the higher learning in america-第48章

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religious　domain。　It　is　bad　business　policy　to　create　unnecessary



annoyance。　So　it　comes　about　that　the　habitual　munificence　of　the



captains　of　industry　who　have　reached　their　term　will　have　grave



consequences　for　that　range　of　academic　science　that　is　occupied



with　matters　on　which　they　hold　convictions。（3*）



　　　　There　results　a　genial　endeavour　to　keep　step　with　the



moribund　captains　of　industry　and　the　relics　of　the　wealthy　dead。



Remotely　by　force　of　a　worldly…wise　appointing　power；　proximately



by　force　of　the　good　taste　and　sober　sense　of　well…chosen



incumbents；　something　of　filial　piety　comes　to　pervade　the



academic　handling　of　those　institutional　phenomena　that　touch　the



sentiments　of　the　passing　generation。　Hence　it　comes　that　current



academic　work　in　the　province　of　the　social；　political；　and



economic　sciences；　as　well　as　in　the　sciences　that　touch　the



religious　interest；　has　a　larger　reputation　for　assurance　and



dignity　than　for　an　incisive　canvassing　of　the　available



material。



　　　　Critics　of　the　latterday　university　policies　have　from　time



to　time　called　attention　to　an　apparent　reluctance　on　the　part　of



these　academic　scientists　to　encounter　present…day　facts



hand…to…hand；　or　to　trace　out　the　causes　to　which　current



conditions　are　due。　Distempered　critics　have　even　alleged　that



the　academic　leaders　in　the　social　sciences　are　held　under　some



constraint；　as　being；　in　some　sort；　in　the　pay　of　the　well…to…do



conservative　element；　that　they　are　thereby　incapacitated　from



following　up　any　inquiry　to　its　logical　conclusion；　in　case　the



conclusion　might　appear　to　traverse　the　interest　or　the　opinions



of　those　on　whom　these　leaders　are　in　this　way　pecuniarily



dependent。



　　　　Now；　it　may　be　conceded　without　violence　to　notorious　facts；



that　these　official　leaders　of　science　do　commonly　reach



conclusions　innocuous　to　the　existing　law　and　order；　particularly



with　respect　to　religion；　ownership；　and　the　distribution　of



wealth。　But　this　need　imply　no　constraint；　nor　even　any　peculiar



degree　of　tact；　much　less　a　moral　obliquity。　It　may　confidently



be　asserted；　without　fear　of　contradiction　from　their　side；　that



the　official　leaders　in　this　province　of　academic　research　and



indoctrination　are；　commonly；　in　no　way　hindered　from　pushing



their　researches　with　full　freedom　and　to　the　limit　of　their



capacity；　and　that　they　are　likewise　free　to　give　the　fullest



expression　to　any　conclusions　or　convictions　to　which　their



inquiries　may　carry　them。　That　they　are　able　to　do　so　is　a



fortunate　circumstance；　due　to　the　fact　that　their　intellectual



horizon　is　bounded　by　the　same　limits　of　commonplace　insight　and



preconceptions　as　are　the　prevailing　opinions　of　the　conservative



middle　class。　That　is　to　say；　a　large　and　aggressive　mediocrity



is　the　prime　qualification　for　a　leader　of　science　in　these



lines；　if　his　leadership　is　to　gain　academic　authentication。



　　　　All　this　may　seem　too　much　like　loose　generality。　With　a　view



to　such　precision　as　the　case　admits；　it　may　be　remarked　that



this　province　of　academic　science　as　habitually　pursued；　is



commonly　occupied　with　questions　of　what　ought　to　be　done；　rather



than　with　theories　of　the　genesis　and　causation　of　the



present…day　state　of　things；　or　with　questions　as　to　what　the



present…day　drift　of　things　may　be；　as　determined　by　the　causes



at　work。　As　it　does　in　popular　speculation；　so　also　in　this



academic　quasi…science；　the　interest　centres　on　what　ought　to　be



done　to　improve　conditions　and　to　conserve　those　usages　and



conventions　that　have　by　habit　been　imbedded　in　the　received



scheme　of　use　and　wont；　and　so　have　come　to　be　found　good　and



right。　It　is　of　the　essence　of　popular　speculations　on　this　range



of　topics　that　they　are　focussed　on　questions　of　use；　that　they



are　of　a　teleological　order；　that　they　look　to　the　expediency　of



the　observed　facts　and　to　their　exploitation；　rather　than　to　a



scientific　explanation　of　them。　This　attitude；　of　course；　is　the



attitude　of　expediency　and　homiletics；　not　of　scientific　inquiry。



　　　　A　single　illustrative　instance　of　the　prevalence　of　this



animus　in　the　academic　social　sciences　may　be　in　place。　It　is



usual　among　economists；　e。g。；　to　make　much　of　the　proposition



that　economics　is　an　〃art〃　　the　art　of　expedient　management　of



the　material　means　of　life；　and　further　that　the　justification　of



economic　theory　lies　in　its　serviceability　in　this　respect。　Such



a　quasi…science　necessarily　takes　the　current　situation　for



granted　as　a　permanent　state　of　things；　to　be　corrected　and



brought　back　into　its　normal　routine　in　case　of　aberration；　and



to　be　safeguarded　with　apologetic　defence　at　points　where　it　is



not　working　to　the　satisfaction　of　all　parties。　It　is　a　〃science〃



of　complaisant　interpretations；　apologies；　and　projected



remedies。



　　　　The　academic　leaders　in　such　a　quasi…science　should　be　gifted



with　the　aspirations　and　limitations　that　so　show　up　in　its



pursuit。　Their　fitness　in　respect　of　this　conformity　to　the　known



middle…class　animus　and　apprehension　of　truth　may；　as　it



expediently　should；　be　considered　when　their　selection　for



academic　office　and　rank　is　under　advisement；　but；　provided　the



choice　be　a　wise　one；　there　need　be　no　shadow　of　constraint



during　their　incumbency。　The　incumbent　should　be　endowed　with　a



large　capacity　for　work；　particularly　for　〃administrative〃　work；



with　a　lively　and　enduring　interest　in　the　〃practical〃　questions



that　fall　within　his　academic　jurisdiction；　and　with　a　shrewd



sense　of　the　fundamental　rightness　of　the　existing　order　of



things；　social；　economic；　political；　and　religious。　So；　by　and



large；　it　will　be　found　that　these　accredited　leaders　of



scientific　inquiry　are　fortunate　enough　not　narrowly　to



scrutinize；　or　to　seek　particular　explanation　of；　those



institutional　facts　which　the　conservative　common　sense　of　the



elderly　businessman　accepts　as　good　and　final；　and　since　their



field　of　inquiry　is　precisely　this　range　of　institutional　facts；



the　consequence　is　that　their　leadership　in　the　science　conduces



more　to　the　stability　of　opinions　than　to　the　advancement　of



knowledge。



　　　　The　result　is　by　no　means　that　nothing　is　accomplished　in



this　field　of　science　under　this　leadership　of　forceful



mediocrity；　but　only　that；　in　so　far　as　this　leadership　decides；



the　work　done　lies　on　this　level　of　mediocrity。　Indeed；　the



volume　of　work　done　is　large　and　of　substantial　value；　but　it



runs　chiefly　on　compilation　of　details　and　on　the　scrutiny　and



interpretation　of　these　details　with　a　view　to　their　conformity



with　the　approved　generalizations　of　the　day　before　yesterday；　



generalizations　that　had　time　to　grow　into　aphoristic



commonplaces　at　a　date　before　the　passing　generation　of



businessmen　attained　their　majority。



　　　　What　has　just　been　said　of　this　academic　leadership　in　the



social　sciences；　of　course；　applies　only　with　due　qualification。



It　applies　only　in　so　far　as　the　principles　of　competitive



enterprise　control　the　selection　of　the　personnel；　and　even　then



only　with　exceptions。　There　is　no　intention　to　depreciate　the



work　of　those　many　eminent　scholars；　of　scientific　animus　and



intellectual　grasp；　whose　endeavours　are　given　to　this　range　of



inquiry。　Its　application；　indeed；　is　intended　to　reach　no　farther



than　may　serve　to　cover　the　somewhat　tactful　and　quietistic



attitude　of　the　moral　sciences　in　the　universities。　As　they　are



cultivated　in　the　great　seminaries　of　learning；　these　sciences



a