Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-02-20
Or. EMERY r. JOHNSON
On Scholastic Business Training


MODERN commercial education is now
4Vl universally accepted as requisite for
the highest possible development Of business
ability, says DR.. Emery II. johnson, dean
of the Wharton School Of the University OF
Pennsylvania. -,
Commercial education Of today said
Dr.. johnson, "is along two independent
lines of development. There is an increasing
number of studies for those who desire the
four years training preparatory to their
business education. and this includes the
standard basic college branches, such as
English. some of the modern foreign Ian.
guages, history, economies and government
and those courses which develop clearly and
fully the principles which apply to busi,
ness In general and to that particular field
of business in which the student Is inter-
ested.
'"The second line Of development has
naturally been toward more definite spe'
cialization both in the method and the con-
tent Of the courses taught. Collegiate
schools Of business at the present time are
going through the period that the schools OF
engineering and Of the applied sciences went
through a decade or more ago: Naturally
the student elects that one of the two lines
Of business development which seems to give
him the especial training that he will re-
quire for his future work.
THE $500 students. In the Wharton
School constitute body sufficiently large
to indicate definitely the trend and the prin-
cipies Of study in collegiate training for
business.
after the completion Of the work Of the
first year, where the course Of study is the
same for all of the students. each young man
Is required to designate the group or the
general subjects in which he wishes to spe
cialize. About half Of the student body
elect to take the. general group which is
organized with the specific view of giving
instruction In the principles and the funda-
mentas Of the main lines Of business. These
irclude finance and banking, foreign trade,
TRANSFORMATION. etc.
''rhc other half of the student body di.
groups which the members wish to study in
detail. such rs accounting, brokerage bank
ing and finance, transportation, commerce.
foreign trade, insurance, merchandising and
real estate.
Special Groups Encouraged
''The student Is encouraged to enroll at
the close of his freshman year in the spe-
c!alzed group which will give him the
studies in the subjects which have the great
est and most important bearing on the par
ticular line Of business which he intends to
enter. Year by year the work in the several
groups is becoming more specialized and
technical, and this policy is pursued in
order to develop an institution wherein the
student may obtain. along with his general
college training. a course which will pre-
pare him as definitely and as completely as
possible for his vocation In life.
"Experience has clearly shown that the
college student has three definite needs The
first Is to know English, or, to put the mat
ter more broadly, to have knowledge of the
art of expression: the second Is to have
training in the ability to think problems ont.
and the third Is the ability to investigate a
subject so as to completely ascertain the
fact in the case under consideration and then
correctly to appraise the fact obtained.
The students who obtain the training
necessary to have command Of these three
faculties have knowledge upon which
judgment may be based and have also tho
proper use. Of that judgment and of their
education
Research Work Required
I'm order that these ideals might be- tLe
more fully and Systematically attained, in
the Wharton School II was decided about n
wear ngo to require OF every student ms :,
condition of graduation the performance NJ
n thorough piece of research work which
should test his ability to think for himself
as we'll as his reasoning faculties and Dow.
crs of concentration.
There are 400 members of the senior
class in the Wharton School, and each ona
of these Is doing some research work in soma
one of the ten departments in which ins,r,,.
ton Is given in the school
In connection with research work i,
nlNnufgct urns, scvcnty-tYr of the ,u,,rhor'
f the senior class ARE now Spelld,np ,,n.
half a day four or Ave tunes weoE III i,
manufacturing plants, where they are car.