industry and extent of
the surrounding country, for which it is the
centre of exchange. All this would show
every mechanic and every merchant why a
place supplied more cheaply than any other
with coal and iron, should naturally become
the centre of manufacturing commerce, at
fordng, as il ever must, the cheapest mar.
ket for the one 10 sell and the other 10
buy.
A child sees new piano delivered al his
fathers house, payment given by check
on the Bank, and receipt signed. He thinks
i, is an easy thing thus TO purchase anything
he wants, and that he has nothing 10 do bu
10 buy check book and draw on the Bank
II is soon explained TO him, that that papel
does not pay the debt, but only gets hii
fathers gold out of the Bank TO pay it, who
thus had so much less left as the piano hat
cost. But there are thousands, we opine, Il
whom this matter has never yet become
very clear, and who go on all through life
fancying that paper promises 10 pay are
payments, and that the true way for an indi
vidual, or at least a nation 10 become rich, il
to extend their obligations and initiate pa
per currency to the larges. possible tension
by buying all kinds of foreign luxuries OIL
paper credit.
: The fact is, that whele correct principei
are not imbibed in youth, men erect al
kinds of sophisical and complicated systems
by which they deceive themselves and 9th
ers most egregiousIy. The elementary priD
ciples of political economy are few, simple
and eternal, like the elementary laws of ma
| nature. They apply with equal force TO day.
trading for marbles, and Wall street men re
gotiating for railroad stocks, or Californi'
gold And five cannot bring all things in
political economy within the range Of these
laws, it is not because they are not govern
ed by them, but simply because we do no
sufficiently understand the subject
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