the higher learning in america-第39章

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this　class。　In　practice　it　is　found　necessary　somewhat　to　wink　at



devotional　shortcomings　among　their　teachers；　clerical；　or



pronouncedly　devout；　scientists　that　are　passably　competent　in



their　science；　are　of　very　rare　occurrence；　and　yet　something



presentable　in　the　way　of　modern　science　is　conventionally



required　by　these　schools；　in　order　to　live；　and　so　to　effect　any



part　of　their　purpose。　Half　a　loaf　is　better　than　no　bread。　None



but　the　precarious　class　of　schools　made　up　of　the　lower　grade



and　smaller　of　these　colleges；　such　as　are　content　to　save　their



souls　alive　without　exerting　any　effect　on　the　current　of



civilization；　are　able　to　get　along　with　faculties　made　up



exclusively　of　God…fearing　men。



　　　　Something　of　the　same　kind；　and　in　somewhat　the　same　degree；



is　true　for　the　schools　under　the　tutelage　of　businessmen。　While



the　businesslike　ideal　may　be　a　faculty　wholly　made　up　of　men



highly　gifted　with　business　sense；　it　is　not　practicable　to



assemble　such　a　faculty　which　shall　at　the　same　time　be　plausibly



competent　in　science　and　scholarship。　Scientists　and　scholars



given　over　to　the　pursuit　of　knowledge　are　conventionally



indispensable　to　a　university；　and　such　are　commonly　not　largely



gifted　with　business　sense；　either　by　habit　or　by　native　gift。



The　two　lines　of　interest　　business　and　science　　do　not　pull



together；　a　competent　scientist　or　scholar　well　endowed　with



business　sense　is　as　rare　as　a　devout　scientist　　almost　as　rare



as　a　white　blackbird。　Yet　the　inclusion　of　men　of　scientific



gifts　and　attainments　among　its　faculty　is　indispensable　to　the



university；　if　it　is　to　avoid　instant　and　palpable



stultification。



　　　　So　that　the　most　that　can　practically　be　accomplished　by　a



businesslike　selection　and　surveillance　of　the　academic　personnel



will　be　a　compromise；　whereby　a　goodly　number　of　the　faculty　will



be　selected　on　grounds　of　businesslike　fitness；　more　or　less



pronounced；　while　a　working　minority　must　continue　to　be　made　up



of　men　without　much　business　proficiency　and　without　pronounced



loyalty　to　commercial　principles。



　　　　This　fluctuating　margin　of　limitation　has　apparently　not　yet



been　reached；　perhaps　not　even　in　the　most　enterprising　of　our



universities。　Such　should　be　the　meaning　of　the　fact　that　a



continued　commercialization　of　the　academic　staff　appears　still



to　be　in　progress；　in　the　sense　that　businesslike　fitness　counts



progressively　for　more　in　appointments　and　promotions。　These



businesslike　qualifications　do　not　comprise　merely　facility　in



the　conduct　of　pecuniary　affairs；　even　if　such　facility　be



conceived　to　include　the　special　aptitudes　and　proficiency　that



go　to　the　making　of　a　successful　advertiser。　In　academic　circles



as　elsewhere　businesslike　fitness　includes　solvency　as　well　as



commercial　genius。　Both　of　these　qualifications　are　useful　in　the



competitive　manoeuvres　in　which　the　academic　body　is　engaged。　But



while　the　two　are　apparently　given　increasing　weight　in　the



selection　and　grading　of　the　academic　personnel；　the　precedents



and　specifications　for　a　standard　rating　of　merit　in　this　bearing



have　hitherto　not　been　worked　out　to　such　a　nicety　as　to　allow



much　more　than　a　more　or　less　close　approach　to　a　consistent



application　of　the　principle　in　the　average　case。　And　there　lies



always　the　infirmity　in　the　background　of　the　system　that　if　the



staff　were　selected　consistently　with　an　eye　single　to　business



capacity　and　business　animus　the　university　would　presently　be



functa　officio；　and　the　captain　of　erudition　would　find　his



occupation　gone。



　　　　A　university　is　an　endowed　institution　of　culture；　whether



the　endowment　take　the　form　of　assigned　income；　as　in　the　state



establishments；　or　of　funded　wealth；　as　with　most　other



universities。　Such　fraction　of　the　income　as　is　assigned　to　the



salary　roll；　and　which　therefore　comes　in　question　here；　is



apportioned　among　the　staff　for　work　which　has　no　determinate



market　value。　It　is　not　a　matter　of　quid　pro　quo；　since　one



member　of　the　exchange；　the　stipend　or　salary；　is　measurable　in



pecuniary　terms　and　the　other　is　not。　This　work　has　no　business



value；　in　so　far　as　it　is　work　properly　included　among　the　duties



of　the　academic　men。　Indeed；　it　is　a　fairly　safe　test；　work　that



has　a　commercial　value　does　not　belong　in　the　university。　Such



services　of　the　academic　staff　as　have　a　business　value　are　those



portions　of　their　work　that　serve　other　ends　than　the　higher



learning；　as；　e。g。；　the　prestige　and　pecuniary　gain　of　the



institution　at　large；　the　pecuniary　advantage　of　a　given　clique



or　faction　within　the　university；　or　the　profit　and　renown　of　the



directive　head。　Gains　that　accrue　for　services　of　this　general



character　are　not；　properly　speaking；　salary　or　stipend　payable



toward　〃the　increase　and　diffusion　of　knowledge　among　men；〃　even



if　they　are　currently　so　designated；　in　the　absence　of　suitable



distinctions。　Instances　of　such　a　diversion　of　corporate　funds　to



private　ends　have　in　the　past　occurred　in　certain　monastic　and



priestly　orders；　as　well　as　in　some　modern　political



organizations。　Organized　malversation　of　this　character　has



latterly　been　called　〃graft。〃　The　long…term　common　sense　of　the



community　would　presently　disavow　any　corporation　of　learning



overtly　pursuing　such　a　course；　as　being　faithless　to　its　trust；



and　the　conservation　of　learning　would　so　pass　into　other　hands。



Indeed；　there　are　facts　current　which　broadly　suggest　that　the



keeping　of　the　higher　learning　is　beginning　to　pass　into　other；



and　presumptively　more　disinterested；　hands。



　　　　The　permeation　of　academic　policy　by　business　principles　is　a



matter　of　more　or　less；　not　of　absolute；　dominance。　It　appears　to



be　a　question　of　how　wide　a　deviation　from　scholarly　singleness



of　purpose　the　long…term　common　sense　of　the　community　will



tolerate。　The　cult　of　the　idle　curiosity　sticks　too　deep　in　the



instinctive　endowment　of　the　race；　and　it　has　in　modern



civilization　been　too　thoroughly　ground　into　the　shape　of　a　quest



of　matter…of…fact　knowledge；　to　allow　this　pursuit　to　be



definitively　set　aside　or　to　fall　into　abeyance。　It　is　by　too



much　an　integral　constituent　of　the　habits　of　thought　induced　by



the　discipline　of　workday　life。　The　faith　in　and　aspiration　after



matter…of…fact　knowledge　is　too　profoundly　ingrained　in　the



modern　community；　and　too　consonant　with　its　workday　habit　of



mind；　to　admit　of　its　supersession　by　any　objective　end　alien　to



it；　　at　least　for　the　present　and　until　some　stronger　force



than　the　technological　discipline　of　modern　life　shall　take　over



the　primacy　among　the　factors　of　civilization；　and　so　give　us　a



culture　of　a　different　character　from　that　which　has　brought　on



this　modern　science　and　placed　it　at　the　centre　of　things　human。



　　　　The　popular　approval　of　business　principles　and　businesslike



thrift　is　profound；　disinterested；　alert　and　insistent；　but　it



does　not；　at　least　not　yet；　go　the　length　of　unreservedly　placing



a　businesslike　exploitation　of　office　above　a　faithful　discharge



of　trust。　The　current　popular　animus　may　not；　in　this　matter；



approach　that　which　animates　the　business　community；　specifically



so…called；　but　it　is　sufficiently　〃practical〃　to　approve



practical　sagacity　and　gainful　traffic　wherever　it　is　found；　yet



the　furtherance　of　knowledge　is　after　all　an　ideal　which　engages



the　modern　community's　affections　in　a　still　more　profound　way；



and；　in　the　long　run；　with　a　still　more　unqualified　insistence。