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 H^^rC00 delivered by Mr. HENRY HILES 
 before St. James Literary Society. 
 
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 nDontreal, fftarcb 22, leoo* 
 
 
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ADDRESS 
 
 The subject that 1 will speak upon this eveu- 
 ing is one of wide importance, and 1 beg your 
 consideration in introducing a matter on 
 which there exists a diversity of opinion and as 
 to which also, 1 feel some diffidence, not hav- 
 ing the advantage of authority for reference. 
 AVe all know of the lines upon which educa- 
 tion is conducted in this country; but few, 
 however, realize the defects that exist. We 
 are apt to be carried away in our appreciation 
 of a veritable perfection in some branches of 
 education, overlooking the shortcomings that 
 exist and that can be shown in respect to some 
 of the greatest needs towards fostering the 
 material progress of our country. ^My words 
 will carry you, I feel sure, to a conviction that 
 the educational system of Canada does not 
 cover all the requirements of our youth nor 
 does it respond to all the demands of modern 
 life. The institutions of learning ignore com- 
 mercial edueatio-n'. They afford the least pos- 
 sible assistance to the young men and women 
 of this country for entering upon commercial 
 life. The benefactors — the donors of magnifi- 
 cent gifts to the cause of education — almost 
 
without exception have been men who have 
 amassed wealth in business pursuits, and let 
 nie ask, why have one and all overlooked the 
 interest of education in commercial branches? 
 I would arraign the educational institutions 
 of Canada for ineglecting an all-important 
 branch of education. I admit the exertion of 
 every effort and energy towards education for 
 the professions — law, medicine, science, and 
 •others, as well as theology. Why is it that 
 there is no practical training Rchool for com- 
 merce. The merchamts, bankers, and manu- 
 facturers of to-day, are, with few exceptions, 
 men of more or less limited education — self- 
 taught for the most part. Expert and able as 
 those in the higher walks of commerce may be 
 — it is not difficult to ascertain that their edu- 
 ■cation has been obtained in the office; in the 
 •counting room ; in the workshop, warehouse or 
 salesroom. Let me ask why so many years of 
 young life should be expended in tedious ob- 
 servation and practice of menial duty perhaps 
 to the nogloot of the improvement of mind? 
 AVhy this loss of the chance of a wider range 
 of education that every business man lives to 
 regret, in after life? Men can, and do make 
 money without education. Natural ability 
 or fitness loads many to success, but once that 
 goal reached, can you count in thousands those 
 who, upon one occasion or other live to feel 
 the p^ «^ence of that of which they were de- 
 prived in early life through the lack of a pro- 
 per provision in our educational system? 
 Early preparation for commercial life which 
 would train, cultivate and refine the mind. 
 The higher institutions of learning do not, it 
 must lie admitted, fit young men for business 
 iife. The very nature of the years of study 
 
unfit them rather for this life. A graduate is 
 too far advanced in years — in the tastes of 
 living acquired — in the surroundings of social 
 life and culture to hegin at the beginning and 
 it is not practical to commence at a middle 
 stage under present conditions. The advice 
 of anv business man of experience is to parents, 
 "If your boy is to follow a business life let 
 him commence young — 15 or 16 years of age." 
 Now, what does this mean ? What is the com- 
 mencement? Sweep the office or ware-room, 
 polish the brass and M'inclows, dust the goods, 
 clean the shelves, run messages and observe 
 from month to month, and from year to year 
 what the seniors do and copy. Learn the par- 
 ticular business gradually. This is practical and 
 all very well as far as one side of the (]iicstion 
 goes, but by the time the lad becomes a man 
 and knows of the details of the business, he has 
 passed by the golden period of his life for stiu^y 
 — for the education of mind — the cultivation 
 of thought. An adept in some branch of 
 trade, perhaps, but lamentably ignorant of 
 much that goes to make up the ideal man of 
 business. Natural intelligence is stunted, the 
 mind untrained for position and for general 
 usefulness in the community. The initial 
 stages of the medical profession in years gone 
 by included the cleaning of the doctor's buggy, 
 grooming the horse and driving the practition- 
 er from patient to patient, gathering by the 
 way a knowledge of the profession. The law- 
 yer's apprentice in the same way spent his early 
 years in caring for the office, copying docu- 
 ments, and all manner of observing attendance 
 upon the legal luminary. In these professions 
 to-day, what do we see. Is there not a con- 
 trast? Has not everything been provided? A 
 
liberal education accompftnies the most care- 
 ful provision for the practical study. Ordin- 
 ary professors are largely supplemented by men 
 high in the active practice of both. The best 
 talent is applied to the education of these over- 
 crowded professions. Theology is not learned 
 by attendance at church, by passing through 
 an ap|>renticeship of sweeping out pews or 
 shovelling snow from the pathways leading to 
 the sacred edifices. How many instances could 
 be cited of the advancement in learning in va- 
 rious branches? How many examples could 
 be given wherein education has improved — fol- 
 lowing ever the march of science and the fle- 
 mands of civilization, and what good reason 
 can be advanced for the absolute neglect and 
 ignoring of the requirements of commerce? 
 The commerce of to-day differs widely from 
 that of 25 or 50 years ago. Competition is 
 keen and the difficulties of succeeding ever in- 
 creasing. Capital and favoring opportunity 
 was the requirement in the past. To-day, 
 brains are more important than capital. The 
 numbers engaged in the professions for which 
 every educational opporunity and provision is 
 made are insignificant compared with the fol- 
 lowers of commercial pursuit, even if we take 
 alone the proprietors or principals of business 
 enterprises. We can freely assent to the ne- 
 cessity of the physician, the lawyer, the clergy- 
 man. The greater the educational facilities 
 for all the professions, the better for the com- 
 munity, but why is not provisioin made as well 
 for educating the young men and the young 
 women of this connty for commercial life? 
 
 As to the best means for covering this w<^nt, 
 it is first necessary to convince educationalists 
 of the existence of the want. We must first 
 
«eek to convince the authorities of our univer- 
 sities of the fact that there is an immense field 
 open to their labours and that the material wel- 
 fare of our national life is at stake upon the 
 issue. Pride now exists in the ability of these 
 institutions to send out to practice many hun- 
 dreds of doctors and lawyers, and many hun- 
 dreds as well in the other professions. How 
 much greater would be this satisfaction if they 
 could point to the thousands and thousands of 
 merchants, bankers and manufacturers that 
 they had fitted to take their places in the life 
 of commerce upon a basis equally efficient to 
 that for which they strive to benefit mankind 
 in the direction of their present efforts. 
 
 If the leaders in educational matters can be 
 convinced of the e^xistenre of this greater field 
 for their labour the inau^iration of the effort 
 in the direction indicated would seem indeed 
 readily possible. The want can be placed be- 
 fore those who are ever ready to devote a por- 
 tion of the results of business success at the 
 command of the needs of their fellow-men, and 
 it would seem indeed as likely that such men 
 would view with favor the establishment of 
 commercial courses in connection with the 
 universities of Canada. The man who is at 
 all fitted for business, without education, or 
 with a very limited educaticm, would, with the 
 possession of a good sound education and a 
 special training upon subjects that will come 
 up at every turn throughout his business life, 
 be a stronger factor — ain infinite!;/ more impor- 
 tant unit in the commercial battle — for himself 
 and for his surroundings. The stronger, the 
 more able, are individuals, the greater the ag- 
 gregate strength of the commercial communi- 
 ty — the surer the progress of the commerce of 
 
our country. My thoughts on the subject carry 
 me in the direction of an outline of the course 
 that might be pursued, and I will indicate, 
 roughly, a plan that competent authority in a 
 position to proceed practically might amplify. 
 I will preface the suggestions given in detail by 
 saying that partial courses might be open to 
 those unable for one reason or other to take all. 
 Many young men in business occupation might 
 with the permission of their employers, devote 
 cne or more hours in the day to the study of 
 special subjects. 
 
 Further, certain parts of the courses of study 
 might be made optional, even to those who had 
 the required time at their disposal, as the par- 
 ticular brainch of business to be followed might 
 not call for the study of certain subjects. I 
 will presume that the advantage of a fair school 
 education is secured to the age, say, of 15 years. 
 After that age the higher school, the college or 
 university should furnish a three yea s* course, 
 giving especial attention to the foll( ring sub- 
 jects : 
 
 English language, composition, li jrature. 
 
 French language. 
 
 German language. 
 
 History of the British Empire. 
 
 History of Europe. 
 
 " of the United States. 
 
 Journalism. 
 
 Practical finance, exchange, banking. 
 
 Accounting, book-keeping. 
 
 Commercial law. 
 
 Theory and geography of commerce. 
 
 Public speaking. 
 
 Statistics. 
 
 Monetary history. 
 
 Principles of government. 
 
^lunicipal government. 
 Insurance — Fire, life, marine. 
 Commerce and commercial relations. 
 Transportation — Rail and water, bills of 
 lading. 
 
 The manufactures of Canada. 
 
 The natural products of Canada. 
 
 The (internal) trade of Canada. 
 
 The export trade of Canada. 
 
 The Customs Act and tariff of Canada, im- 
 port trade. 
 
 Stenography. 
 
 Partnership, company, incorporation. 
 
 Insolvency, liquidation. 
 
 Many of these subjects could only be dealt 
 with satisfactorily by men engaged in active 
 business. Therefore, in arranging a course 
 of commercial study it would be necessary to 
 arrange for lectures or addresses by prominent 
 men just in the same way as do the faculties of 
 medicine and law. Neither faculty could turn 
 out the men they do were it the system to teach 
 exclusively from theory. The idea I place be- 
 fore you in this paper would furnish great ad- 
 vantages within the reach of lads actually be- 
 ginning their business career with a common 
 school education at the age of 15 or 10^ years, 
 and the following of the complete course would 
 enable young men of 18 years of age to enter 
 business employment upon a most desirable ba- 
 sis. The knowledge imparted in a course such 
 as suggested would, with little additional prac- 
 tical experience, fit a young man for the higher 
 positions in commercial life. He would be 
 able to take his place as his ability or oppor- 
 tunity might call with eminent satisfaction. 
 
 I will make special reference to some of the 
 subjects that have been indicated as desirable. 
 
10 
 
 i. 
 
 ^11 
 
 Let me say also that during the three years* 
 course it should be made possible to acquire 
 further general knowledge than is possessed 
 usually by the boy or girl at the age of 15 or 
 16 years. It is not necessary for me here to 
 point out the advantages of the study of Eng- 
 lish literature — a correct knowledge of the lan- 
 guage should be sought as a first essential . The 
 reading of it and a familiarity with the authors 
 will but train the mind and broaden the ideas 
 of all. The value of composition will be found 
 in practice. In every day business life; in 
 correspondence and in the making of state- 
 ments of fact and reports. In the discussion 
 of any business subject is it not an advantage 
 to be able to plainly and concisely state the facts 
 and the deductions with which you would wish 
 to convince. How can this object be attained 
 without tuition in composition? 
 
 The French language is very necessary in a 
 portion of this country — invaluable when re- 
 quired — but to business men who seek trade 
 relations on the Continent of Europe it is an 
 essential. It is the language of diplomacy the 
 world over, and therefore it can be said that 
 with a knowledge of it one can travel and make 
 oneself understoorl in all foreign countries. 
 Everywhere there are those who can speak 
 French. To speak it and to write it should be 
 the accomplishment aimed at. The German 
 language, while not as necessary as the French 
 should be pressed to the attention of all who 
 have the time to give to its study. Valuable 
 to the business man who will ever engage in 
 trade relations with Germany and Austria- 
 Hungary. The history of our country. The 
 history of the great British Empire should be 
 a leading subject. All our youth should have 
 
 fl 
 
i 
 
 fl 
 
 m 
 

 
Iff 
 
 II 
 
 the opportunity of knowing — to appreciate — 
 the vast domain of our beloved Queen. This 
 present war has educated the masses to a great 
 extent. Our people knew nothing of South 
 Africa until called upon to respond to the de- 
 fence of the Empire's honour. With the shed- 
 ding of Canadian blood upon the plains and 
 I kopjes of South Africa do we learn of the geo- 
 
 graphy and history of that continent and of 
 . the almost limitless extent of Great Britain's 
 
 ^ possession in that part of the world. Should 
 
 it not be different? Should we not — as a peo- 
 ple — have in our minds a knowledge of the ex- 
 tent of that Empire of which we form a part, 
 and would not the reading and study of this 
 subject train the mind and enlarge thought? 
 Would it not tend to inspire ambition — to 
 learn of the civilizing influence of the British 
 - people — the sacrifices for Christianity and in 
 
 * the noble cause of humanity — and to learn as 
 
 well the extent to which success has attended 
 this unvarying purpose of our great nation. To 
 learn of the blessings brought to the human 
 race under this influence. The history of Eu- 
 rope should be followed and that, too. of the 
 great country to the south — the United States. 
 This great nation occupies an important place 
 among nations. It has but lately entered the 
 wider sphere that has been so long occupied 
 almost alone by the Motherland. Tn Cuba, 
 Porto Rico, and the Philippines the United 
 States has been — like England — a champion 
 for humanity and civilization. A great na- 
 tion, especially in commerce, trading with all 
 parts of the world. A home of inventive gen- 
 ius and an object lesson among nations in com- 
 mercial activity and progress. Our trade re- 
 lations with the United States are vastly impor- 
 
 iiM 
 
 i 
 
12 
 
 I 
 
 tant. Last year, for example, Canada pur- 
 chased two and a half times more goods in the 
 United States than she did from Great Britain. 
 More than one-third of the entire commerce of 
 our country is with tliis Hepul)lic. The ag- 
 gregate of Canada's trade is a little more than 
 3(10 million dollars (1898), and in 1898 the 
 trade between Canada and tlie United States 
 amounted to 125 million dollars. Should we 
 not cultivate a knowledge of the history of the 
 Kepublic — of the people with whom we have 
 such a vast commerce? Journalism should 
 have consideration within a commercial course. 
 Optional, perhaps, and why, may I ask, should 
 not special advantages be offered to those who 
 afterwards become the educators of the masses? 
 The press can exert a mighty influence in the 
 progress of our country. Why should not a 
 special effort be made to train for this profes- 
 sion? Might we not hop. to elevate the stan- 
 dard of the press? Might we not succeed in 
 cleansing and purifying the fountain from 
 which flows the education of the people? It 
 seems to me that clean journalism would re- 
 ceive an impetus from a standard set by a dis- 
 tinct university effort to that end. I will not 
 speak of the evil effects of the vulgarity and 
 coarseness of the newspaper. You all can ap- 
 preciate the bad effects in our own community 
 of the sensational falseness of that section of 
 the press whose effort is to copy the yellow 
 journals that have such wide scope in the 
 United States. Our standard is fortunately 
 higher and our laws regulate to a greater ex- 
 tent the conduct of the newspaper in this coun- 
 try, but improvement can be effected. Many 
 of the subjects I have noted to you do not re- 
 quire words from me as to practical utility. 
 
 I 
 
 i 
 
 I 
 
 •\ 
 
 9 
 
I 
 
 
 13 
 
 Business law could be placed before a com- 
 mercial student in a manner to be serviceable 
 throughout a business career. The experience 
 that is gained by merchants and bankers en- 
 ables even instructing and assisting the lawyer. 
 General lectures on the subject would, I be- 
 lieve, be of high value to the young man on the 
 threshold of a business career. 
 
 Public speaking is one of the weak points 
 with business men generally. The brightest 
 man — at the desk — within office routine, as a 
 manufacturer, as a banker, in any of the walks 
 of business life, in fact, is often the most stupid 
 when called upon to address a meeting. He 
 will tell you that he is " not accustomed to 
 public speaking, that he has nothing to say, 
 and that with these few remarks he will re- 
 sume his seat; or else he will try ineffectually 
 to convey his thoughts and ideas to his hearers 
 incoherently and without effect, and the next 
 day will remember, perhaps, all he desired to 
 say or should have said the day before. Train- 
 ing in speaking is well worth a place in a com- 
 mercial course. It would supply a most ap- 
 parent want. It would render men engaged 
 in mercantile pursuit far more useful to the 
 community in which they lived and as wtll 
 would it multiply the effective advccatcs for 
 the progress and protection of commerce. 
 
 The principles of erovernment and the gov- 
 ernment of municipalities should be earlier un- 
 derstood by those to be engaged in commercial 
 life. We have in this city a " Good Govern- 
 ment Association," for instance. For some 
 years it has sought to educate the taxpayers of 
 this city in regard to municipal government. 
 Success has finally attended the persistent ef- 
 fort put forth and to-day our citizens have 
 
 .-^d» 
 
M 
 
 from this source learned much of civic admin- 
 istration. It had certainly the advnntai^e of 
 am object lesson in the current maladministra- 
 tion of civic affairs. So soon as the taxpayers 
 were educated by this association they became 
 more difficult to please as to representatives in 
 the City Council. The practical result is a 
 Council — honest and competent — with good 
 purpose and backed up by a public apprecia- 
 tion of what is right and wrong. This is due 
 certainly to an education on the subject of mu- 
 nicipal government. The question is only as 
 to the extent of the teaching upon the subjects 
 of "The Principles of Government" and "Mu- 
 nicipal Government," that would be possible in 
 a university commercial course. 
 
 In regard to " Stenography," I will say that 
 1 believe it should be made a feature in a com- 
 mercial course. It would be of infinite ad- 
 vantage to all business men. I do not mean 
 to say that all should be competent steno- 
 graphers, but, apart from the requirement of 
 those who will actually serve in that capacity, I 
 do lu)ld that the ability to record, quickly, con- 
 versation, speech, ideas and impressions would 
 have a far-reaching value. The demand for 
 stenographers is great and and the supply of 
 those competent is indeed surprisingly limited. 
 The reason is doubtless that sufficient atten- 
 tion is not given to its study. In 
 the business office it is indeed tedious — to teach 
 a stenographer — yet that is what the present 
 system of study at the business college obliges. 
 I have stated that the college graduate is un- 
 fitted in a large extent, for business life. There 
 are many exceptions to many rules, but in a 
 general sense it is the case that the following 
 of a college course to giaduation is a disad- 
 
 / 
 
 h' 
 
 f 
 
 F 
 
) 
 
 ^1' 
 
 15 
 
 vantage to a young man who contemplates 
 commercial life. P'ortunately, pei'haps, all are 
 not equal in natural ability — all have not the 
 same ambition in life nor the possibility with- 
 in their reach of attaining a desire. I find it 
 difficult to place before you in words what I 
 know actually to be the fact in this ronnection. 
 A college graduate under the present system of 
 education is not practicable as an apprentice to 
 a business calling. He is unfit for a medium 
 position in any business pursuit and he certain- 
 ly is not competent to manage or direct a busi- 
 ness enterprise. I fear that the only example 
 I have in mind at this moment may be a poor 
 one, yet if it conveys an idea favoring my con- 
 tention for commercial education it will serve 
 a better purpose than as an amusing warehouse 
 story. A prominent wholesale grocer was in- 
 duced to take as an apprentice a graduate of 
 one of our universities. He was 24 years of 
 age, of good family, parents well off. and was 
 quite a presentable young man. An appren^ 
 tice in this business is an errand boy — sweeps, 
 carries parcels and has a variety of other calls 
 upon his time and energy that are not included 
 in the curriculum of study that brought to him 
 his B.A. degree. His first days of apprc""- 
 ticeship were devoted to looking round, getting 
 his bearings in the great warehouse. I think 
 it was on the morning of his third day his em- 
 ployer — a wealthy merchant of some 60 years 
 of age, handed the young man a written order 
 for four dozen of brooms, telling him to hurry 
 up, as he was completing an order for a steam- 
 boat about to leave. "Go and get them 
 quickly," was the command. The broom mak- 
 er's place of business was some three or four 
 hundred yards away. The young man started 
 
 ^idB> 
 
i6 
 
 brightly upon his errand but when he saw the 
 brooms and realized the size of his load he 
 hesitated. The broom maker told him his ex- 
 press team would take them over to his em- 
 ployer in an hour or two and the apprentice 
 gladly availed himself of the kind offer. He 
 returned to his employer, who was surprised 
 and annoyed to observe his return empty- 
 handed. On learning the particulars, the mer- 
 chant put Ills hat on and told the young man 
 to follow and watch. He did not say more. 
 On reaching the broom emporium the em- 
 ployer put two dozen of the brooms — tied in 
 one dozen packages — on eacii shoulder and 
 again commanded the youth to "follow and 
 watch/' His commercial education as to 
 "brooms in a hurry," was complete when his 
 employer said in unloading the brooms from 
 his shoulders : "Dat is de way we do when dere 
 is hurry for brooms." Perhaps you have read 
 the story of the rough country peasant boy — a 
 stable boy — who was suddenly called upon to 
 officiate as butler for a gentleman's dinner. A 
 numl)er of guests were present and the regular 
 butler had unexpectedly absented himself. 
 Champagne was to be one of the drinkables, 
 and the master directed the boy to get a wash- 
 tub into the adjacent room and partially fill it 
 with ice. This was satisfactorily done. He 
 was told where the wine was to be found and at 
 a given signal he was to put it on the ice. A 
 later signal was to be given which would 
 indicate to him that the wine was sufficiently 
 cold to be served. The signals were received 
 and acted upon but the tub was brought into 
 the dining room. It contained all the cham- 
 pagne but while ho had put in *on ice" he had 
 considered it necessary to do away with the hot- 
 
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 ties. His education in the stable had not tit- 
 ted him for the important functions of butler. 
 
 The object should be in every direction to 
 educate for the calling to be followed in life. 
 The butler requires a training, not in a stable 
 and perhaps not in a university. lie would 
 get it in a servant's position — by ^v;l^l^ln,l^ jmd 
 copying if you like. But the ni'Mrh^jnt- the 
 business man — should not be obliged to pass 
 his early years in a menial position. Ex- 
 perience gives the best loiowledge, but life is 
 indeed too short to permit of any years of 
 waste in time. Give our young men and our 
 young women the advantage of a commercial 
 course in the college or university. It will 
 then be possible to begin several grades higher 
 up in the biisinoss circle. Those who will 
 never rise in that life can well fulfil the earlier 
 serving ap])rentioes. The saving of this time 
 — spent in acquiring knowledge — in being edu- 
 cated for commerce ns a profession — will serve 
 too to sti^ngthen the forces of commerce in our 
 country. 
 
 We Canadians possess a groat country. Clreat 
 development is always ]iroceoding and our na- 
 tural resources will in time bring Canada into 
 rank with the great trading nations of the 
 world. Wo have a history to be proud of. A 
 record of progress of late years that evokes a 
 natural national pride. By leaps and bounds 
 has our Dominion come to the front — come to 
 the attention of the older countries. With a 
 population indeed small in comparison with 
 the area of our land we have accomplished that 
 which makes the onlooker wonder. It is not 
 alone our resources. It is not alone our gov- 
 ernment. It is not chance that has made this 
 Dominion of Canada what it is to-day. The 
 
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 men and women of our country. The spirit, 
 energy and ability of Canadians are the fac- 
 tors in our country's progress. The future is 
 largely in the hnnds of the upholders of our 
 commerce and for the strengthening of this 
 class I would make a plea — to the universities 
 — to the benefactors of universities, for atten- 
 tion to the great national want that exists and 
 for the endowment that will be required. I 
 have an unbounded confidence in the future 
 of Canada, in the possibilities of its develop- 
 ment and I know of nothing that can contri- 
 bute as much towards the building up of our 
 Dominion — towards the reaching of a commer- 
 cial position of importance among trading na- 
 tions — than the furnishing to our youth a 
 commercial education. 
 
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St. 3amc0 Xiterari? Socictij. 
 
 OFFICERS : 
 
 Hon. President, Rev. CANON ELLEGOOD 
 President, - - Rev. C G. ROLLIT 
 
 Vice-President, - JOHN H. SHAW 
 
 Treasffrer, - - - R. DOUGLAS 
 
 Secretary, - JOHN S. ARCHIBALD 
 
 COMMITTEE. 
 
 HENRY MILES, F. W. HIBBARD, 
 JOHN BARRETT. 
 
 AUDITORS. 
 A. CAMPBELL H. E MIDGLEY. 
 
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