ical
engineering; of the economics of railway location in connection with
certain phases of civil engineering; and many more such special
groupings and formulations of economic principles with reference to
particular vocations and industries.

The ancient and the medieval crafts and mysteries undoubtedly had
embodied in their maxims, proverbs, traditional methods, and
teachings, many economic principles suitable to their comparatively
simple and unchanging conditions. The rapid changes that have
occurred, especially in the last half century, in the natural sciences
and in the practical arts have rendered useless much of this wisdom of
the fathers. Recently there has been a belated and sudden awakening to
the need of studying, consciously and systematically, the economic
aspects of the new dynamic forces and industrial conditions. Hence
the almost dramatic appearance of vocational, or technical, economics
under such names as "scientific management" and the "economics of
engineering." Viewed in this perspective such a development appears to
be commendable and valuable in its main purpose. Unfortunately, some,
if not all, of the adherents of this new cult of "economy" and
"efficiency" fail to appreciate how very restricted and special it is,
compared with the whole broad economic field.

_The civic aim_ in teaching economics is to fit the student to perform
the duties of a citizen. We need not attempt to prove here that a
large proportion of public questions are economic in nature, and that
in a democracy a wise decision on these questions ultimately depends
on an intelligent public opinion and not merely on the knowledge
possessed by a small group of specialists.

The civic conception of economics, seen from one point of view, shows
little in common with the vocational conception. Yet from another
point of view it may be looked upon as the vocational conception "writ
large" and is the art of training men to be citizens in a republic.
Good citizenship involves an attitude of interest, a capacity to form
judgments on public economic issues, and, if need be, to perform
efficiently public functions of a legislative, executive or judicial
nature. The state-supported colleges usually now recognize very
directly their obligation to provide economic training with the civic
aim, and, in some cases, even to require it as a part of the work for
a college degree. Often also is found the thought that it is the duty
of the student