Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1892-01-14
MIR. sADLER's LECTURE.



Extension Course Last Week.
Michael E. Sadler of Christ Church
College, Oxford University, England,
lectured in the high school assembly
rooms Wednesday on the topic of "The
New Departure in Political Economy"
The lecture was under the auspices of
the local branch of the University Ex-
tension Society.
The speaker was introduced by DIR.
Stewart. His personal appearance was
quite surprise to the audience. Instead
of "grave and reverend signior"
from the ancient English scat of learn
ing an almost beardless youth, with pink
cheeks and curling auburn hair stood
up to address the society on that dryest
of dry subjects, "Political Economy"
His style of oratory and mannerism was
remarkable, that is to say altogether
different from what we IRE accustomed
to see. His diction too, as recent in
stance from that "well of English unGe-
fled" at his alma mater, with the per-
sonal influence and surroundings of
such mon as John Henry Newman and
John Ruskin, was well worth noticing.
1t was all intensely English. Possibly
these novel conditions interfered some-
ject matter of the DISCOURSE MIR. Sadler
used the index finger necessarily and
both hands were in constant use in ad-
junctive emphasis.
The lecturer deprecated the idea that
Political Economy is dry subject.
Rousseau, he said, was the leader who
drew the attention of polite Europe to
the needs of the masses. He stated that
the fantastic economic structure if per-
sisted in would end in reyulsion which
would bring the ''crack o. doom" about
the head of the existing order of things.
He taught that artiticiality should be
dropped and that the proper position is
to trust to nature. The speaker then
gave his attention to Adam Smith and
gave brief picture of his career. The
political economist, the speaker said,
must take his ideas from the street, not
from his study, otherwise he becomes
doctrinaire. Adam Smith Joined forces
with the French economists in indignant
war against the obsolete interference
with nature. The "Wealth of Nations"
was published in 1776 and it took Adam
Smith 10 years to write. Underlying all
the writing of the great political
economist was the idea of laissez faire,
to let nature alone in working out her
ideas. subsequently,, however, in his
fifth book he expresses the idea that the
State should exert q modicum of aid in
public education. Tourgot's mind ran
in parallel channels with that of Adam
Smith. And then later economists said,
Let us, philosophers, teach the world,
and not nature"
The speaker gave amusing illustra-
tions of Fourierism, the idea of living
in communities. Adam Smith called
for division of labor, but asserted with
it the degradation Of the laborer. But
he thought the latter condition could be
mitigated. 1t never struck Adam Smith
that the degradation of nine-tenths of
society was in itself no civilization.
Ignorance of that fact placed the great
teacher back into the past century.
The great revolution in economics
was the transformation of home or do
nestle labor to factory labor. The
agrarian change of course preceded it.
The next advance was the improvement
of roads. This brought the specializa-
ton of work in different towns. Canal
and railroad building followed. Then
there was a great stir of life In
the last half of last century the popula-
ton of England increased so per cent
and political economists trembled be-
fore the fact. The speaker touched upon
the state socialism theory. Political
economy has become humanized largely
by religion and the teachings of biology.
The close of the lecture was given to
some notice of the results of university
teaching in England. In hall i'll Old
ham, Lancashire, 600 mechanics have
crowded the room nightly as close his
toTical students. Their next course will
be Florentine history, subject chosen
on their selection. Last summer
40 worlSingmen from the slums of Man
chester took up their quarters for 10
days in St. Mary's College, Oxford Uni
yersity, and talked Plato with the mas
ter Of the college. The best essays on
Political Economy received at the past
University Extension course by the OK,
ford secretary were, one from chimney
sweep and the other from the future
queen of England. They were both of
the highest class and of unexccptionable
merit.
Numerous illustrations of the kind
were given. Mr.. Sadler was loudly ap-
plauded at the close of his address.
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