11. Write a report on the advantages to society of (_a_) fire insurance, or (_b_) speculation. [Hadley, Economics, chap. 4, or other manual of economics; H. C. Emery, Speculation on the stock and produce exchanges of the United States, N. Y., 1896, Columbia Studies, 7: 283-512.] 12. Write the history of any institution for periodical trade, like a market or fair, which has ever existed in your neighborhood. Has it any commercial importance at present? [Residents of the original thirteen colonies and of the older States will find in local histories and early legislation much information on this subject.] 13. The London exposition of 1851. [McCarthy, Hist., vol. 1, chap. 21.] 14. Write the history of some produce exchange. [Emery, Speculation; local history and biography, reports of the exchange.] 15. Note, in connection with sect. 394, that the industrial organization has become so complex in recent times that this book cannot follow out topics which were treated in earlier periods. For the importance of capital and of large scale enterprise at present see the books on economics, on railroads, trusts, etc. 16. Advantages of the modern department store. [Scribner’s Magazine, 1897, vol. 21, p. 4 ff.; restrictions of space forbid the treatment of the organization of retail trade in the text, but many interesting and fruitful topics may be found in studying it.] 17. The business of a modern bank. [Scribner’s Magazine, 1897, vol. 21, p. 575 ff.; manuals on economics and banking.] 18. The benefits of commercial and credit agencies. [Question bankers and business men; I find no historical treatment of the topic available in English.] 19. Character and course of a commercial crisis. [Manuals of economics.] 20. Write the history of some particular crisis. [Bibliography in Jones, Bowker and Iles, and Palgrave; consult narrative histories of the period, and periodical articles.] 21. Effect of the gold discoveries about 1850. [Rand, Ec. hist., chap. 10, from Cairnes.] BIBLIOGRAPHY This chapter touches so closely the field of economics that it seems unnecessary to duplicate the references which are supplied in abundance by the manuals on that subject. See for bibliography Bowker and Iles, and Bullock’s Introduction to the Study of Economics, N. Y., 1897. A full classified bibliography of commercial crises will be found in Edward D. Jones, Economic crises, N. Y., Macmillan, 1900, pp. 225-245. The book which covers most fully the topics treated here is Wells, **Recent econ. changes. References on special topics are given above. CHAPTER XXXIV COMMERCIAL POLICY