the higher learning in america-第32章

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and　attention；　college　athletics　is　perhaps　still　the　most



effective；　and　it　is　also　the　one　most　earnestly　pushed　by　the



businesslike　authorities；　at　the　same　time　that　it　is　the　most



widely　out　of　touch　with　all　learning；　whether　it　be　the　pursuit



of　knowledge　or　the　perfunctory　taskwork　of　the　collegiate



division。　So　notorious；　indeed；　is　the　discrepancy　between



college　athletics　and　scholarly　work　that　few　college　authorities



latterly　venture　to　avow　as　cordial　a　support　of　this　training　in



sportsmanship　as　they　actually　give。　Yet　so　efficient　a　means　of



attracting　a　certain　class　of　young　men　is　this　academic



enterprise　in　sports　that；　in　practical　effect；　few　schools　fail



to　give　it　all　the　support　that　the　limits　of　decorum　will　admit。



There　is　probably　no　point　at　which　specious　practices　and



habitual　prevarication　are　carried　so　far　as　here。　Little　need　be



said　of　the　threadbare　subterfuges　by　which　（ostensibly



surreptitious）　pecuniary　inducements　are　extended　to　students　and



prospective　students　who　promise　well　as　college　athletes；（10*）



or　of　the　equally　threadbare　expedients　by　which　these　members　of



the　gild　of　sportsmen　are　enabled　to　meet　the　formal　requirements



of　scholarship　imposed　by　shamefaced　intercollegiate



bargaining。（11*）



　　　　But　apart　from　such　petty　expedients；　however　abundant　and



commonplace；　there　is　the　more　significant　practice　of　retaining



trainers　and　helpers　at　the　university's　expense　and　with



academic　countenance。　There　is　the　corps　of　workmen　and



assistants　to　take　care　of　the　grounds；　buildings　and　apparatus；



and　there　is　the　corps　of　trainers　and　coaches；　masseurs　and



surgeons；　masquerading　under　the　caption　of　〃physical　culture；〃



whose　chief　duty　is　to　put　the　teams　in　form　for　the　various



contests。　One　may　find　a　football　or　baseball　coach　retained



officially　as　a　member　of　the　faculty　and　carried　on　the　academic



pay…roll；　in　a　university　that　practices　a　penurious　economy　in



the　equipment　and　current　supply　of　materials　and　services



necessary　to　the　work　of　its　scientific　laboratories；　and　whose



library　is　in　a　shameful　state　of　neglect　for　want　of　adequate



provision　for　current　purchases　and　attendance。　The



qualifications　of　such　a　〃professor〃　are　those　of　a　coach；　while



in　point　of　scholarly　capacity　and　attainments　it　would　be　a



stretch　of　charity　to　say　that　he　is　of　quite　a　neutral



composition。　Still；　under　the　pressure　of　intercollegiate



competition　for　the　services　of　such　expert　lanistae；　he　may　have



to　be　vested　with　the　highest　academic　rank　and　conceded　the



highest　scholastic　honours；　with　commensurate　salary。　Expediency



may　so　decide；　partly　to　cloak　the　shamefulness　of　the



transaction；　partly　to　meet　the　exacting　demands　of　a　coach　whose



professional　services　have　a　high　commercial　rating　in　the



sporting　community；　and　who　is　presumed　to　be　indispensable　to



the　university's　due　success　in　intercollegiate　athletics。



　　　　The　manifest　aim；　and　indeed　the　avowed　purpose；　of　these



many　expedients　of　management　and　concessions　to　fashion　and



frailty　is　the　continued　numerical　growth　of　the　undergraduate



school；　　the　increase　of　the　enrolment　and　the　obtaining　of



funds　by　use　of　which　to　achieve　a　further　increase。　To　bring



this　assiduous　endeavour　into　its　proper　light；　it　is　to　be　added



that　most　of　these　undergraduate　departments　are　already　too



large　for　the　best　work　of　their　kind。　Since　these　undergraduate



schools　have　grown　large　enough　to　afford　a　secure　contrast　as



against　the　smaller　colleges　that　are　engaged　in　the　same　general



field；　it　is　coming　to　be　plain　to　university　men　who　have　to　do



with　the　advanced　instruction　that；　for　the　advanced　work　in



science　and　scholarship；　the　training　given　by　a　college　of



moderate　size　commonly　affords　a　better　preparation　than　is　had



in　the　very　large　undergraduate　schools　of　the　great



universities。　This　holds　true；　in　a　general　way；　in　spite　of　the



fact　that　the　smaller　schools　are　handicapped　by　an　inadequate



equipment；　are　working　against　the　side…draft　of　a　religious



bias；　with　a　corps　of　under…paid　and　over…worked　teachers　in



great　part　selected　on　denominational　grounds；　and　are



under…rated　by　all　concerned。　The　proposition；　however；　taken　in



a　general　way　and　allowing　for　exceptions；　is　too　manifestly　true



to　admit　of　much　question；　particularly　in　respect　of　preparation



for　the　sciences　proper；　as　contrasted　with　the　professions。



　　　　The　causes　of　this　relative　inefficiency　that　seems　to　attach



unavoidably　to　the　excessively　large　undergraduate　establishments



can　not　be　gone　into　here；　in　part　they　are　obvious；　in　part



quite　obscure。　But　in　any　case　the　matter　can　not　be　gone　into



here；　except　so　far　as　it　has　an　immediate　bearing　on　the



advanced　work　of　the　university；　through　the　inclusion　of　these



collegiate　schools　in　the　university　corporation　and　under　the



same　government。　As　has　already　been　remarked；　by　force　of　the



competitive　need　of　a　large　statistical　showing　and　a　wide　sweep



of　popular　prestige　and　notoriety；　and　by　reason　of　other



incentives　of　a　nature　more　intimate　to　the　person　of　the



executive；　it　is　in　effect　a　matter　of　course　that　the



undergraduate　school　and　its　growth　becomes　the　chief　object　of



solicitude　and　management　with　a　businesslike　executive；　and　that



so　its　shaping　of　the　foundations　of　the　establishment　as　a　whole



acts　irresistibly　to　fashion　the　rest　of　the　university



administration　and　instruction　in　the　image　of　the　undergraduate



policy。　Under　the　same　compulsion　it　follows　also　that　whatever



elements　in　the　advanced　work　of　the　university　will　not　lend



themselves　to　the　scheme　of　accountancy；　statistics；



standardization　and　coercive　control　enforced　in　and　through　the



undergraduate　division；　will　tend　to　be　lost　by　disuse　and



neglect；　as　being　selectively　unfit　to　survive　under　that　system。



　　　　The　advanced　work　falls　under　the　same　stress　of　competition



in　magnitude　and　visible　success；　and　the　same　scheme　of　enforced



statistical　credits　will　gradually　insinuate　itself　into　the　work



for　the　advanced　degrees；　so　that　these　as　well　as　the　lower



degrees　will　come　to　be　conferred　on　the　piece…work　plan。



Throughout　the　American　universities　there　is　apparent　such　a



movement　in　the　direction　of　a　closer　and　more　mechanical



specification　of　the　terms　on　which　the　higher　degrees　are　to　be



conferred；　　a　specification　in　terms　of　stipulated　courses　of



class…room　work　and　aggregate　quantity　of　standard　credits　and



length　of　residence。　So　that　his　need　of　conformity　to　the



standard　credit　requirements　will　therefore　constrain　the



candidate　for　an　advanced　degree　to　make　the　substantial　pursuit



of　knowledge　subordinate　to　the　present　pursuit　of　credits；　to　be



attended　to；　if　at　all；　in　the　scant　interstitial　intervals



allowed　by　a　strictly　drawn　accountancy。　The　effect　of　it　all　on



their　animus；　and　on　the　effective　prosecution　of　the　higher



learnings　by　the　instructors；　should　be　sufficiently　plain；　but



in　case　of　doubt　any　curious　person　may　easily　assure　himself　of



it　by　looking　over　the　current　state　of　things　as　they　run　in　any



one　of　the　universities　that　grant　degrees。



　　　　Nothing　but　continued　workday　familiarity　with　this　system　of



academic　grading　and　credit；　as　it　takes　effect　in　the　conduct



and　control　of　instruction；　and　as　its　further　elaboration



continues　to　employ　the　talents　and　deliberation　of　college　men；



can　enable　any　observer　to　appreciate　the　extraordi