the higher learning in america-第13章

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



taking　them　one　with　another；　there　is　no　general　or　abiding



consensus　among　the　various　classes　of　the　community　in　favour　of



diverting　the　academic　establishment　to　any　other　specific　uses；



or　of　including　in　the　peculiar　work　of　the　university　anything



beyond　the　pursuit　of　knowledge　for　its　own　sake。



　　　　Now；　it　may　be　remarked　by　the　way；　that　civilized　mankind



should　have　come　so　to　set　their　heart　on　this　chase　after　a



fugitive　knowledge　of　inconsequential　facts　may　be　little　to　the



credit　of　the　race　or　of　that　scheme　of　culture　that　so　centres



about　this　cult　of　the　idle　curiosity。　And　it　is　perhaps　to　their



credit；　as　well　as　to　the　credit　of　the　community　whose　creatures



they　are；　that　the　spokesmen　of　some　tangible　ideal；　some



materially　expedient　aspiration；　embodying　more　of　worldly



wisdom；　are　for　ever　urging　upon　the　institutions　of　the　higher



leaning　one　or　another　course　of　action　of　a　more　palpably



expedient　kind。　But；　for　better　or　worse；　the　passage　of　time



brings　out　the　fact　that　these　sober　and　sensible　courses　of



policy　so　advocated　are　after　all　essentially　extraneous；　if　not



alien；　to　those　purposes　for　which　a　university　can　be



maintained；　on　the　ground　afforded　by　the　habits　of　thought



prevalent　in　the　modern　civilized　community。



　　　　One　and　another　of　these　〃practical〃　and　expedient　interests



have　transiently　come　to　the　front　in　academic　policy；　and　have



in　their　time　given　a　particular　bent　to　the　pursuit　of　knowledge



that　has　occupied　the　universities。　Of　these　extraneous　interests



the　two　most　notable　have；　as　already　indicated　above；　been　the



ecclesiastical　and　the　political。　But　in　the　long　run　these



various　interests　and　ideals　of　expediency　have；　all　and　several；



shown　themselves　to　be　only　factional　elements　in　the　scheme　of



culture；　and　have　lost　their　preferential　voice　in　the　shaping　of



academic　life。　The　place　in　men's　esteem　once　filled　by　church



and　state　is　now　held　by　pecuniary　traffic；　business　enterprise。



So　that　the　graver　issues　of　academic　policy　which　now　tax　the



discretion　of　the　directive　powers；　reduce　themselves　in　the　main



to　a　question　between　the　claims　of　science　and　scholarship　on



the　one　hand　and　those　of　business　principles　and　pecuniary　gain



on　the　other　hand。　In　one　shape　or　another　this　problem　of



adjustment；　reconciliation　or　compromise　between　the　needs　of　the



higher　learning　and　the　demands　of　business　enterprise　is　for



ever　present　in　the　deliberations　of　the　university　directorate。



This　question　gathers　in　its　net　all　those　perplexing　details　of



expediency　that　now　claim　the　attention　of　the　ruling　bodies。







　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　VI







　　　　Since　the　paragraphs　that　make　up　the　foregoing　chapter　were



written　the　American　academic　community　has　been　thrown　into　a



new　and　peculiar　position　by　the　fortunes　of　war。　The　progress



and　the　further　promise　of　the　war　hold　in　prospect　new　and



untried　responsibilities；　as　well　as　an　unexampled　opportunity。



So　that　the　outlook　now　（June　1918）　would　seem　to　be　that　the



Americans　are　to　be　brought　into　a　central　place　in　the　republic



of　learning；　to　take　a　position；　not　so　much　of　dominance　as　of



trust　and　guardianship；　not　so　much　by　virtue　of　their　own



superior　merit　as　by　force　of　the　insolvency　of　the　European



academic　community。



　　　　Again；　it　is　not　that　the　war　is　expected　to　leave　the　lines



of　European　scholars　and　scientists　extinct；　although　there　is　no



denying　the　serious　inroads　made　by　the　war；　both　in　the　way　of　a



high　mortality　among　European　men　of　learning；　and　in　the　way　of



a　decimation　of　the　new　men　on　whom　the　hopes　of　the　higher



learning　for　the　incoming　generation　should　have　rested。　There　is



also　a　serious　diversion　of　the　young　forces　from　learning　to



transiently　urgent　matters　of　a　more　material；　and　more　ephemeral



nature。　But　possibly　more　sinister　than　all　these　losses　that　are



in　a　way　amenable　to　statistical　record　and　estimate；　is　the



current　and　prospective　loss　of　morale。



　　　　Naturally；　it　would　be　difficult　and　hazardous　to　offer　an



appraisal　of　this　prospective　loss　of　morale；　with　which　it　is　to



be　expected　that　the　disintegrated　European　community　of　learned



men　will　come　through　the　troubled　times。　But　that　there　is　much



to　be　looked　for　on　this　score；　that　there　is　much　to　be　written



off　in　the　way　of　lowered　aggregate　efficiency　and　loss　of　the



spirit　of　team…work；　　that　much　there　is　no　denying；　and　it　is



useless　to　blink　the　fact。



　　　　There　has　already　a　good　deal　of　disillusionment　taken　effect



throughout　the　nations　of　Christendom　in　respect　of　the　temper



and　trustworthiness　of　German　scholarship　these　past　three　or



four　years；　and　it　is　fairly　beyond　computation　what　further



shift　of　sentiment　in　this　respect　is　to　be　looked　for　in　the



course　of　a　further　Possible　period　of　years　given　over　to　the



same　line　of　experience。　Doubtless；　the　German　scholars；　and



therefore　the　German　seats　of　learning　whose　creatures　and　whose



custodians　these　German　scholars　are；　have　earned　much　of　the



distrust　and　dispraise　that　is　falling　to　their　share。　There　is



no　overlooking　the　fact　that　they　have　proved　the　frailty　of



their　hold　on　those　elementary　principles　of　sobriety　and　single



mind　that　underlie　all　sound　work　in　the　field　of　learning。　To



any　one　who　has　the　interest　of　the　higher　learning　at　heart；　the



spectacle　of　maudlin　chauvinism　and　inflated　scurrility



unremittingly　placed　on　view　by　the　putative　leaders　of　German



science　and　scholarship　can　not　but　be　exceedingly　disheartening。



　　　　It　may　be　argued；　and　it　may　be　true；　of　course；　that　much　of



this　failure　of　intelligence　and　spiritual　force　among　Germany's



men　of　learning　is　of　the　nature　of　a　transient　eclipse　of　their



powers；　that　with　the　return　of　settled　conditions　there　is　due



to　come　a　return　of　poise　and　insight。　But　when　all　due　argument



has　been　heard；　it　remains　true　that　the　distrust　set　afoot　in



the　mind　of　their　neighbours；　by　this　highly　remarkable



exhibition　of　their　personal　equation；　will　long　inure　to　the



disability　of　Germany's　men　of　learning　as　a　force　to　be　counted



on　in　that　teamwork　that　is　of　the　essence　of　things　for　the



advancement　of　learning。　In　effect；　Germany；　and　Germany's



associates　in　this　warlike　enterprise；　will　presumably　be　found



bankrupt　in　this　respect　on　the　return　of　peace；　even　beyond　the



other　nations。



　　　　These　others　have　also　not　escaped　the　touch　of　the　angel　of



decay；　but　the　visible　corruption　of　spiritual　and　intellectual



values　does　not　go　the　same　length　among　them。　Nor　have　these



others　suffered　so　heavy　a　toll　on　their　prospective　scholarly



man　power。　It　is　all　a　matter　of　degree　and　of　differential



decline；　coupled　with　a　failure　of　corporate　organization　and　of



the　usages　and　channels　of　communion　and　co…operation。



Chauvinistic　self…sufficiency　and　disesteem　of　their　neighbours



have　apparently　also　not　gone　so　deep　and　far　among　the　other



nations；　although　here　again　it　is　only　a　relative　degree　of



immunity　that　they　enjoy。



　　　　And　all　this　holds　true　of　the　Americans　in　much　the　same　way



as　of　the　rest；　except　that　the　Americans　have；　at　least



hitherto；　not　been　exposed　to　the　blight　in　anything　like　the



same　degree　as　any　one　of　those　other　peoples　with　whom　they　come



in　comparison　here。　It　is；　of　course；　not　easy　to　surmise　what



may　yet　overtake　them；　and　the　o