The following artifact was found all alone, an orphan in a folder in the Harvard University archives marked “Syllabi, course outlines and reading lists in Economics 1923-24”. The course outline is obviously incomplete since the second semester of the academic year 1923-1924 at Harvard ran from the second week of February through the end of April 1924. Also peculiar is the fact that the course number “B3” on the outline does not correspond to an economics course at Harvard. The only clue we have is the handwritten (and crossed out) name Hohman in the upper right corner of the page.
It turns out that Elmo Paul Hohman (Harvard Ph.D. 1925) was appointed at Northwestern University as an assistant professor of economics in 1923-24. I have also been able to confirm that “B3” is consistent with the course numbering system used at Northwestern at that time. Based on the handwritten additions and underlining noted in the transcription below, one can reasonably conclude that someone teaching a labor economics course at Harvard added the items on British labor experience from Hohman’s outline.
Since the reading list at Northwestern was for the second semester of 1923-24, it seems likely that the reading list was forwarded to the Harvard library reserve desk for either the second semester of 1923-24 or 1924-25. The second semester of the two Harvard labor economics courses, “The Labor Movement in Europe”, was taught by Richard Stockton Meriam (Harvard, Ph.D. 1921) who briefly overlapped with Elmo Hohman as an economics tutor. Exams from 1913-1932 for the first semester labor course (Trade-Unionism and Allied Problems) taught by W. Z. Ripley have been posted earlier. Since one finds an examination question about British trade-unions in Ripley’s course, it is also possible that some of Hohman’s readings were included for Ripley’s course.
In subsequent posts I’ll provide biographical and career information for Harvard Ph.D. alumnus Elmo Paul Hohman and for his wife, Chicago Ph.D. alumna, Helen Fisher Hohman.
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Links to Items on Homan’s Labor Problems Reading List
Watkins, Gordon S. An Introduction to the Study of Labor Problems. New York: Thomas Y. Crowell Company, 1922.
Douglas, Paul H., Curtice N. Hitchcock, and Willard E. Atkins. The Worker in Modern Economic Society. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1923.
Hammond, J.L. and Barbara Hammond. The Town Labourer, 1760-1832. The New Civilisation. London: Longmans, Green, and Co., 1920.
Blanshard, Paul. An Outline of the British Labor Movement. New York: George H. Doran Company, 1923.
Perlman, Selig. A History of Trade Unionism in the United States. New York: Macmillan, 1922.
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[handwritten] British
[handwritten] Hohman
ECONOMICS B3.—LABOR PROBLEMS.
(Second Semester, 1923-1924)
OUTLINE OF SUBJECT-MATTER OF COURSE, WITH ASSIGNED READINGS.
I.—Historical Development of the Labor Movement in England and the United States.
1.—English Background Up to and Including the Industrial Revolution.
Feb. 11 Readings:
Watkins, 9-23.
Douglas, 89-96;101-111;121-129.
Hammond, 17-36; 144-150; 156-163; 172-182.
2.—Recent British Experience. [underlined in pencil]
Feb. 18 Readings:
Douglas, 706-718.
Blanshard[underlined in pencil with added note in margin:“look up”], 22-31; 49-90; 100-107; 156-163.
3.—Early American Labor Conditions.
Feb. 25 Readings:
Watkins, 24-40.
Perlman, 3-66.
4.—Modern development of American Labor.
Mar. 3 Readings:
Perlman, 68-80; 106-128; 130-145; 163-166; 235-261; 279-284.
II.—The Various Types of Activity Which Have Played a Part, Effective and Ineffective, in the Development of the Labor Movement.
A.—Self-Help; Methods Springing from and Controlled by the Laborers Themselves.
5.—Trade Unionism.
Mar. 10 Readings:
Watkins, 298-324; 330-338; 351-387; 438-444.
6.—Mutual Insurance; Demand for a Larger Share in the Control of Industry; Political Action; Workers’ Education.
Mar. 17 Readings:
Watkins, 366-369; 449-473.
Douglas, 667-668; 719-739; 761-765.
Perlman, 285-294.
Blanshard, 137-145. [underlined in pencil]
B.—Public and Governmental Activities.
7.—Labor Legislation.
Mar. 24 Readings:
Watkins, 592-602; 609-620; 120-144; 146-186.
Source: Harvard University Archives. Syllabi, course outlines and reading lists in Economics, 1895-2003. Box 1, Folder “Economics, 1923-1924”.
Image Source: Cigar box label from the collections of the Museum of the City of New York.