The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1899-06-16
Educating for Business.

seem amiss to think for a minute upon
the question. Is a specia! education
for a business career necessary or ad-
Vantageous? Light has recently been
shed upon the affirmative side of this
question from two distinguished
sources. In the North American Re-
view this month Professor Bryce goes
over the whole ground, paying particu-
lar attention to the argument, COM
mon among business men, that
the only way to prepare for a COM
mercial career is to pass" through the
mill"
This contention, or rather the OBJ
lection to q special school training
which lies back of it, rests largely,
Professor Bryce thinks, on two mis-
understandings. "One," says he, "is
the notion that the advocates of COM
mercial education expect to turn every
boy into a competent business man.
This is what no education can or will
do in any trade or profession whatever.
Many young fellows of good ability,
who have had the best instruction
money can buy, do not succeed, wheth-
er it be in business, or in law, or in
medicine, or in soldering, because a
host of other things besides ability and
education are elements in success. In
dustry, sobrety, steadiness of applca-
ton, pleasant manners, social tact and
knowledge of human nature, the power
of inspiring confidence, be it confidence
in your honesty, or confidence in your
tenacity of purpose, all these things
count for much in winning success in
any walk of life. A physician, or a
lawyer, or a soldier may fail for want
of some of these gifts, but that is not
deemed reason for emitting to give
him all the knowledge needed for his
profession. So with business. No
amount Of teaching, or for the matter
of that, no amount of cleverness, will
ensure success in business. All that
special preparation can possibly do is
to make those who have the natural
gifts that lead to success somewhat
better, and to make those N whom
these natural gifts are deficient some
what less bad. And as the majority
of young men are neither so capable
as to be sure of success, however III
trained, nor so incapable as to be sure
of failure, however well-trained, the
difference which training may make
seems sufficient to determine us to
give it,,
So much for the theory of the sub
~ ~
for business should we give, apart
from the instruction in book keeping
commercial law and business forms
which are justly considered an essen
tial of every commercial education
How far shall the instruction go? That
of course, depends very largely upor
the capability and objective career oi
the individual pupil; but in a broad
sense we may gain some enlighten.
ment from n circular of information
recently issued by the University o!
Pennsylvania in behalf of the Wharton
school Of finance and economy-tha'
admirable department in the Unlver
sity college founded in 1881 by JOSEPH
Wharton to offer facilities for obtain
ing. as he expressed it, "an adequat,
education in the principles underlying
successful civil government" and "s
training suitable for those WHO intent
to engage in business and to uj jdertak,
the management Of prOpercy."i
The curriculum Of the Wharton schoo
embraces in the freshman year stud,
of English composition and the Englisl
language, German, mathematics o
chemistry, Roman history, accounting
physical and economical geography
constitutional law ana Journalism; i
the sophomore year, English literature
German, European history, pra ,tica
finance and foreign exchange, bushes
law, theory and geography of com
mercc. political economy, legislativ
procedure, journalism and practice 1
public speaking; in the Junior yeai
logic and ethics, English literature
economies, sociology, modern legislativ
problems, American history, Engls
constitutional history, elementary com
mon law, Roman law, banking, Stats
tics journalism, charities and correc
tion, race traits and distribution; an
in the senior year, European histor,
finance, public administrator, Englis
civilization, social reformers, America
history, monetary history, transporta
tion, commerce and commercial rela
tions, principles of government, munict
pal government, international law Eng
lish legal institutions, court decision
on the Federal constitution and joul
nalism. some of these studies bein
optional.
The setting down of these studies
catalogue fashion gives but scant ide
Of their Importance and all depend
upon the spirit Of inquiry and the praC
tical interest developed in the scho,
work Yet it is easy to see that a brigt
young man who goes through such
course of instruction with mind ale
and enthusiasm high, is bound
emerge a broader, bettcr-informed an
more useful man than a young man
equal natural ability whose range
information and mental power are ma,
rover on account of the lack of
collegiate training, The schoolir
will not create the commercial II
stinct, which is inborn; but whe
that natural instinct is nrssal