the higher learning in america-第49章

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cultivated　in　the　great　seminaries　of　learning；　these　sciences



are　commonly　of　a　somewhat　more　archaic　complexion　than　the



contemporary　material　sciences；　they　are　less　iconoclastic；　have



a　greater　regard　for　prescriptive　authority　and　authenticity；　are



more　given　to　rest　their　inquiry　on　grounds　of　expediency；　as



contrasted　with　grounds　of　cause　and　effect。　They　are　content　to



conclude　that　such　and　such　events　are　expedient　or　inexpedient；



quite　as　often　and　as　easily　as　that　such　are　the　causes　or　the



genetic　sequence　of　the　phenomena　under　discussion。　In　short；



under　this　official　leadership　these　sciences　will　have　an



attitude　toward　their　subject　of　inquiry　resembling　that　taken　by



the　material　sciences　something　like　a　century　ago。



　　　　To　the　credit　of　this　academic　leadership　in　the　social



sciences；　then；　it　should　be　said　that　both　the　leaders　and　their



disciples　apply　themselves　with　admirable　spirit　to　these



inquiries　into　the　proper；　expedient；　and　normal　course　of



events；　and　that　the　conclusions　arrived　at　also　shed　much



salutary　light　on　what　is　proper；　expedient；　and　normal　in　these



premises。　Inquiries　carried　on　in　this　spirit　in　the　field　of



human　institutions　belong；　of　course；　in　the　category　of　worldly



wisdom　rather　than　of　science。　〃Practical〃　questions　occupy　these



scientists　in　great　part；　and　practical；　or　utilitarian；



considerations　guide　the　course　of　the　inquiry　and　shape　the



system　of　generalizations　in　these　sciences；　to　a　much　greater



extent　than　in　the　material　sciences　with　which　they　are　here



contrasted。　An　alert　sense　of　the　practical　value　of　their



inquiries　and　their　teaching　is　one　of　the　chief　requisites　for



official　recognition　in　the　scientists　who　occupy　themselves　with



these　matters；　and　it　is　one　of　the　chief　characteristics　of



their　work。　So　that；　in　so　far　as　it　all　conforms　to　the



principles　of　competitive　business；　the　line　of　demarcation



between　worldly　wisdom　and　theoretical　validity　becomes



peculiarly　indistinct　in　this　province　of　science。　And；　it　may　be



remarked　by　the　way；　the　influence　of　this　academic　science；　both



in　its　discipline　and　in　its　tenets；　appears　to　be　wholly



salutary；　it　conduces；　on　the　whole；　to　a　safe　and　sane；　if　not



an　enthusiastic；　acceptance　of　things　as　they　are；　without　undue



curiosity　as　to　why　they　are　such。



　　　　What　has　here　been　said　of　the　place　and　use　of　the　scientist



under　the　current　r間ime　of　competitive　enterprise　describes　what



should　follow　from　the　unrestrained　dominion　of　business



principles　in　academic　policy；　rather　than　what　has　actually　been



accomplished　in　any　concrete　case；　it　presents　an　ideal　situation



rather　than　a　relation　of　events；　though　without　losing　touch



with　current　facts　at　any　point。　The　run　of　the　facts　is；　in



effect；　a　compromise　between　the　scholar's　ideals　and　those　of



business；　in　such　a　way　that　the　ideals　of　scholarship　are



yielding　ground；　in　an　uncertain　and　varying　degree；　before　the



pressure　of　businesslike　exigencies。







NOTES：







1。　Cf。　also　J。　J。　Chapman；　paper　on　〃Professional　Ethics；〃　in



University　Control；　as　above；　for　an　estimate　of　the　inefficiency



of　academic　opinion　as　a　corrective　of　the　executive　power　on　his



head。







2。　〃The　lambs　play　always；　they　know　no　better；　They　are　only　one



times　one。〃







3。　〃He　was　a　trusted　and　efficient　employee　of　an　institution



made　possible　and　maintained　by　men　of　great　wealth；　men　who　not



only　live　on　the　interest　of　their　money；　but　who　expend　millions



in　the　endowment　of　colleges　and　universities　in　which



enthusiastic　young　educators。。。　find　lucrative　and　honourable



employment。〃　　Editorial　on　the　dismissal　of　Dr。　Nearing；　in　the



Minneapolis　Journal；　August　II；　1915。







CHAPTER　VII







Vocational　Training







　　　　In　this　latterday　academic　enterprise；　that　looks　so　shrewdly



to　practical　expediency；　〃vocational　training〃　has；　quite　as　a



matter　of　course；　become　a　conspicuous　feature。　The　adjective　is



a　new　one；　installed　expressly　to　designate　this　line　of



endeavour；　in　the　jargon　of　the　educators；　and　it　carries　a　note



of　euphemism。　〃Vocational　training〃　is　training　for　proficiency



in　some　gainful　occupation；　and　it　has　no　connection　with　the



higher　learning；　beyond　that　juxtaposition　given　it　by　the



inclusion　of　vocational　schools　in　the　same　corporation　with　the



university；　and　its　spokesmen　in　the　university　establishments



accordingly　take　an　apologetically　aggressive　attitude　in



advocating　its　claims。　Educational　enterprise　of　this　kind　has；



somewhat　incontinently；　extended　the　scope　of　the　corporation　of



learning　by　creating；　〃annexing；〃　or　〃affiliating〃　many



establishments　that　properly　lie　outside　the　academic　field　and



deal　with　matters　foreign　to　the　academic　interest；　　fitting



schools；　high…schools；　technological；　manual　and　other　training



schools　for　mechanical；　engineering　and　other　industrial



pursuits；　professional　schools　of　divers　kinds；　music　schools；



art　schools；　summer　schools；　schools　of　〃domestic　science；〃



〃domestic　economy；〃　〃home　economics〃；　（in　short；　housekeeping）；



schools　for　the　special　training　of　secondary…school　teachers；



and　even　schools　that　are　avowedly　of　primary　grade；　while　a



variety　of　〃university　extension〃　bureaux　have　also　been



installed；　to　comfort　and　edify　the　unlearned　with　lyceum



lectures；　to　dispense　erudition　by　mail…order；　and　to　maintain



some　putative　contact　with　amateur　scholars　and　dilettanti　beyond



the　pale。



　　　　On　its　face；　this　enterprise　in　assorted　education　simulates



the　precedents　given　by　the　larger　modern　business　coalitions；



which　frequently　bring　under　one　general　business　management　a



considerable　number　and　variety　of　industrial　plants。　Doubtless　a



boyish　imitation　of　such　business　enterprise　has　had　its　share　in



the　propagation　of　these　educational　excursions。　It　all　has　an



histrionic　air；　such　as　would　suggest　that　its　use；　at　least　in



good　part；　might　be　to　serve　as　an　outlet　for　the　ambition　and



energies　of　an　executive　gifted　with　a　penchant　for　large　and



difficult　undertakings；　and　with　scant　insight　into　the　needs　and



opportunities　of　a　corporation　of　the　higher　learning；　and　who



might　therefore　be　carried　off　his　scholastic　footing　by　the



glamour　of　the　exploits　of　the　trustmakers。　No　doubt；　the



histrionic　proclivities　of　the　executive；　backed　by　a　similar



sensibility　to　dramatic　effect　on　the　part　of　their　staff　and　of



the　governing　boards；　must　be　held　accountable　for　much　of　this



headlong　propensity　to　do　many　other　things　half…way　rather　than



do　the　work　well　that　is　already　in　hand。　But　this　visible



histrionic　sensibility；　and　the　glamour　of　great　deeds；　will　by



no　means　wholly　account　for　current　university　enterprise　along



this　line；　not　even　when　there　is　added　the　urgent　competitive



need　of　a　show　of　magnitude；　such　as　besets　all　the　universities；



nor　do　these　several　lines　of　motivation　account　for　the



particular　direction　so　taken　by　these　excursions　in　partes



infidelium。　At　the　same　time；　reasons　of　scholarship　or　science



plainly　have　no　part　in　the　movement。



　　　　Apart　from　such　executive　weakness　for　spectacular　magnitude；



and　the　competitive　need　of　formidable　statistics；　the　prime



mover　in　the　case　is　presumably　the　current　unreflecting



propensity　to　make　much　of　all　things　that　bear　the　signature　of



the　〃practical。〃　These　various　projections　of　university



enterprise　uniformly　make　some　pla