the higher learning in america-第22章

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have　been　had　on　due　application　by　the　parties　in　interest；　as



e。　g。；　by　the　academic　head　of　the　university。　No　such　report　has



been　rendered；　however；　and　no　steps　appear　to　have　been　taken　to



procure　such　a　report；　or　any　equivalent　accounting。　But　on



persistent　urging　from　the　side　of　his　faculty；　and　after　some



courteous　delay；　the　academic　head　pushed　an　inquiry　into　the



corporation's　finances　so　far　as　to　bring　out　facts　somewhat　to



the　following　effect：　



　　　　The　board；　or　the　group　of　local　business　men　who　constituted



the　habitual　working　majority　of　the　board；　appear　to　have　kept　a



fairly　close　and　active　oversight　of　the　corporate　funds



entrusted　to　them；　and　to　have　seen　to　their　investment　and



disposal　somewhat　in　detail　　and；　it　has　been　suggested；



somewhat　to　their　own　pecuniary　advantage。　With　the　result　that



the　investments　were　found　to　yield　a　current　income　of　some



three　per　cent。　（rather　under　than　over）；　　in　a　state　where



investment　on　good　security　in　the　open　market　commonly　yielded



from　six　per　cent　to　eight　per　cent。　Of　this　income　approximately



one…half　（apparently　some　forty…five　per　cent）　practically



accrued　to　the　possible　current　use　of　the　university



establishment。　Just　what　disposal　was　made　of　the　remainder　is



not　altogether　clear；　though　it　is　loosely　presumed　to　have　been



kept　in　hand　with　an　eventual　view　to　the　erection　and　repair　of



buildings。　Something　like　one…half　of　what　so　made　up　the



currently　disposable　income　was　further　set　aside　in　the



character　of　a　sinking　fund；　to　accumulate　for　future　use　and　to



meet　contingencies；　so　that　what　effectually　accrued　to　the



university　establishment　for　current　use　to　meet　necessary



academic　expenditures　would　amount　to　something　like　one　per　cent



（or　less）　on　the　total　investment。　But　of　this　finally　disposable



fraction　of　the　income；　again；　an　appreciable　sum　was　set　aside



as　a　special　sinking　fund　to　accumulate　for　the　eventual　use　of



the　university　library；　　which；　it　may　be　remarked；　was　in　the



meantime　seriously　handicapped　for　want　of　funds　with　which　to



provide　for　current　needs。　So　also　the　academic　establishment　at



large　was　perforce　managed　on　a　basis　of　penurious　economy；　to



the　present　inefficiency　and　the　lasting　damage　of　the



university。



　　　　The　figures　and　percentages　given　above　are　not　claimed　to　be



exact；　it　is　known　that　a　more　accurate　specification　of　details



would　result　in　a　less　favourable　showing。



　　　　At　the　time　when　these　matters　were　disclosed　（to　a　small



number　of　the　uneasy　persons　interested）　there　was　an　ugly



suggestion　afloat　touching　the　pecuniary　integrity　of　the　board's



management；　but　this　is　doubtless　to　be　dismissed　as　being　merely



a　loose　expression　of　ill…will；　and　the　like　is　also　doubtless　to



be　said　as　regards　the　suggestion　that　there　may　have　been　an



interested　collusion　between　the　academic　head　and　the　active



members　of　the　board。　These　were　〃all　honourable　men；〃　of　great



repute　in　the　community　and　well　known　as　sagacious　and



successful　men　in　their　private　business　ventures。







2。　Cf。　The　Instinct　of　Workmanship；　ch。　vii；　pp。　343…352。







3。　A　subsidiary　reason　of　some　weight　should　not　be　overlooked　in



seeking　the　cause　of　this　secularization　of　the　boards；　and　of



the　peculiar　colour　which　the　secularization　has　given　them。　In



any　community　where　wealth　and　business　enterprise　are　held　in



such　high　esteem；　men　of　wealth　and　of　affairs　are　not　only



deferred　to；　but　their　countenance　is　sought　from　one　motive　and



another。　At　the　same　time　election　to　one　of　these　boards　has



come　to　have　a　high　value　as　an　honourable　distinction。　Such



election　or　appointment　therefore　is　often　sought　from　motives　of



vanity；　and　it　is　at　the　same　time　a　convenient　means　of



conciliating　the　good　will　of　the　wealthy　incumbent。



　　　　It　may　be　added　that　now　and　again　the　discretionary　control



of　large　funds　which　so　falls　to　the　members　of　the　board　may



come　to　be　pecuniarily　profitable　to　them；　so　that　the　office　may



come　to　be　attractive　as　a　business　proposition　as　well　as　in



point　of　prestige。　Instances　of　the　kind　are　not　wholly　unknown；



though　presumably　exceptional。







4。　Cf。；　e。　g。。　R。　T。　Crane。　The　Futility　of　All　Kinds　of　Higher



Schooling；　especially　part　I；　ch。　iv。







5。　Cf。　R。T。　Crane；　as　above；　especially　part　I；　ch。　ii。　iii；　and



vi。　Cf。　also　H。P。　Judson；　The　Higher　Education　as　a　Training　for



Business；　where　the　case　is　argued　in　a　typically　commonplace　and



matter…of…fact　spirit；　but　where　〃The　Higher　Education〃　is　taken



to　mean　the　undergraduate　curriculum　simply；　also　〃A　Symposium　on



the　value　of　humanistic；　particularly　classical；　studies　as　a



training　for　men　of　affairs；〃　Proceedings　of　the　Classical



Conference　at　Ann　Arbor；　Michigan；　April　3；　1909。







6。　Cf。　Bacon；　Essays　　〃Of　Cunning〃；　and　〃Of　Wisdom　for　a　Man's



Self。〃







7。　Cf。　ch。　viii；　especially　pp。　242…269。







CHAPTER　III







The　Academic　Administration　and　Policy







　　　　Men　dilate　on　the　high　necessity　of　a　businesslike



organization　and　control　of　the　university；　its　equipment；



personnel　and　routine。　What　is　had　in　mind　in　this　insistence　on



an　efficient　system　is　that　these　corporations　of　learning　shall



set　their　affairs　in　order　after　the　pattern　of　a　well…conducted



business　concern。　In　this　view　the　university　is　conceived　as　a



business　house　dealing　in　merchantable　knowledge；　placed　under



the　governing　hand　of　a　captain　of　erudition；　whose　office　it　is



to　turn　the　means　in　hand　to　account　in　the　largest　feasible



output。　It　is　a　corporation　with　large　funds；　and　for　men　biased



by　their　workday　training　in　business　affairs　it　comes　as　a



matter　of　course　to　rate　the　university　in　terms　of　investment



and　turnover。　Hence　the　insistence　on　business　capacity　in　the



executive　heads　of　the　universities；　and　hence　also　the　extensive



range　of　businesslike　duties　and　powers　that　devolve　on　them。



　　　　Yet　when　all　these　sophistications　of　practical　wisdom　are



duly　allowed　for；　the　fact　remains　that　the　university　is；　in



usage；　precedent；　and　common　sense　preconception；　an



establishment　for　the　conservation　and　advancement　of　the　higher



learning；　devoted　to　a　disinterested　pursuit　of　knowledge。　As



such；　it　consists　of　a　body　of　scholars　and　scientists；　each　and



several　of　whom　necessarily　goes　to　his　work　on　his　own



initiative　and　pursues　it　in　his　own　way。　This　work　necessarily



follows　an　orderly　sequence　and　procedure；　and　so　takes　on　a



systematic　form；　of　an　organic　kind。　But　the　system　and　order



that　so　govern　the　work；　and　that　come　into　view　in　its　procedure



and　results；　are　the　logical　system　and　order　of　intellectual



enterprise；　not　the　mechanical　or　statistical　systematization



that　goes　into　effect　in　the　management　of　an　industrial　plant　or



the　financiering　of　a　business　corporation。



　　　　Those　items　of　human　intelligence　and　initiative　that　go　to



make　up　the　pursuit　of　knowledge；　and　that　are　embodied　in



systematic　form　in　its　conclusions；　do　not　lend　themselves　to



quantitative　statement；　and　can　not　be　made　to　appear　on　a



balance…sheet。　Neither　can　that　intellectual　initiative　and



proclivity　that　goes　in　as　the　indispensable　motive　force　in　the



pursuit　of　learning　be　reduced　to　any　known　terms　of



subordination；　obedience；　or　authoritative　direction。　No　scholar



or　scientist　can　become　an　employee　in　respect　of　his　scholarly



or　scientific　work。　Mechanical　sys