the higher learning in america-第35章

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abroad。







9。　The　English　pattern　of　boys'　schools　and　gentlemanly



university　residence　has　doubtless　afforded　notable　guidance　to



the　〃Educators〃　who　have　laboured　for　the　greater　gentility　of



American　college　life；　at　the　same　time　that　the　grave



authenticity　of　these　English　customs　has　at　many　a　difficult



passage　sewed　opportunely　to　take　the　edge　off　the



gentlemen…educators'　sense　of　shame。







10。　Illustrative　instances　have　little　value　as　anecdotes　and　not



much　more　as　circumstantial　evidence；　their　abundance　and



outrance　are　such　as　to　have　depreciated　their　value　in　both



respects。　Yet　to　any　who　may　not　know　of　this　traffic　by　familiar



contact　one　or　two　commonplace　instances　may　perhaps　not　seem　too



much。　So；　a　few　years　ago；　in　one　of　the　greater　of　the　new



universities；　a　valued　member　of　one　of　the　athletic　teams　was



retained　at　an　allowance　of　40　a　month　as　bookkeeper　to　the



janitor　of　one　of　the　boys'　dormitories　on　the　campus。　At　the



same　university　and　about　the　same　time　two　other　athletes　were



carried　on　university　pay　as　assistants　to　the　editor　of　the



weekly　bulletin　announcing　the　programme　of　academic　events　for



the　week；　though　in　this　case；　to　the　relief　of　the　editor　in



question；　only　one　of　the　two　assistants　reported　at　his　office；



and　that　only　once；　during　the　year　of　their　incumbency。　These；



as　already　remarked；　are　commonplace　occurrences。　The　more



spectacular　instances　of　shrewd　management　in　these　premises　can



not　well　be　dealt　with　otherwise　than　by　a　canny　silence；　that



being　also　the　course　approved　by　current　practice。







11。　A　single　instance　may　tolerantly　be　admitted　here。　Among　the



formal　requirements　that　would　admit　students　to　a　free　pursuit



of　sportsmanship；　at　the　same　university　as　above　mentioned；



without　imputation　of　professionalism；　was　specified　the　ability



to　read　at　sight　such　a　passage　in　a　given　foreign　language　as



would　satisfy　the　instructor　in　charge　that　the　candidate　was



competent　in　the　language　in　question。　The　instructor　responsible



in　this　case；　a　man　of　high　academic　rank　and　gifted　with　a



sympathetic　good…will　toward　the　〃boys；〃　submitted　in　fulfilment



of　the　test　a　copy　of　the　Lord's　Prayer　in　this　foreign　tongue；



and　passed　the　（several）　candidates　on　finding　them　able　passably



to　repeat　the　same　in　English。　It　would　scarcely　be　fair　to



distinguish　this　episode　by　giving　names　and　places；　since



equally　ingenious　expedients　have　been　in　use　elsewhere。







12。　〃And　then　there　came　another　locust　and　carried　off　another



grain　of　wheat；　and　then　there　came　another　locust；〃　etc。；　etc。







13。　More　than　one　instance　might　be　cited　where　a　student　whose



privately　avowed　and　known　aim　was　the　study　and　practice　of　Law



has　deliberately　been　induced　by　the　offer　of　a　fellowship



stipend　to　register；　for　the　time　being；　as　an　academic　graduate



student　and　as　candidate　for　the　academic　doctor's　degree。　In　the



instances　that　come　to　mind　the　students　in　question　have　since



completed　their　law　studies　and　entered　practice；　without　further



troubling　about　the　academic　degree　for　which　they　once　were



ostensible　candidates。







CHAPTER　IV







Academic　Prestige　and　the　Material　Equipment







　　　　In　the　course　of　the　preceding　chapter　it　has　appeared　that



the　introduction　of　business　principles　into　university　policy



has　had　the　immediate　and　ubiquitous　effect　of　greatly



heightening　the　directorate's　solicitude　for　a　due　and　creditable



publicity；　a　convincing　visible　success；　a　tactful　and　effectual



showing　of　efficiency　reflected　in　an　uninterrupted　growth　in



size　and　other　tangible　quantitative　features。　This　is　good



policy　as　seen　from　the　point　of　view　of　competitive　business



enterprise。　In　competitive　business　it　is　of　the　gravest



importance　to　keep　up　the　concern's　prestige；　or　〃good　will。〃　A



business　concern　so　placed　must　be　possessed　of　such　prestige　as



will　draw　and　hold　a　profitable　traffic；　otherwise　the　enterprise



is　in　a　precarious　case。　For　the　objective　end　and　aim　of



business　enterprise　is　profitable　sales；　or　the　equivalent　of



such　sales　if　the　concern　is　not　occupied　with　what　would



strictly　be　called　sales。　The　end　sought　is　a　net　gain　over



costs；　in　effect；　to　buy　cheap　and　sell　dear。　The　qualities　that



count　as　of　prime　consequence　in　business　enterprise；　therefore；



particularly　in　such　business　enterprise　as　has　to　do　with　many



impressionable　customers；　are　the　salesmanlike　virtues　of



effrontery　and　tact。　These　are　high　qualities　in　all　business；



because　their　due　exercise　is　believed　to　bring　a　net　return



above　the　cost　of　the　goods　to　the　seller；　and；　indeed；　above



their　value　to　the　buyer。　Unless　the　man　in　competitive　business



is　able；　by　force　of　these　businesslike　aptitudes；　to　get



something　more　than　he　gives；　it　is　felt　that　he　has　fallen　short



of　the　highest　efficiency。　So　the　efficient　salesman；　and



similarly　the　efficiently　managed　business　concern；　are　enabled



to　add　to　their　marketable　goods　an　immaterial　increment　of



〃prestige　value；〃　as　some　of　the　economists　are　calling　it。　A



margin　of　prepossessions　or　illusions　as　to　their　superior；　but



intangible　and　inexpensive；　utility　attaches　to　a　given　line　of



goods　because　of　the　advertiser's　or　salesman's　work；　　work



spent　not　so　much　on　the　goods　as　on　the　customer's



sensibilities。



　　　　In　case　these　illusions　of　superior　worth　are　of　an　enduring



character；　they　will　add　an　increment　of　such　intangible　utility



also　to　goods　or　other　marketable　items　subsequently　to　be



offered　by　the　same　concern；　and　they　can　be　added　up　as　a



presumptive　aggregate　and　capitalized　as　intangible　assets　of　the



business　concern　in　question。　Such　a　body　of　accumulated　and



marketable　illusions　constitute　what　is　known　as　〃good…will；〃　in



the　stricter　sense　of　the　term。　The　illusions　in　question　need；



of　course；　not　be　delusions；　they　may　be　well　or　ill　founded；　for



the　purpose　in　hand　that　is　an　idle　question。



　　　　The　most　familiar　and　convincing　illustrations　of　such　good



will　are　probably　those　afforded　by　the　sales　of　patent



medicines；　and　similar　proprietary　articles　of　household



consumption；　but　intangible　values　of　a　similar　nature　are



involved　in　nearly　all　competitive　business。　They　are　the　product



of　salesmanship；　not　of　workmanship；　and　they　are　useful　to　the



seller；　not　to　the　buyer。　They　are　useful　for　purposes　of



competitive　gain　to　the　businessman；　not　for　serviceability　to



the　community　at　large；　and　their　value　to　their　possessor　lies



in　the　differential　advantage　which　they　give　to　one　seller　as



against　another。　They　have；　on　the　whole；　no　aggregate　value　or



utility。　From　the　point　of　view　of　the　common　good；　work　and



expenditure　so　incurred　for　these　competitive　purposes　are



bootless　waste。







　　　　Under　compulsion　of　such　precedents；　drawn　from　the　conduct



of　competitive　business；　publicity　and　〃goodwill〃　have　come　to



take　a　foremost　place　in　the　solicitude　of　the　academic



directorate。　Not　that　this　notoriety　and　prestige；　or　the　efforts



that　go　to　their　cultivation；　conduce　in　any　appreciable　degree



to　any　ostensible　purpose　avowed；　or　avowable；　by　any　university。



These　things；　that　is　to　say；　rather　hinder　than　help　the　cause



of　learning；　in　that　they　divert　attention　and　effort　from



scholarly　workmanship　to　statistics　and　salesmanship。　All　that　is



beyond　cavil。　The　gain　which　so　accrues　to　any　university　from



such　an