the higher learning in america-第46章

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of　erudition　as　a　means　of　advancing　the　university's　prestige；



and　so　far　the　indicated　consequences　follow。　In　some　measure　the



scientific　men　so　intruded　into　the　academic　body　are　in　a



position　to　give　a　direction　to　affairs　within　their　field　and



within　the　framework　of　the　general　policy。　They　are　able　to



claim　rank　and　discretion；　and　their　choice；　or　at　least　their



assent；　must　be　consulted　in　the　selection　of　their　subalterns；



and　in　a　degree　also　in　the　organization　of　the　department's



work。　It　is　true；　men　whose　talent；　interest　and　experience　run



chiefly　within　the　lines　of　scientific　inquiry；　are　commonly



neither　skilled　nor　shrewd　managers　in　that　give　and　take　of



subtleties　and　ambiguities　by　which　the　internal　machinery　of　the



university　is　kept　in　line　and　running　under　a　businesslike



administration；　but　even　so；　their　aims　and　prepossessions　will



in　a　measure　affect　the　animus　and　shape　the　work　of　the　academic



body。　All　this　applies　particularly　on　the　higher　levels　of



research；　as　contrasted　with　the　commonplace　（undergraduate）　work



of　instruction。　But　at　this　point；　therefore；　the　principles　of



competitive　publicity　carry　with　them　a　partial　neutralization　of



their　own　tendency。



　　　　This　necessity　of　employing　scientists　of　a　commanding　force



and　rank　raises　a　point　of　some　delicacy　in　the　administration　of



the　competitive　university。　It　is　necessary　to　assign　these　men　a



relatively　high　rank　in　the　academic　hierarchy；　both　because　they



will　accept　no　subordinate　place　and　because　the　advertising



value　of　their　prestige　will　be　curtailed　by　reducing　them　to　an



inconspicuous　position。　And　with　high　rank　is　necessarily



associated　a　relatively　large　discretion　and　a　wide　influence　in



academic　affairs；　at　least　on　the　face　of　things。　Such　men；　so



placed；　are　apt　to　be　exacting　in　matters　which　they　conceive　to



bear　on　the　work　in　their　own　sciences；　and　their　exactions　may



not　be　guided　chiefly　by　the　conspicuousness　of　the　equipment



which　they　require　or　of　the　results　at　which　they　aim。　They　are



also　not　commonly　adroit　men　of　affairs；　in　the　business　sense　of



the　term；　not　given　to　conciliatory　compromises　and　an　exhibition



of　complaisant　statistics。　The　framing　of　shrewd　lines　of



competitive　strategy；　and　the　bureaucratic　punctilios　of



university　administration；　do　not　commonly　engage　their　best



interest；　even　if　it　does　not　stir　them　to　an　indecorous



impatience。（2*）



　　　　Should　such　a　man　become　unduly　insistent　in　his　advocacy　of



scholarship；　so　as　seriously　to　traverse　the　statistical



aspirations　of　the　executive；　or　in　any　way　to　endanger　the



immediate　popular　prestige　of　the　university；　then　it　may　become



an　open　question　whether　his　personal　prestige　has　not　been



bought　at　too　high　a　cost。　As　a　business　proposition；　it　may　even



become　expedient　to　retire　him。　But　his　retirement　may　not　be　an



easy　matter　to　arrange。　The　businesslike　grounds　of　it　can　not



well　be　avowed；　since　it　is　involved　in　the　scheme　of　academic



decorum；　as　well　as　in　the　scheme　of　publicity；　that　motives　of



notoriety　must　not　be　avowed。　Colourable　grounds　of　another　kind



must　be　found；　such　as　will　divert　the　popular　imagination　from



the　point　at　issue。　By　a　judicious　course　of　vexation　and



equivocations；　an　obnoxious　scientist　may　be　manoeuvred　into　such



a　position　that　his　pride　will　force　a　〃voluntary〃　resignation。



Failing　this；　it　may　become　necessary；　however　distasteful；



delicately　to　defame　his　domestic　life；　or　his　racial；　religious



or　political　status。　In　America　such　an　appeal　to　the　baser



sentiments　will　commonly　cloud　the　issue　sufficiently　for　the



purpose　in　hand；　even　though　it　all　has　nothing　to　do　with　the



man's　fitness　for　university　work。　Such　a　step；　however；　is　not



to　be　taken　unless　the　case　is　urgent；　if　there　is　danger　of



estranging　the　affections　of　potential　donors；　or　if　it　involves



anything　like　overt　disloyalty　to　the　executive　head。



　　　　This　is　one　of　the　points　at　which　it　is　necessary　to　recall



the　fact　that　no　settled　code　of　business　ethics　has　yet　been



worked　out　for　the　guidance　of　competitive　university　management；



nor　is　it　easy　to　see　how　such　a　code　can　be　worked　out；　so　long



as　the　university　remains　ostensibly　a　seat　of　learning；　unable



to　avow　any　other　ground　of　action　than　a　single…minded　pursuit



of　knowledge。　It　has　been　alleged　　indeed　it　is　fast　becoming　a



tradition　　that　the　executives　of　the　great　competitive



universities　habitually　allow　some　peculiar　latitude　as　touches



the　canons　of　truth　and　fair　dealing。　If　this　describes　the



facts；　it　should　not　be　counted　against　these　discreet　men　who　so



have　to　tax　their　ingenuity；　but　against　the　situation　in　which



they　are　placed；　which　makes　it　impracticable　to　observe　a　nice



discrimination　in　matters　of　veracity。　Statements　of　fact；　under



such　conditions；　will　in　great　part　be　controlled　by　the　end　to



be　accomplished；　rather　than　by　antecedent　circumstances；　such



statements　are　necessarily　of　a　teleological　order。　As　in　other



competitive　business；　facts　have　in　this　connection　only　a



strategic　value；　but　the　exigencies　of　strategy　here　are



peculiarly　exacting；　and　often　rigorous。







　　　　Academic　tradition　and　current　common　sense　unite　in　imposing



on　the　universities　the　employment　of　prominent　scholars　and



scientists；　in　that　men　of　note　in　this　class　have　a　high



prestige　value　for　purposes　of　publicity；　and　it　was　suggested



above　that　a　reservation　of　some　breadth　must　be　made　on　this



head。　Common　notoriety　is　the　due　test　of　eminence　which　the



competitive　university　must　apply　in　the　selection　of　its



notables。　But　in　the　sciences　that　deal　with　the　less　tangible



and　measureable　data；　the　so…called　moral　or　social　sciences；



common　notoriety　is　not　even　an　approximately　accurate　index　of



scientific　capacity　or　attainments；　and　still　it　is；　of　course；



the　standing　of　the　incumbents　in　point　of　common　notoriety　that



must　chiefly　be　had　in　view　in　any　strict　valuation　of　them　for



purposes　of　academic　prestige。　They　are　needed　for　the



advertising　value　which　they　bring；　and　for　this　purpose　they　are



valuable　somewhat　in　proportion　to　the　rank　awarded　them　by



common　report　among　that　unlearned　element；　whose　good　opinion



the　competitive　university　must　conciliate。　But　in　the　nature　of



the　case；　within　the　range　of　sciences　named；　the　estimate　of　the



unlearned　is　necessarily　in　the　wrong。



　　　　With　the　exception　of　archaeological　inquiries　and　the　study



of　law；　as　commonly　pursued；　these　moral　or　social　sciences　are



occupied　with　inquiry　into　the　nature　of　the　conventions　under



which　men　live；　the　institutions　of　society　　customs；　usages；



traditions；　conventions；　canons　of　conduct；　standards　of　life；　of



taste；　of　morality　and　religion；　law　and　order。　No　faithful



inquiry　into　these　matters　can　avoid　an　air　of　scepticism　as　to



the　stability　or　finality　of　some　one　or　other　among　the　received



articles　of　institutional　furniture。　An　inquiry　into　the　nature



and　causes；　the　working　and　the　outcome；　of　this　institutional



apparatus；　will　disturb　the　habitual　convictions　and



preconceptions　on　which　they　rest；　even　if　the　outcome　of　the



inquiry　should　bear　no　colour　of　iconoclasm；　unless；　indeed；　the



inquirer　were　so　fortunate　as　to　start　with　an　inalienable



presumption　that　the　received　convictions　on　these　matters　need



no　inquiry　and　are　eternally　right　and　good；　in　which　case　he



does　best　to　rest　content　at　his　point　of　de