ADAM SMITH, CLUBMAN
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9485.1960.tb00120.x |
| Published date | 01 February 1960 |
| Date | 01 February 1960 |
| Author | J. F. Bell |
ADAM
SMITH,
CLUBMAN
I
ADAM
SMITH
was
so
certainly one of the master minds of the
eighteenth century and
so
obviously one of the dominating influences
of the nineteenth, not only in his own country but throughout the
world, that it is surprising that we are
so
ill-informed regarding cer-
tain details of his
life.
The standard biography
of
Smith was written
by John Rae. Professor
W.
R.
Scott, who devoted his last years to
unearthing all that was to be known or imagined about Adam Smith’s
life as student and professor at Glasgow, has correctly observed that
Rae’s Life
of
Adam Smith
‘
shows immense skills in concealing gaps.’
Smith went through life leaving few enduring memorials aside from
his published works and the less enduring memories of his intimate
friends. His manuscripts, which were burned outside his residence a
week before
his
death virtually’ closed the book on his life. The
burning was symbolical; he preferred to destroy that which he was
unable to see to completion. Consequently there are great gaps in his
biography and stretches of his life about which we know nothing. The
social life
of
Smith has never been written and probably never will be
done. Since
so
little of his private life is known, relatively speaking,
his biographer was practically driven to write a
‘
History of the Time
of Adam Smith
’
rather than a biography. This article deals with only
a portion of Smith’s life-his participation in the clubs of Glasgow,
Edinburgh, and to a lesser extent, London-in which cities he spent
most of his life.’
I1
The clubs
of
eighteenth century Scotland served many very useful
purposes. Not only did they afford social relations with fellow mem-
bers but they served as pressure groups which influenced public
opinion very strongly. Lacking the facilities
of
a public
press
with
wide news-gathering capacity and also lacking
to
a marked degree
the vehicles
of
magazines and joumals,2 news, especially of a political
and economic nature, was scarce.
The
clubs also served as discussion
groups and ‘sounding boards’ on public issues. The members were
invariably distinguished citizens and political leaders, scholars and
statesmen whose views on current issues were not to be taken lightly.
1
Most
of the material was gathered
in
the libraries
of
the University
of
Edinburgh and
the
University
of
Glasgow.
Edinburgh
Review
was founded
in
1755;
it
was planned
to
be published
every
six
months.
108
To continue reading
Request your trial