ABSTRACT
John R. Commons's professional life began in the fall of 1892 with his arrival at the University of Indiana. At Wesleyan and Oberlin, he had, in a way, merely been continuing his education. At Oberlin, he had further educated himself in economic theory by taking students through the latest influential books. With his new teaching method, he overcame the problems that had forced him from Wesleyan. He involved students in his research projects and "collective activities", taking them with him to meetings of the Indiana charity organization where he served on the executive committee, and involving them in municipal affairs and penal reform. To find out what George Herron's Christian socialism was like, John R. visited the Amana settlement, a community that traced its origins to German pietists who had migrated in 1843 first to Western New York—and later to Amana, IA Community members held all property in common.
