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" The influence of Doctor Alexander Adam, Rector of the High School of Edinburgh, upon education, culture and political opinion in Scotland and the United Kingdom during the Enlightenment "
Murray, Alfred John
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Latin Dissertation
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| Record Number
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1100664
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TLets642943
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| Main Entry
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Murray, Alfred John
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| Title & Author
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The influence of Doctor Alexander Adam, Rector of the High School of Edinburgh, upon education, culture and political opinion in Scotland and the United Kingdom during the Enlightenment\ Murray, Alfred John
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| College
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Open University
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| Date
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1991
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1991
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| Degree
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Ph.D.
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| Abstract
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Alexander Adam was a man of humble origins who achieved academic distinction and who spent forty five years teaching successive generations of boys in his classroom at the High School of Edinburgh. From that classroom there emerged a continuous stream of young men who were destined to achieve greatness in all walks of life and who were quick to pay tribute to the seminal influence which Adam had exerted upon them when they were in his charge. Following a biographical section and an analysis of his educational textbooks, one of the main thrusts of this thesis is an examination of the writings of many of Adam's former pupils in order to try to determine the influence which this outstanding teacher exerted. This examination includes the writings of such illustrious figures as Lord Brougham, Lord Cockburn, Francis Horner, Lord Jeffrey, Dugald Stewart and Sir Walter Scott, men who enjoyed national reputations during the Age of Enlightenment, and the writings of men whose roles were played on a more localised stage within Eighteenth Century Edinburgh. This leads to a detailed examination of Adam's teaching methodology and educational philosophy which appear to have been in stark contrast to many contemporary pedagogues and to anticipate many later developments. His insistence upon implementing such reforms as a broadly-based curriculum and an extra year at school alienated him from powerful sections of Edinburgh society including the Town Council, the University and the Writers to the Signet. His work for the advancement of his profession is dealt with under the 'Schoolmaster's Fund' and, finally, an attempt is made to place Adam in the context of contempary society and to assess his long-term influence through the work of his former pupils.
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Open University
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