the higher learning in america-第44章

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administrative　committees　　rather　than　that　of　the　class　rooms



or　laboratories。







5。　Within　the　past　few　years　an　academic　executive　of　great　note



has　been　heard　repeatedly　to　express　himself　in　facetious　doubt



of　this　penchant　for　scholarly　inquiry　on　the　part　of　university



men；　whether　as　〃rese醨ch〃　or　as　〃r閟earch〃；　and　there　is



doubtless　ground　for　scepticism　as　to　its　permeating　the　academic



body　with　that　sting　of　ubiquity　that　is　implied　in　many



expressions　on　this　head。　And　it　should　also　be　said；　perhaps　in



extenuation　of　the　expression　cited　above；　that　the　president　was



addressing　delegations　of　his　own　faculty；　and　presumably



directing　his　remarks　to　their　special　benefit；　and　that　while　he



professed　（no　doubt　ingenuously）　a　profound　zeal　for　the　cause　of



science　at　large；　it　had　come　about；　selectively；　through　a　long



course　of　sedulous　attention　on　his　own　part　to　all　other



qualifications　than　the　main　fact；　that　his　faculty　at　the　time



of　speaking　was　in　the　main　an　aggregation　of　slack…twisted



schoolmasters　and　men　about　town。　Such　a　characterization；



however；　does　not　carry　any　gravely　invidious　discrimination；　nor



will　it　presumably　serve　in　any　degree　to　identify　the　seat　of



learning　to　which　it　refers。







6。　The　share　and　value　of　the　〃faculty　wives〃　in　all　this　routine



of　resolute　conviviality　is　a　large　topic；　an　intelligent　and



veracious　account　of　which　could　only　be　a　work　of　naive



brutality：







　　　　〃But　the　grim；　grim　Ladies；　Oh；　my　brothers！



　　　　　　　　They　are　ladling　bitterly。



　　　　They　are　ladling　in　the　work…time　of　the　others；



　　　　　　　　In　the　country　of　the　free。〃



　　　　（Mrs。　Elizabret　Harte　Browning；　in　The　Cry　of　the　Heathen



Chinee。）







7。　What　takes　place　without　executive　sanction　need　trouble　no



one。







CHAPTER　VI







The　Portion　of　the　Scientist







　　　　The　principles　of　business　enterprise　touch　the　life　and　work



of　the　academic　staff　at　divers　points　and　with　various　effect。



Under　their　rule；　and　in　so　far　as　they　rule；　the　remuneration



shifts　from　the　basis　of　a　stipend　designed　to　further　the



pursuit　of　knowledge；　to　that　of　a　wage　bargain；　partaking　of　the



nature　of　a　piece…work　scheme；　designed　to　procure　class…room



instruction　at　the　lowest　practicable　cost。　A　businesslike　system



of　accountancy　standardizes　and　measures　this　instruction　by



mechanically　gauged　units　of　duration　and　number；　amplitude　and



frequency；　and　so　discountenances　work　that　rises　above　a　staple



grade　of　mediocrity。　Usage　and　the　urgent　need　of　a　reputable



notoriety　impose　on　university　men　an　extraneous　and　excessively



high　standard　of　living　expenses；　which　constrains　them　to　take



on　supernumerary　work　in　excess　of　what　they　can　carry　in　an



efficient　manner。　The　need　of　university　prestige　enforces　this



high　scale　of　expenses；　and　also　pushes　the　members　of　the　staff



into　a　routine　of　polite　dissipation；　ceremonial　display；



exhibitions　of　quasi…scholarly　proficiency　and　propagandist



intrigue。



　　　　If　these　business　principles　were　quite　free　to　work　out



their　logical　consequences；　untroubled　by　any　disturbing　factors



of　an　unbusinesslike　nature；　the　outcome　should　be　to　put　the



pursuit　of　knowledge　definitively　in　abeyance　within　the



university；　and　to　substitute　for　that　objective　something　for



which　the　language　hitherto　lacks　a　designation。



　　　　For　divers　reasons　of　an　unbusinesslike　kind；　such　a



consummate　（〃sweat…shop〃）　scheme　has　never　fully　been　achieved；



particularly　not　in　establishments　that　are；　properly　speaking；



of　anything　like　university　grade。　This　perfect　scheme　of



low…cost　perfunctory　instruction；　high…cost　stage　properties　and



press…agents；　public　song　and　dance；　expensive　banquets；



speech…making　and　processions；　is　never　fully　rounded　out。　This



amounts　to　admitting　a　partial　defeat　for　the　gild　of



businesslike　〃educators。〃　While；　as　a　matter　of　speculative



predilection；　they　may　not　aim　to　leave　the　higher　learning　out



of　the　university；　the　rule　of　competitive　business　principles



consistently　pushes　their　administration　toward　that　end；　which



they　are　continually　prevented　from　attaining；　by　the　necessary



conditions　under　which　their　competitive　enterprise　is　carried



on。



　　　　For　better　or　worse；　there　are　always　and　necessarily　present



among　the　academic　corps　a　certain　number　of　men　whose　sense　of



the　genteel　properties　is　too　vague　and　meagre；　whose　grasp　of



the　principles　of　official　preferment　is　too　weak　and



inconsequential；　whose　addiction　to　the　pursuit　of　knowledge　is



too　ingrained；　to　permit　their　conforming　wholly　to　the



competitive　exigencies　of　the　case。　By　force　of　the　exigencies　of



competitive　prestige　there　is；　of　course；　a　limit　of　tolerance



that　sets　decent　bounds　both　to　the　number　of　such　supererogatory



scholars　harboured　by　the　university；　and　the　latitude　allowed



them　in　their　intemperate　pursuit　of　knowledge；　but　their



presence　in　the　academic　body　is；　after　all；　neither　an



irrelevant　accident　nor　a　transient　embarrassment。　It　is；　in　one



sense　of　the　expression；　for　the　use　of　such　men；　and　for　the　use



which　such　men　find　for　it；　that　the　university　exists　at　all；　in



some　such　sense；　indeed；　as　a　government；　a　political　machine；　a



railway　corporation　or　a　toll…road；　may　be　said　to　exist　for　the



use　of　the　community　from　which　they　get　their　living。　It　is　true



in　the　sense　that　this　ostensible　use　can　not　be　left　out　of



account　in　the　long　run。　But　even　from　day　to　day　this　scholarly



purpose　is　never　quite　lost　sight　of。　The　habit　of　counting　it



in；　as　a　matter　of　course；　affects　all　concerned；　in　some　degree；



and　complacent　professions　of　faith　to　that　effect　cross　one



another　from　all　quarters。　It　may　frequently　happen　that　the



enterprising　men　in　whom　academic　discretion　centres　will　have　no



clear　conception　of　what　is　implied　in　this　scholarly　purpose　to



which　they　give　a　perfunctory　matter…of…course　endorsement；　and



much　of　their　professions　on　that　head　may　be　ad　captandum；　but



that　it　need　be　a　matter　of　course　argues　that　it　must　be　counted



with。



　　　　Still；　in　the　degree　in　which　business　principles　rule　the



case　the　outcome　will　be　of　much　the　same　complexion　as　it　might



be　in　the　absence　of　any　such　prepossession；　intelligent　or



otherwise；　in　favour　of　the　higher　learning　on　the　part　of　the



directorate；　for　competition　has　the　same　effect　here　as



elsewhere；　in　that　it　permits　none　of　the　competitors　to　forego



any　expedient　that　has　been　found　advantageous　by　any　one　of



them。　So　that；　whatever　course　might　be　dictated　by　the



sentiments　of　the　directorate；　the　course　enjoined　by　the



principles　of　competitive　business　sets　toward　the　suppression　or



elimination　of　all　such　scholarly　or　scientific　work　from　the



university　as　does　not　contribute　immediately　to　its　prestige；　



except　so　far　as　the　conditions　alluded　to　make　such　a　course



impracticable。



　　　　It　is　not　an　easy　or　a　graceful　matter　for　a　businesslike



executive　to　get　rid　of　any　undecorative　or　indecorous　scientist；



whose　only　fault　is　an　unduly　pertinacious　pursuit　of　the　work



for　which　alone　the　university　claims　to　exist；　whose　failure



consists　in　living　up　to　the　professions　of　the　executive　instead



of　professing　to　live　up　to　them。　Academic　tradition　gives　a



broad；　though　perhaps　uncertain；　sanction　to　the　scientific



spirit　that　moves　this　obscure　element　in　the　academic　body。　And



then；　their　more　happily