the higher learning in america-第12章

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！





seeking　prestige　for　worldly　wisdom　results　at　the　best　in　a



fluctuating　state　of　compromise；　in　which　the　ill　effects　of　such



bids　for　popularity　are　continually　being　outworn　by　the　drift　of



academic　usage。



　　　　The　point　is　illustrated　by　the　American　state　universities



as　a　class；　although　the　illustration　is　by　no　means　uniformly



convincing。　The　greater　number　of　these　state　schools　are　not；　or



are　not　yet；　universities　except　in　name。　These　establishments



have　been　founded；　commonly；　with　a　professed　utilitarian



purpose；　and　have　started　out　with　professional　training　as　their



chief　avowed　aim。　The　purpose　made　most　of　in　their　establishment



has　commonly　been　to　train　young　men　for　proficiency　in　some



gainful　occupation；　along　with　this　have　gone　many



half…articulate　professions　of　solicitude　for　cultural　interests



to　be　taken　care　of　by　the　same　means。　They　have　been　installed



by　politicians　looking　for　popular　acclaim；　rather　than　by　men　of



scholarly　or　scientific　insight；　and　their　management　has　not



infrequently　been　entrusted　to　political　masters　of　intrigue；



with　scant　academic　qualifications；　their　foundations　has　been



the　work　of　practical　politicians　with　a　view　to　conciliate　the



good　will　of　a　lay　constituency　clamouring　for　things　tangibly



〃useful〃　　that　is　to　say；　pecuniarily　gainful。　So　these　experts



in　short…term　political　prestige　have　made　provision　for　schools



of　a　〃practical〃　character；　but　they　have　named　these



establishments　〃universities〃　because　the　name　carries　an　air　of



scholarly　repute；　of　a　higher；　more　substantial　kind　than　any



naked　avowal　of　material　practicality　would　give。　Yet；　in　those



instances　where　the　passage　of　time　has　allowed　the　readjustment



to　take　place；　these　quasi…〃universities；〃　installed　by　men　of



affairs；　of　a　crass　〃practicality；〃　and　in　response　to　the



utilitarian　demands　of　an　unlearned　political　constituency；　have



in　the　long　run　taken　on　more　and　more　of　an　academic；



non…utilitarian　character；　and　have　been　gradually　falling　into



line　as　universities　claiming　a　place　among　the　seminaries　of　the



higher　learning。　The　long…term　drift　of　modern　cultural　ideals



leaves　these　schools　no　final　resting　place　short　of　the



university　type；　however　far　short　of　such　a　consummation　the



greater　number　of　them　may　still　be　found。







　　　　What　has　just　been　said　of　the　place　which　the　university



occupies　in　modern　civilization；　and　more　particularly　of　the



manner　in　which　it　is　to　fill　its　place；　may　seem　something　of　a



fancy　sketch。　It　is　assuredly　not　a　faithful　description　of　any



concrete　case；　by　all　means　not　of　any　given　American　university；



nor　does　it　faithfully　describe　the　line　of　policy　currently



pursued　by　the　directorate　of　any　such　establishment。　Yet　it　is



true　to　the　facts；　taken　in　a　generalized　way；　and　it　describes



the　type　to　which　the　American　schools　unavoidably　gravitate　by



force　of　the　community's　long…term　idealistic　impulsion；　in　so



far　as　their　drift　is　not　continually　corrected　and　offset　by



vigilant　authorities　who；　from　motives　of　their　own；　seek　to　turn



the　universities　to　account　in　one　way　and　another。　It　describes



an　institutional　ideal；　not　necessarily　an　ideal　nursed　by　any



given　individual；　but　the　ideal　logically　involved　in　the　scheme



of　modern　civilization；　and　logically　coming　out　of　the



historical　development　of　Western　civilization　hitherto；　and



visible　to　any　one　who　will　dispassionately　stand　aside　and　look



to　the　drift　of　latterday　events　in　so　far　as　they　bear　on　this



matter　of　the　higher　learning；　its　advancement　and　conservation。



　　　　Many　if　not　most　of　those　men　who　are　occupied　with　the



guidance　of　university　affairs　would　disown　such　a　projected



ideal；　as　being　too　narrow　and　too　unpractical　to　fit　into　the



modern　scheme　of　things；　which　is　above　all　else　a　culture　of



affairs；　that　it　does　not　set　forth　what　should　be　aimed　at　by



any　who　have　the　good　of　mankind　at　heart；　or　who　in　any　sensible



degree　appreciate　the　worth　of　real　work　as　contrasted　with　the



leisurely　intellectual　finesse　of　the　confirmed　scientist　and　man



of　letters。　These　and　the　like　objections　and　strictures　may　be



well　taken；　perhaps。　The　question　of　what；　in　any　ulterior　sense；



ought　to　be　sought　after　in　the　determination　of　academic　policy



and　the　conduct　of　academic　affairs　will；　however；　not　coincide



with　the　other　question；　as　to　what　actually　is　being



accomplished　in　these　premises；　on　the　one　hand；　nor　as　to　what



the　long…term　cultural　aspirations　of　civilized　men　are　setting



toward；　on　the　other　hand。



　　　　Now；　it　is　not　intended　here　to　argue　the　merits　of　the



current　cultural　ideals　as　contrasted　with　what；　in　some　ulterior



sense；　ought　to　be　aimed　at　if　the　drift　of　current　aspirations



and　impulse　should　conceivably　permit　a　different　ideal　to　be　put



into　effect。　It　is　intended　only　to　set　forth　what　place；　in



point　of　fact　and　for　better　or　worse；　the　higher　learning　and



the　university　hold　in　the　current　scheme　of　Western



civilization；　as　determined　by　that　body　of　instinctive



aspirations　and　proclivities　that　holds　this　civilization　to　its



course　as　it　runs　today；　and　further　to　show　how　and　how　far



certain　institutional　factors　comprised　in　this　modern　scheme　of



life　go　to　help　or　hinder　the　realization　of　this　ideal　which



men's　aspirations　and　proclivities　so　make　worth　while　to　them。



The　sketch　here　offered　in　characterization　of　the　university　and



its　work；　therefore；　endeavours　to　take　account　of　the



community's　consensus　of　impulses　and　desires　touching　the　animus



and　aims　that　should　move　the　seminaries　of　the　higher　learning；



at　the　same　time　that　it　excludes　those　subsidiary　or　alien



interests　in　whose　favour　no　such　consensus　is　found　to　prevail。



　　　　There　are　many　of　these　workday　interests；　extraneous　to　the



higher　learning；　each　and　several　of　which　may　be　abundantly　good



and　urgent　in　its　own　right；　but；　while　they　need　not　be　at　cross



purposes　with　the　higher　learning；　they　are　extraneous　to　that



disinterested　pursuit　of　knowledge　in　which　the　characteristic



intellectual　bent　of　modern　civilization　culminates。　These　others



are　patent；　insistent　and　palpable；　and　there　need　be　no



apprehension　of　their　going　by　default。　The　intellectual



predilection　　the　idle　curiosity　　abides　and　asserts　itself



when　other　pursuits　of　a　more　temporal　but　more　immediately



urgent　kind　leave　men　free　to　take　stock　of　the　ulterior　ends　and



values　of　life；　whereas　the　transient　interests；　preoccupation



with　the　ways　and　means　of　life；　are　urgent　and　immediate；　and



employ　men's　thought　and　energy　through　the　greater　share　of



their　life。　The　question　of　material　ways　and　means；　and　the



detail　requirements　of　the　day's　work；　are　for　ever　at　hand　and



for　ever　contest　the　claims　of　any　avowed　ulterior　end；　and　by



force　of　unremitting　habituation　the　current　competitive　system



of　acquisition　and　expenditure　induces　in　all　classes　such　a　bias



as　leads　them　to　overrate　ways　and　means　as　contrasted　with　the



ends　which　these　ways　and　means　are　in　some　sense　designed　to



serve。



　　　　So；　one　class　and　another；　biassed　by　the　habitual



preoccupation　of　the　class；　will　aim　to　divert　the　academic



equipment　to　some　particular　use　which　habit　has　led　them　to　rate



high；　or　to　include　in　the　academic　discipline　various　lines　of



inquiry　and　training　which　are　extraneous　to　the　higher　learning



but　which　the　class　in　question　may　specially　have　at　heart；　but