The star. (Cincinnati [Ohio]) 1874-1875, 1875-01-21
: EDUCATIONAL.
Advertisement No. A.
How to Teach Political Economy
In the Lyceum Institute.

In the Lyceum Institute.
Political Economy is one Of the most import
ant branches Of study, because 1t covers tho
most practical relations Of life. How to obtain
subsistence for the body and the means Of COM
fort for the household is the first question that
concerns the mass Of men, and ought to be tho
first question with every young person. No ons
ought to consider his father rich ,no~gh 10
raise him above tho necessity Of applying the
first efforts Of his early manhood to the purpose
of obtaining living.
In making this statement we have raised .
1 question in Morals as well as in Political Econ
omy. The ethical principle alluded to is the
obligation Of every one to obtain the means
OF support by his own efforts. 1t shows that
Political Economy can not be divorced FROM
Moral Science, though authors have generally
treated 1t as a branch Of knowledge having ex-
elusive reference to the system Of things as IL
4 Is, and not as it should be. 1t may be verY
comfortable for those who get their support
and heap up fortunes out Of others to havo
| Economy divorced from Ethics: but the mass
Of mankind, being compelled to labor in tho
production of wealth, can not long study Politi-
cal Economy without finding mystery in tho
fact that some get 500 per day for doing MOTH
ing, while others get but dollar, two dollars.
or three dollars per day by hard work; and
they will inevitably demand the how and the
wherefore Of this great difference. They will
even demand to be informed by what principle
an able bodied and able minded man rightfully
gets SO much doing nothing except frolic life
away in luxury, while others, who may not be
to able either in body or mind, get so small ..
reward for hard toll all the day and incessant
| rest for weary muscles and aching bones dur
ing the whole night, leaving no time or means.
| for recreation and enjoyment
Ethical questions, however, would be raise
incidentally in teaching Political Economy.
Primarily, this science treats Of the Produo-
tion, Distribution, Consumption and Exchange
| Of wealth. Labor, Land Capital and Skill are,
chiefly concerned in the production Of wealth.
The distribution Of wealth is into Wages,
| Rents and Profits, while the support of the poo
pie, the government, education, religion, luxu-
ry, &C., comprises the Consumption of wealth.
The Exchange of wealthy involves Commerce.
including barter and buying and selling by
| means OF q medium called money, Transports
tions concerning currency, values, &c.
What science, therefore, covers SO many OF
the fundamental interests of mankind as Poll
tical Economy And when it is considered
that the people must be.fed and clothed before
anything can be accomplished by education,
religion, art or general culture, why does not
Political Economy very properly claim tho
first and most searching attention Of the
schools and OF all educators in whatever eapa-
city?
1t will be so considered in the Lyceum Instl-
tute; and also in the Lyceum University,
which will be the Institute extended to uniyer-
sal learning and perfected in the new methods.
What will be the method Of teaching this
science in the Lyceum Institute and Uniyer-
sity9 1t will be quite different from that
usually pursued. We find certain text book
with questions at the foot of each page or in an
| appendix, tho answers to which are often me-
chanically learned, and mechanically used by
lazy or ignorant professors in conducting an
automatic recitation An ingenious French
man or Yankee might make an automatic pro-
fessor and an automatic GLASS; and by winding
them up like clock they would perform tho
whole process Of recitation according to the
books.
In colleges and universities, however, with
some pretensions, the professor gives lectures
| on this science, though he follows the most ap-
| proved textbook. The lecturer sometimes
| canvasses the opinions of the most distinguish
| ed authors on each topic, but the utmost Of his
| thought is to balanco authorities and give tho
| class the doctrine as settled by the ma ority OF
by the author who has obtained the most gene-
| ral approval and applause.
As usually taught, this science often amounts
| to nothing Of any value to the student, while
| III some cases time and money, though not al
| together thrown away, are not made half as
productive in learning as they would be under
| a better method.
The Lyceum method can be fully understood
by a single illustration. Suppose we are en-
tering upon the topic of Labor as an element Of
production. The Professor gives lecture
chiefly for the purpose Of showing the class
how to investigate it for themselves. He then
| assigns the leading authors to the members Of
| the class; to one, Adam Smiths Wealth Of
Nations, to another, Says Work, to another, Sis
mondi, to fourth, Senator Tracey, to fifth,
j. S. Mills Work, to sixth, Thornton on La
Dor, to seventh, Carey, to the eighth, List, to
| the ninth, the Work by Horace Greeley, and
SO on through the whole class. Probably three
days should be given to preparation for the
| recitation Each one is required to condemns
into rs brief compass as possible the most
important views and facts given by his author,
and deliver his synopsis either orally or from
manuscript to the class. Three days are given
to the preparation, and the recitation occupies
half day; the same topic to be continued un-
| til thoroughly mastered by the class. Most Of
all, the students are urged to have opinions Of
| their own.
So, also, when the subject Of Money and
Banking comes up, it is investigated in the
same way. The authors are distributed to tho
class, and all views that have been urged arc
brought under consideration. The professor
Introduces it with a lecture in which he ex-
plains the function. Of money, the difrereus
kinds Of money, such as metallic, mixed and
paper, the nature Of banking, the experience
of nations with the different currencics, &c,
thus enabling the students to search the aa
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