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"Learned men with mean experience would far excel men of long experience, and outshoot them in their own bow."-BACON.

"Ich wüsste nicht wessen Geist ausgebreiteter wäre, ausgebreiteter sein müsste, als der Geist eines echten Handelsmannes."-GOETHE.

THE

REVISED PREFACE

HE following lessons, which largely represent graduated instruction given in the first instance by the writer to his private pupils, would seem to have met the want of a guide to the treatment of such studies in schools that are giving effect, as far as circumstances allow, to the scheme now promoted by the Chambers of Commerce throughout the British Empire. At the same time he would express his satisfaction that the book has gained recognition in some Commercial Schools of the Continent.

The curriculum of the First Grade Schools of Belgium, which has for many years been a proved success, has been closely followed in their preparation. That system is especially suggestive for English teachers, as the Athénées are organised much as our public schools, having both classical and modern divisions, the latter of which are subdivided into 'scientific' and 'commercial' sections.

In entering upon the study of the Theory of Business a clear idea will first be required of the nature of economic wealth; of utility as the basis of exchange value, which satisfies rational human wants. As, when determining the ways in which such wants can best be satisfied, the inquiries of the economist conventionally fall in turn under four distinct heads, our endeavour has been in these lessons to place the

reader's study of each branch of 'Political Economy' in touch with the daily operations of business.

The First Part of the book is intended to introduce each division of commercial study in the most general way, including miscellaneous points which, if taken later, would break the continuity of some lessons that are fairly exhaustive. Accordingly, in this portion of the manual not only are the two first lessons devoted to a preliminary view of Commercial and Industrial law, as parts of a system of government rendering business operations feasible, but indication has been briefly given of the scope of Mercantile Arithmetic, Book-keeping, and Economic Geography, and afterwards such subjects are assumed to be studied in existing manuals specially devoted to them.

In the Second Part especially an endeavour has been made, whilst handling more details, to avoid disproportion, having regard of course to the varying importance of the topics. discussed, although the wide range of subjects which may claim attention, such as those comprised under 'Industry'— here of necessity treated fragmentarily-made this difficult.

The German and French equivalents for technical terms which, whenever available, have been added in footnotes, may stimulate further study; and, in aid of this, a list of authorities, French and German, as well as English or American, has been given in the First Appendix. The manuals occasionally referred to in the body of the book as French Commercial Reader and French Commercial Dialogues belong to a series published for the writer by Messrs. Hachette; whilst that entitled Précis Writing and Office Correspondence is issued by Messrs. Methuen.

Some Examination questions have been collected in the Second Appendix. Others, bearing on Correspondence in

foreign languages, have already been reproduced in the pamphlet entitled, Guide to the Effective Study of Languages for Business Purposes (Hachette).

It is hoped that these lessons, which have undergone revision, may assist some readers in respect of that which, Pascal so well said, is the most important thing in life,-the choice of a profession, often made by boys before they leave school. As Goethe thought, 'One cannot do a young man greater kindness than initiate him early in the future business of his life.'

LIVERPOOL,

October, 1899.

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