ECONOMICS AND SOCIOLOGY — WRIGHT. 163 



which had been discussed at previous conferences, and the title of the work 

 was given as above, "The negro in slavery and freedom." 



Of course not much has been done under this division on account of its 

 recent constitution, but Mr. Stone has outlined a treatment which is reason- 

 ably exhaustive relating to the economic life of the American negro, without, 

 however, trespassing on either the political or social aspects of the topics. 

 In his syllabus he says the difficulty of treating the one as separated from 

 the other two is frankly recognized, but the desirability of such a method is 

 believed to more than outweigh the difficulties involved in its execution. Mr. 

 Stone will make an effort to interpret the salient features of negro life in 

 relation to their economic significance, both to the race and to the country as 

 a whole, the purpose being to correlate the negro'.s economic history with 

 that of the American people along certain broad lines, as, for example, 

 through the cotton industry and in the creation of national wealth and favor- 

 able trade balances as affected by products closely identified with negro labor. 

 Mr. Stone will treat of the condition of laboring classes during the American 

 colonial period — the introduction of negro slavery into America as an eco- 

 nomic factor. He will also investigate the efforts to utilize slave labor in 

 manufacturing and other industrial enterprises. His work, if carried out 

 fairly well, will constitute an exceedingly important and novel feature in 

 American economic history. He will also treat of the negro as a free man, 

 the rise and development of the negro industrial schools, their effect with 

 reference to local economic conditions, the negro landowner, and all such 

 topics as will bring out clearly and fully the whole industrial relation of the 

 negro to economic conditions. 



It will thus be seen that the Department of Economics and Sociology is 

 progressing in its work as rapidly as can be expected with reference to good 

 results. As I have stated in previous reports, the really important mission 

 of the Department is to secure a great collection of materials which will be 

 available to the historian not only of economic development, but to others. 

 The Department does not aim so much to write a literary history on economic 

 development as to put the matter before the people in a way so much needed 

 at the present time. 



