New-York tribune., 1901-12-24
SCHOOLS OF COMMERCE.

The High School Of Commerce which has just
been founded as a part of the public school sys-
TEN Of this city, has rightly been greeted as the
first Of its kinda free public high school Of
commerce-in America. We must not, however,
regard it as the first in the world. There are
many State schools of commerce, as also Of in
dustry. in other lands, while the fundamental
idea of the institutions is an old one having
existed in this country for many years and in
others for generations. Probably the first real
school of commerce was the "Aula do Com
mercio,' founded in Lisbon in 1859. Ten years
later the first in Germany was founded by J.
G. Busch. and was conducted by him until his
death, in 1899. The first in France was organ
lied in Paris in 1920 and it was acquired by
the Paris Chamber of Commerce in 1858, and
has since that date been known as the High
School of Commerce. Switzerland followed the
example at Zurich in 1927, Belgium in 1887 and
Austria in 1886. In the United States so-called
business colleges had their rise about lS40,
while in late years-as in New-York University
in 1S99-schools of commerce. finance and &C.
counts have been organized as legitimate uni
versity departments.
All these, however, were private or corporate
undertakings. Only in recent years have COM
mercial schools been organized under State
auspices. We remember the noteworthy show
ing made by German commercial schools at the
Centennial Exhibition of 1876 at Philadelphia,
which gave a vast impetus to similar work
throughout the world. Yet the schools repre-
sented there all private. or at most munich
pal institutions. AS late as ten years ago only
one school of commerce maintained by the
German Imperial Government. and only twenty
three were maintained by municipalities in that
country. against eleven by chambers of COM
merce twenty by mercantile guilds and 11o by
private corporations and individuals. The gov
ernnaent granted subsidies, however. to fifty
four of them In France there are numerous
commercial schools. both elementary and high.
under State control or subsidy. Since about
dozen years ago practically ali the commercial
high schools Of France have become State in
stitutions, at least have received State recog
nition so that their students are partially ex-
empted from the military conscription and are
made eligible to consular and diplomatic ap-
pointments. Switzerland has between fifty and
sixty State subsidized schools of commerce,
chiefly dating from or since 1891. Belgium has
a veritable commercial university in the Insti
tute Of Commerce at Antwerp. the three years
students of which have since 1897 been eligible
10 consular appointments; and the government
is now introducing commercial education into
/ the common public schools Austria's system
! of commercial schools was reorganized under
! State direction in 1888. Sweden has only pr
! yate schools Of commerce. Norway has some
| municipal ones. Denmark has private ones aided
/ with small State subsidies, Holland has one
partly subsidized by the State and one main
! tained by the municipality of Amsterdam, Italy
has one subsidized by the State and Japan has
| one fine State school of commerce at Toxic.
In the United States as we have said, private
business coIleges' are numerous, more than
/ five hundred of them being officially reported
These range from mere schools of penmanship
and bookkeeping up TO such fine degree granting
1 institutions as those of NeEr-York University.
| the University of Pennsylvania and other lead
! ing universities in various parts of the land.
( There has in recent years largely to afford
preparation for these university schools. been
| considerable Development and extension Of
| commercial instruction in the public schools
! And now the radical new departure''-for this
country-is made in New-York of establishing
as d part of the public school system a high
| school OF commerce. We have hitherto dwet
! upon some phases of its significance IT is in
all respects an interesting experiment the graft
! flying success OF which may eren now be con-
fdenty predicted. It places this city and State
| at the head of the nation so far AS commercial
| education is concerned, and il puts this country
| at par with all others In that respect which