the higher learning in america-第42章

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university　men。　University　men　are　conventionally　required　to



live　on　a　scale　of　expenditure　comparable　with　that　in　vogue



among　the　well…to…do　businessmen；　while　their　university　incomes



compare　more　nearly　with　the　lower　grades　of　clerks　and　salesmen。



The　rate　of　pay　varies　quite　materially；　as　is　well　known。　For



the　higher　grades　of　the　staff；　whose　scale　of　pay　is　likely　to



be　publicly　divulged；　it　is；　perhaps；　adequate　to　the　average



demands　made　on　university　incomes　by　polite　usage；　but　the　large



majority　of　university　men　belong　on　the　lower　levels　of　grade



and　pay；　and　on　these　lower　levels　the　pay　is；　perhaps；　lower



than　any　outsider　appreciates。（3*）



　　　　With　men　circumstanced　as　the　common　run　of　university　men



are；　the　temptation　to　parsimony　is　ever　present；　while　on　the



other　hand；　as　has　already　been　noted；　the　prestige　of　the



university　　and　of　the　academic　head　　demands　of　all　its



members　a　conspicuously　expensive　manner　of　living。　Both　of　these



needs　may；　of　course；　be　met　in　some　poor　measure　by　saving　in



the　obscurer　items　of　domestic　expense；　such　as　food；　clothing；



heating；　lighting；　floor…space；　books；　and　the　like；　and　making



all　available　funds　count　toward　the　collective　end　of　reputable



publicity；　by　throwing　the　stress　on　such　expenditures　as　come



under　the　public　eye；　as　dress　and　equipage；　bric…a…brac；



amusements；　public　entertainments；　etc。　It　may　seem　that　it



should　also　be　possible　to　cut　down　the　proportion　of　obscure



expenditures　for　creature　comforts　by　limiting　the　number　of



births　in　the　family；　or　by　foregoing　marriage。　But；　by　and



large；　there　is　reason　to　believe　that　this　expedient　has　been



exhausted。　As　men　have　latterly　been　at　pains　to　show；　the



current　average　of　children　in　academic　households　is　not　high；



whereas　the　percentage　of　celibates　is。　There　appears；　indeed；　to



be　little　room　for　additional　economy　on　this　head；　or　in　the



matter　of　household　thrift；　beyond　what　is　embodied　in　the　family



budgets　already　in　force　in　academic　circles。



　　　　So　also；　the　tenure　of　office　is　somewhat　precarious；　more　so



than　the　documents　would　seem　to　indicate。　This　applies　with



greater　force　to　the　lower　grades　than　to　the　higher。　Latterly；



under　the　rule　of　business　principles；　since　the　prestige　value



of　a　conspicuous　consumption　has　come　to　a　greater　currency　in



academic　policy；　a　member　of　the　staff　may　render　his　tenure　more



secure；　and　may　perhaps　assure　his　due　preferment；　by　a　sedulous



attention　to　the　academic　social　amenities；　and　to　the　more



conspicuous　items　of　his　expense　account；　and　he　will　then　do



well　in　the　same　connection　also　to　turn　his　best　attention　in



the　day's　work　to　administrative　duties　and　schoolmasterly



discipline；　rather　than　to　the　increase　of　knowledge。　Whereas　he



may　make　his　chance　of　preferment　less　assured；　and　may　even



jeopardize　his　tenure；　by　a　conspicuously　parsimonious　manner　of



life；　or　by　too　pronounced　an　addiction　to　scientific　or



scholarly　pursuits；　to　the　neglect　of　those　polite　exhibitions　of



decorum　that　conduce　to　the　maintenance　of　the　university's



prestige　in　the　eyes　of　the　（pecuniarily）　cultured　laity。



　　　　A　variety　of　other　untoward　circumstances；　of　a　similarly



extra…scholastic　bearing；　may　affect　the　fortunes　of　academic　men



to　a　like　effect；　as；　e。g。；　unearned　newspaper　notoriety　that　may



be　turned　to　account　in　ridicule；　unconventional　religious；　or



irreligious　convictions　　so　far　as　they　become　known；　an



undesirable　political　affiliation；　an　impecunious　marriage；　or



such　domestic　infelicities　as　might　become　subject　of　remark。



None　of　these　untoward　circumstances　need　touch　the



serviceability　of　the　incumbent　for　any　of　the　avowed；　or



avowable；　purposes　of　the　seminary　of　learning；　and　where　action



has　to　be　taken　by　the　directorate　on　provocation　of　such



circumstances　it　is　commonly　done　with　the　（unofficial）　admission



that　such　action　is　taken　not　on　the　substantial　merits　of　the



case　but　on　compulsion　of　appearances　and　the　exigencies　of



advertising。　That　some　such　effect　should　be　had　follows　from　the



nature　of　things；　so　far　as　business　principles　rule。



　　　　In　the　degree；　then；　in　which　these　and　the　like　motives　of



expediency　are　decisive；　there　results　a　husbanding　of　time；



energy　and　means　in　the　less　conspicuous　expenditures　and　duties；



in　order　to　a　freer　application　to　more　conspicuous　uses；　and　a



meticulous　cultivation　of　the　bourgeois　virtues。　The　workday



duties　of　instruction；　and　more　particularly　of　inquiry；　are；　in



the　nature　of　the　case；　less　conspicuously　in　evidence　than　the



duties　of　the　drawing…room；　the　ceremonial　procession；　the　formal



dinner；　or　the　grandstand　on　some　red…letter　day　of



intercollegiate　athletics。（4*）　For　the　purposes　of　a　reputable



notoriety　the　everyday　work　of　the　classroom　and　laboratory　is



also　not　so　effective　as　lectures　to　popular　audiences　outside；



especially；　perhaps；　addresses　before　an　audience　of　devout　and



well…to…do　women。　Indeed；　all　this　is　well　approved　by



experience。　In　many　and　devious　ways；　therefore；　a　university　man



may　be　able　to　serve　the　collective　enterprise　of　his　university



to　better　effect　than　by　an　exclusive　attention　to　the　scholastic



work　on　which　alone　he　is　ostensibly　engaged。



　　　　Among　the　consequences　that　follow　is　a　constant　temptation



for　the　members　of　the　staff　to　take　on　work　outside　of　that　for



which　the　salary　is　nominally　paid。　Such　work　takes　the　public



eye；　but　a　further　incentive　to　go　into　this　outside　and



non…academic　work；　as　well　as　to　take　on　supernumerary　work



within　the　academic　schedule；　lies　in　the　fact　that　such　outside



or　supernumerary　work　is　specially　paid；　and　so　may　help　to　eke



out　a　sensibly　scant　livelihood。　So　far　as　touches　the　more



scantily　paid　grades　of　university　men；　and　so　far　as　no　alien



considerations　come　in　to　trouble　the　working…out　of　business



principles；　the　outcome　may　be　schematized　somewhat　as　follows。



These　men　have；　at　the　outset；　gone　into　the　university



presumably　from　an　inclination　to　scholarly　or　scientific



pursuits；　it　is　not　probable　that　they　have　been　led　into　this



calling　by　the　pecuniary　inducements；　which　are　slight　as



compared　with　the　ruling　rates　of　pay　in　the　open　market　for



other　work　that　demands　an　equally　arduous　preparation　and　an



equally　close　application。　They　have　then　been　apportioned　rather



more　work　as　instructors　than　they　can　take　care　of　in　the　most



efficient　manner；　at　a　rate　of　pay　which　is　sensibly　scant　for



the　standard　of　（conspicuous）　living　conventionally　imposed　on



them。　They　are；　by　authority；　expected　to　expend　time　and　means



in　such　polite　observances；　spectacles　and　quasi…learned



exhibitions　as　are　presumed　to　enhance　the　prestige　of　the



university。　They　are　so　induced　to　divert　their　time　and　energy



to　spreading　abroad　the　university's　good　repute　by　creditable



exhibitions　of　a　quasi…scholarly　character；　which　have　no



substantial　bearing　on　a　university　man's　legitimate　interests；



as　well　as　in　seeking　supplementary　work　outside　of　their



mandatory　schedule；　from　which　to　derive　an　adequate　livelihood



and　to　fill　up　the　complement　of　politely　wasteful　expenditures



expected　of　them。　The　academic　instruction　necessarily　suffers　by



this　diversion　of　forces　to　extra…scholastic　objects；　and　the



work　of　inquiry；　which　may　have　primarily　engaged　their　interest



and　which　is　indispensable　to　their　continued　efficiency　as



teachers；　is；　in　the　common　run　of　ca