The Portland daily press., 1880-11-12
The Promotion Of Political Educa-
ti0n

There has recently been established a new
association under the name of Society for Po-
litical Education, non- partisan in its character
and in the best sense, national in i Is scope
The Society is to be managed by an Executive
COMMITTEES of twenty-five members selected
from different sections of the United States,
many Of them being experts in different de-
partnents of the study of social and political
science A singular of its organization is that
it has no president, and thus avoids the risk Of
having its aims confounded with the idiosyn-
cracies of any individual chosen for its head
The correspondence of the Society is to be di-
vided among five Secretaries, one elch for the
East, including the Middle States, the North
west, the Southeast, the Southwest and the
Pacific slope. Its Executive Committee which
is not yet filed up, now comprises Prot. W.
G. Sumner, of Yale College, New Haven:
Hon. David a. Wells, of Norwich, Conn;
Charles Francis Adams, Jr., of Boston, Mass,
Geo. S. Coe., Horace White, Geo. Haven Put
nam, R. r. Bowker, E; NJ Shepard and r. l..
Dugdale, of New York city; Franklin Mac
Veagh and M. L. Scuddcr, Jr., of Chicago, Ill.
Gen. Brady L. johnson, of Richmond, Va;
Hon. John III. Ames, of Lincoln, Va; A Sgd
ney Biddle, of Philadelphia, Pa; A. Mitchell,
Vi NeW OrleduS, Ld, deO. MaSOu, OF dalVeS-
ton, Texas; and Peter Hamilton, of Mobile,
Ala.
The Society has selected as course of read
ing for the first year, Nordhoff's Politics for
Young Americans Prof. Perrys Introduction
to Political Economy, Johnson's History of
American Politics, and McAdam's Alphabet
in Finance. These volumes will be issued in
cheap edition, costing $500, especially pub
lished for the Society as a Library of Political
Education, boxed in sets with Uniform binding
hnan 4hA - c..
cover G. P. Putnam's Sons of New York and
johnson, ,McClnrg & Co., of Chicago will be the
publishing agents. Next year another set of
books will be selected. and it is
planned to extend the Library gradually
according to the growth of the Society,
until attention shall have beeen given to the
whole range of subjects comprised under
Social Science. In addition to the Library, a
series of tracts are to be published on econom-
| ic and political subjects, including among the
earlier ones: "What is a Bank?" by Edward
| Atkinson of Boston, and Turgot's celebrated
essay "On the Creation and Distribution of
Wealth." This latter work, by the great e.
nance minister of Louis XVI, although first
| published in 1766. and acknowledged to be
| one of the most valuable contributions ever
| made to economic literature, has never been
| published in the United States, and, so far as
| known, only once translated and published in
| the English language, and then most imper-
| fectly, in pamphlet, which appeared in Lon
/ oOn d1 tuO COnluouCCmCub VI lilo pIcoout Ccil-
| tury.
The valuable pamphlets Of the Honest
| Money League of the Northwest, which did
| such strong service for the country during its
activity, will be continued, including a re-
| vision of Mr.. Thomas NJ Nichols effective
pamphlet on Honest Money" 1t is proposed
to also issue lists, recommending desirable
| courses OF reading on economic and political
subjects Two such are now ready; a list of
books on political economy and political sci
/ rlaIH d. O,.,~ - W..
and another on the Constitution of the United
| States, prepared by w. E. Foster Librarian of
the Providence Public Library.
There are two classes of membership; Active
and cooperating. Active Members are such
| persons as will pledge themselves to read the
| official year and included in its Library Of
Political Education, and will pay an annual
fee of so cents (Which may be forwarded in
| postage stamps) Any person may become a
| Cooperating Member on the annual payment
| of $500 or more, which shall entitle such
member to receive all the tracts published by
| the Society. There are no other conditions or
| obligations of membership. The number Of
tracts to be published annually will depend
| chiefly on the amount of subscriptions re-
ceived. 1t is also desired to establish fund
for furthering the general work of the Society,
and for facilitating the placing of the above
books and kindred literature in public and
school libraries.
MemDerS OF tne society Will, III auuitlOn 10
receiving without charge the tracts issued
each year under the direction of the executive
committee and the above specified recommen
dations of courses of reading, have the advan-
| tage of coming into direct communication
| with body of experts who will aid them in
selecting iudiciously from the mass Of books
which issue yearly from the press, and will en-
able them to obtain certain classes of books al
lower rates than if bought singly of the book
sellers. Those interested, or who can interest
others in the work, are invited to communi
cate with r. L. Dugdale, Secretary for the
East and Acting Treasurer, 70 Fourth Avenue
Neeo York, or NJ L. Scudder, Jr., Secretary
for the Northwest, 40 Portland Block, Chica-
| 90 Ill