the higher learning in america-第19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！





to　the　clergy　and　their　opinions；　for　the　churchmen　were　then；　in



the　popular　apprehension；　proficient　in　all　those　matters　that



were　of　most　substantial　interest　to　the　common　man　of　that　time。



Indeed；　the　salvation　of　men's　souls　was　then　a　matter　of　as



grave　and　untiring　solicitude　as　their　commercial　solvency　has



now　become。　And　the　trained　efficiency　of　the　successful



clergyman　of　that　time　for　the　conduct　of　spiritual　and



ecclesiastical　affairs　lent　him　a　prestige　with　his　fellow　men



such　as　to　give　his　opinions；　decisions　and　preconceptions　great



and　unquestioned　weight　in　temporal　matters　as　well；　he　was　then



accepted　as　the　type　of　wise；　sane　and　benevolent　humanity；　in



his　own　esteem　as　well　as　in　the　esteem　of　his　fellows。　In　like



manner　also；　in　other　times　and　under　other　cultural　conditions



the　fighting…man　has　held　the　first　place　in　men's　esteem　and　has



been　deferred　to　in　matters　that　concerned　his　trade　and　in



matters　that　did　not。



　　　　Now；　in　that　hard　and　fast　body　of　aphoristic　wisdom　that



commands　the　faith　of　the　business　community　there　is　comprised



the　conviction　that　learning　is　of　no　use　in　business。　This



conviction　is；　further；　backed　up　and　coloured　with　the　tenet；



held　somewhat　doubtfully；　but　also；　and　therefore；　somewhat



doggedly；　by　the　common　run　of　businessmen；　that　what　is　of　no



use　in　business　is　not　worth　while。　More　than　one　of　the　greater



businessmen　have　spoken；　advisedly　and　with　emphasis；　to　the



effect　that　the　higher　learning　is　rather　a　hindrance　than　a　help



to　any　aspirant　for　business　success；（4*）　more　particularly　to



any　man　whose　lot　is　cast　in　the　field　of　business　enterprise　of



a　middling　scale　and　commonplace　circumstances。　And　notoriously；



the　like　view　of　the　matter　prevails　throughout　the　business



community　at　large。　What　these　men　are　likely　to　have　in　mind　in



passing　this　verdict；　as　shown　by　various　expressions　on　this



head；　is　not　so　much　the　higher　learning　in　the　proper　sense；　but



rather　that　slight　preliminary　modicum　that　is　to　be　found



embodied　in　the　curriculum　of　the　colleges；　　for　the　common　run



of　businessmen　are　not　sufficiently　conversant　with　these　matters



to　know　the　difference；　or　that　there　is　a　difference；　between



the　college　and　the　university。　They　are　busy　with　other　things。



　　　　It　is　true；　men　whose　construction　of　the　facts　is　coloured



by　their　wish　to　commend　the　schools　to　the　good　will　of　the



business　community　profess　to　find　ground　for　the　belief　that



university　training；　or　rather　the　training　of　the　undergraduate



school；　gives　added　fitness　for　a　business　career；　particularly



for　the　larger　business　enterprise。　But　they　commonly　speak



apologetically　and　offer　extenuating　considerations；　such　as



virtually　to　concede　the　case；　at　the　same　time　that　they　are



very　prone　to　evade　the　issue　by　dwelling　on　accessory　and



subsidiary　considerations　that　do　not　substantially　touch　the



question　of　trained　capacity　for　the　conduct　of　business



affairs。（5*）　The　apologists　commonly　shift　from　the　undebatable



ground　of　the　higher　learning　as　related　to　business　success；　to



the　more　defensible　ground　of　the　undergraduate　curriculum；



considered　as　introductory　to　those　social　amenities　that　devolve



on　the　successful　man　of　business；　and　in　so　far　as　they　confine



themselves　to　the　topic　of　education　and　business　they　commonly



spend　their　efforts　in　arguing　for　the　business　utility　of　the



training　afforded　by　the　professional　and　technical　schools；



included　within　the　university　corporation　or　otherwise。　There　is



ground　for　their　contention　in　so　far　as　〃university　training〃　is



（by　subreption）　taken　to　mean　training　in　those　〃practical〃



branches　of　knowledge　（Law；　Politics；　Accountancy；　etc。）　that



have　a　place　within　the　university　precincts　only　by　force　of　a



non…sequitur。　And　the　spokesmen　for　these　views　are　commonly



also；　and　significantly；　eager　to　make　good　their　contention　by



advocating　the　introduction　of　an　increased　proportion　of　these



〃practical〃　subjects　into　the　schedule　of　instruction。



　　　　The　facts　are　notorious　and　leave　little　room　for　cavil　on



the　merits　of　the　case。　Particularly　is　the　award　of　the　facts



unequivocal　in　America；　　the　native　ground　of　the　self…made



businessman；　and　at　the　same　time　the　most　admirably



thorough…paced　business　community　extant。　The　American　business



community　is　well　enough　as　it　is；　without　the　higher　learning；



and　it　is　fully　sensible　that　the　higher　learning　is　not　a



business　proposition。



　　　　But　a　good　rule　works　both　ways。　If　scholarly　and　scientific



training；　such　as　may　without　shame　be　included　under　the　caption



of　the　higher　learning；　unfits　men　for　business　efficiency；　then



the　training　that　comes　of　experience　in　business　must　also　be



held　to　unfit　men　for　scholarly　and　scientific　pursuits；　and　even



more　pronouncedly　for　the　surveillance　of　such　pursuits。　The



circumstantial　evidence　for　the　latter　proposition　is　neither



less　abundant　nor　less　unequivocal　than　for　the　former。　If　the



higher　learning　is　incompatible　with　business　shrewdness；



business　enterprise　is；　by　the　same　token；　incompatible　with　the



spirit　of　the　higher　learning。　Indeed；　within　the　ordinary　range



of　lawful　occupations　these　two　lines　of　endeavour；　and　the



animus　that　belongs　to　each；　are　as　widely　out　of　touch　as　may



be。　They　are　the　two　extreme　terms　of　the　modern　cultural　scheme；



although　at　the　same　time　each　is　intrinsic　and　indispensable　to



the　scheme　of　modern　civilization　as　it　runs。　With　the　excision



or　serious　crippling　of　either；　Western　Civilization　would　suffer



a　dislocation　amounting　to　a　revolutionary　change。



　　　　On　the　other　hand；　the　higher　learning　and　the　spirit　of



scientific　inquiry　have　much　in　common　with　modern　industry　and



its　technological　discipline。　More　particularly　is　there　a　close



bond　of　sympathy　and　relationship　between　the　spirit　of



scientific　inquiry　and　the　habit　of　mind　enforced　by　the



mechanical　industries　of　the　modern　kind。　In　both　of　these　lines



of　activity　men　are　occupied　with　impersonal　facts　and　deal　with



them　in　a　matter…of…fact　way。　In　both；　as　far　as　may　be；　the



personal　equation　is　sought　to　be　eliminated；　discounted　and



avoided；　so　as　to　leave　no　chance　for　discrepancies　due　to



personal　infirmity　or　predilection。　But　it　is　only　on　its



mechanical　side　that　the　industrial　organization　so　comes　in



touch　with　modern　science　and　the　pursuit　of　matter…of…fact



knowledge；　and　it　is　only　in　so　far　as　their　habits　of　thought



are　shaped　by　the　discipline　of　the　mechanical　industries　that



there　is　induced　in　the　industrial　population　the　same　bent　as



goes　to　further　or　to　appreciate　the　work　of　modern　science。　But



it　would　be　quite　nugatory　to　suggest　that　the　governing　boards



of　the　universities　should　be　made　up　of；　or　should　comprise；



impecunious　technologists　and　engineers。



　　　　There　is　no　similar　bond　of　consanguinity　between　the



business　occupations　and　the　scientific　spirit；　except　so　far　as



regards　those　clerical　and　subaltern　employments　that　lie　wholly



within　the　mechanical　routine　of　business　traffic；　and　even　as



regards　these　employments　and　the　persons　so　occupied　it　is；　at



the　most；　doubtful　whether　their　training　does　not　after　all



partake　more　of　that　astute　and　invidious　character　of　cunning



that　belongs　to　the　conduct　of　business　affairs　than　of　the



dispassionate　animus　of　scientific　inquiry。



　　　　These　extenuating　considerations　do　not　touch　the　case　of