the higher learning in america-第51章

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　　　　In　this　high　rating　of　things　practical　the　captains　of



industry　are　also　substantially　at　one　with　the　current



common…sense　award　of　the　vulgar；　so　that　their　advocacy　of



practical　education　carries　the　weight　of　a　self…evident



principle。　It　is　true；　in　the　long　run　and　on　sober　reflection



the　award　of　civilized　common　sense　runs　to　the　effect　that



knowledge　is　more　to　be　desired　than　things　of　price；　but　at　the



same　time　the　superficial　and　transient　workday　sense　of　daily



needs　　the　〃snap　judgment〃　of　the　vulgar　　driven　by　the　hard



usage　of　competitive　bread…winning；　says　that　a　gainful



occupation　is　the　first　requisite　of　human　life；　and　accepting　it



without　much　question　as　the　first　requisite；　the　vulgar　allow　it



uncritically　to　stand　as　the　chief　or　sole　and　that　is　worth　an



effort。　And　in　so　doing　they　are　not　so　far　out　of　their



bearings；　for　to　the　common　man；　under　the　competitive　system；



there　is　but　a　scant　margin　of　energy　or　interest　left　over　and



disposable　for　other　ends　after　the　instant　needs　of



bread…winning　have　been　met。



　　　　Proficiency　and　single…mindedness　in　the　pursuit　of　private



gain　is　something　that　can　readily　be　appreciated　by　all　men　who



have　had　the　usual　training　given　by　the　modern　system　of



competitive　gain　and　competitive　spending。　Nothing　is　so



instantly　recognized　as　being　of　great　urgency；　always　and



everywhere；　under　this　modern；　pecuniary　scheme　of　things。　So



that；　without　reflection　and　as　a　matter　of　course；　the　first　and



gravest　question　of　any　general　bearing　in　any　connection　has



come　to　be　that　classic　of　worldly　wisdom：　What　profiteth　it　a



man？　and　the　answer　is；　just　as　uncritically；　sought　in　terms　of



pecuniary　gain。　And　the　men　to　whom　has　been　entrusted　the



custody　of　that　cultural　heritage　of　mankind　that　can　not　be



bought　with　a　price；　make　haste　to　play　up　to　this　snap　judgment



of　the　vulgar；　and　so　keep　them　from　calling　to　mind；　on　second



thought；　what　it　is　that　they；　after　all；　value　more　highly　than



the　means　of　competitive　spending。



　　　　Concomitant　with　this　growing　insistence　on　vocational



training　in　the　schools；　and　with　this　restless　endeavour　of　the



academic　authorities　to　gratify　the　demand；　there　has　also　come



an　increasing　habitual　inclination　of　the　same　uncritical



character　among　academic　men　to　value　all　academic　work　in　terms



of　livelihood　or　of　earning　capacity。（3*）　The　question　has　been



asked；　more　and　more　urgently　and　openly；　What　is　the　use　of　all



this　knowledge？（4*）　Pushed　by　this　popular　prejudice；　and



themselves　also　drifting　under　compulsion　of　the　same　prevalent



bias；　even　the　seasoned　scholars　and　scientists　　Matthew



Arnold's　〃Remnant〃　　have　taken　to　heart　this　question　of　the



use　of　the　higher　learning　in　the　pursuit　of　gain。　Of　course　it



has　no　such　use；　and　the　many　shrewdly　devised　solutions　of　the



conundrum　have　necessarily　run　out　in　a　string　of　sophistical



dialectics。　The　place　of　disinterested　knowledge　in　modern



civilization　is　neither　that　of　a　means　to　private　gain；　nor　that



of　an　intermediate　step　in　〃the　roundabout　process　of　the



production　of　goods。〃



　　　　As　a　motto　for　the　scholars'　craft；　Scientia　pecuniae



ancillans　is　nowise　more　seemly　than　the　Schoolmen's　Philosophia



theologiae　ancillans。（5*）　Yet　such　inroads　have　pecuniary　habits



of　valuation　made　even　within　the　precincts　of　the　corporation　of



learning；　that　university　men；　　and　even　the　scholarly　ones



among　them；　　are　no　more　than　half　ashamed　of　such　a　parcel　of



fatuity。　And　relatively　few　among　university　executives　have　not；



within　the　past　few　years；　taken　occasion　to　plead　the　merits　of



academic　training　as　a　business　proposition。　The　man　of　the　world



　that　is　to　say；　of　the　business　world　puts　the　question；　What



is　the　use　of　this　learning？　and　the　men　who　speak　for　learning；



and　even　the　scholars　occupied　with　the　〃humanities；〃　are　at



pains　to　find　some　colourable　answer　that　shall　satisfy　the



worldly…wise　that　this　learning　for　which　they　speak　is　in　some



way　useful　for　pecuniary　gain。（6*）



　　　　If　he　were　not　himself　infected　with　the　pragmatism　of　the



market…place；　the　scholar's　answer　would　have　to　be。　Get　thee



behind　me！







　　　　Benjamin　Franklin　　high…bred　pragmatist　that　he　was　　once



put　away　such　a　question　with　the　rejoinder：　What　is　the　use　of　a



baby？　To　civilized　men　　with　the　equivocal　exception　of　the



warlike　politicians　　this　latter　question　seems　foolish；



criminally　foolish。　But　there　once　was　a　time；　in　the　high　days



of　barbarism；　when　thoughtful　men　were　ready　to　canvass　that



question　with　as　naive　a　gravity　as　this　other　question；　of　the



use　of　learning；　is　canvassed　by　the　substantial　citizens　of　the



present　day。　At　the　period　covered　by　that　chapter　in　ancient



history；　a　child　was；　in　a　way；　an　article　of　equipment　for　the



up…keep　of　the　family　and　its　prestige；　and　more　remotely　for　the



support　of　the　sovereign　and　his　prestige。　So　that　a　male　child



would　be　rated　as　indubitably　worth　while　if　he　gave　promise　of



growing　into　a　robust　and　contentious　man。　If　the　infant　were　a



girl；　or　if　he　gave　no　promise　of　becoming　an　effective　disturber



of　the　peace；　the　use　or　expediency　of　rearing　the　child　would



become　a　matter　for　deliberation；　and　not　infrequently　the



finding　of　those　old…time　utilitarians　was　adverse；　and　the



investment　was　cancelled。　The　habit　of　so　deliberating　on　the



pragmatic　advisability　of　child…life　has　been　lost；　latterly；　or



at　any　rate　such　of　the　latterday　utilitarians　as　may　still



entertain　a　question　of　this　kind　in　any　concrete　case　are



ashamed　to　have　it　spoken　of　nakedly。　Witness　the　lame　but



irrepressible　sentimental　protest　against　the　Malthusian　doctrine



of　population。



　　　　It　is　true；　in　out…of…the…way　corners　and　on　the　lower　levels



　and　on　the　higher　levels　of　imperial　politics　where　men　have



not　learned　to　shrink　from　shameful　devices；　the　question　of



children　and　of　the　birth…rate　is　still　sometimes　debated　as　a



question　of　the　presumptive　use　of　offspring　for　some　ulterior



end。　And　there　may　still　be　found　those　who　are　touched　by　the



reflection　that　a　child　born　may　become　a　valuable　asset　as　a



support　for　the　parents'　old　age。　Such　a　pecuniary　rating　of　the



parental　relation；　which　values　children　as　a　speculative　means



of　gain；　may　still　be　met　with。　But　wherever　modern　civilization



has　made　its　way　at　all　effectually；　such　a　provident　rating　of



offspring　is　not　met　with　in　good　company。　Latterday　common　sense



does　not　countenance　it。



　　　　Not　that　a　question　of　expediency　is　no　longer　entertained；



touching　this　matter　of　children；　but　it　is　no　longer　the



patriarchal…barbarian　question　as　to　eventual　gains　that　may　be



expected　to　accrue　to　the　parent　or　the　family。　Except　in　the



view　of　those　statesmen　of　the　barbarian　line　who　see　the　matter



of　birth…rate　from　the　higher　ground　of　dynastic　politics；　a



child　born　is　not　rated　as　a　means；　but　as　an　end。　At　least



conventionally；　it　is　no　longer　a　question　of　pecuniary　gain　for



the　parent　but　of　expediency　for　the　child。　No　mother　asks



herself　if　her　child　will　pay。



　　　　Civilized　men　shrink　from　anything　like　rating　children　as　a



contrivance　for　use　in　the　〃round…about　process　of　the　production



of　goods。〃　And　in　much　the　same　spirit；　and　in　the　last　analysis



on　much　the　same　grounds；　although　in　a　less　secure　and　more



loosely　speculative　fashion；　men　also　look　to　the　higher　learning



as　the　ripe　fulfilment　of　materia