the higher learning in america-第55章

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a　personnel　composed　of　men　of　the　highest　business　talent　and



attainments；　tempted　from　such　successful　business　traffic　by　the



offer　of　salaries　comparable　with　those　paid　the　responsible



officials　of　large　corporations　engaged　in　banking；　railroading；



and　industrial　enterprises；　　and　they　must　also　be　fitted　out



with　an　equipment　of　a　corresponding　magnitude　and　liberality。



　　　　Apart　from　a　large　and　costly　material　equipment；　such　a



college　would　also；　under　current　conditions；　have　to　be　provided



with　a　virtually　unlimited　fund　for　travelling　expenses；　to　carry



its　staff　and　its　students　to　the　several　typical　seats　and



centres　of　business　traffic　and　maintain　them　there　for　that



requisite　personal　contact　with　affairs　that　alone　can　contribute



to　a　practical　comprehension　of　business　strategy。　In　short；　the



schools　would　have　to　meet　those　requirements　of　training　and



information　which　men　who　today　aim　to　prepare　themselves　for　the



larger　business　will　commonly　spend　expensive　years　of



apprenticeship　to　acquire。　It　is　eminently　true　in　business



training；　very　much　as　it　is　in　military　strategy；　that　nothing



will　take　the　place　of　first…hand　observation　and　personal



contact　with　the　processes　and　procedure　involved；　and　such



first…hand　contact　is　to　be　had　only　at　the　cost　of　a　more　or



less　protracted　stay　where　the　various　lines　of　business　are



carried　on。



　　　　The　creation　and　maintenance　of　such　a　College　of　Commerce；



on　such　a　scale　as　will　make　it　anything　more　than　a　dubious



make…believe；　would　manifestly　appear　to　be　beyond　the　powers　of



any　existing　university。　So　that　the　best　that　can　be　compassed



in　this　way；　or　that　has　been　achieved；　by　the　means　at　the



disposal　of　any　university　hitherto；　is　a　cross　between　a



secondary　school　for　bank…clerks　and　travelling　salesmen　and　a



subsidiary　department　of　economics。



　　　　All　this　applies　with　gradually　lessened　force　to　the　other



vocational　schools；　occupied　with　training　for　occupations　that



are　of　more　substantial　use　to　the　community　and　less　widely　out



of　touch　with　the　higher　learning。　In　the　light　of　their



professions　on　the　one　side　and　the　degree　of　their　fulfilment　on



the　other；　it　would　be　hazardous　to　guess　how　far　the　university



directorate　in　any　given　case　is　animated　with　a　spontaneous　zeal



for　the　furtherance　of　these　〃practical〃　aims　which　the



universities　so　pursue；　and　how　far　on　the　other　hand　it　may　be　a



matter　of　politic　management；　to　bring　content　to　those



commercially…minded　laymen　whose　good…will　is　rated　as　a　valuable



asset。　These　men　of　substance　have　a　high　appreciation　of



business　efficiency　　a　species　of　self…respect；　and　therefore



held　as　a　point　of　honour　　and　are　consequently　inclined　to



rate　all　education　in　terms　of　earning…capacity。　Failure　to　meet



the　presumed　wishes　of　the　businessmen　in　this　matter；　it　is



apprehended；　would　mean　a　loss　of　support　in　endowment　and



enrolment。　And　since　endowment　and　enrolment；　being　the　chief



elements　of　visible　success；　are　the　two　main　ends　of　current



academic　policy；　it　is　incumbent　on　the　directorate　to　shape



their　policy　accordingly。



　　　　So　the　academic　authorities　face　the　choice　between　scholarly



efficiency　and　vocational　training；　and　hitherto　the　result　has



been　equivocal。　The　directorate　should　presumably　be　in　a



position　to　appreciate　the　drift　of　their　own　action；　in　so



diverting　the　university's　work　to　ends　at　variance　with　its



legitimate　purpose；　and　the　effect　of　such　a　policy　should



presumably　be　repugnant　to　their　scholarly　tastes；　as　well　as　to



their　sense　of　right　and　honest　living。　But　the　circumstances　of



their　office　and　tenure　leave　them　somewhat　helpless；　for　all



their　presumed　insight　and　their　aversion　to　this　malpractice；



and　these　conditions　of　office　require　them；　as　it　is　commonly



apprehended；　to　take　active　measures　for　the　defeat　of　learning；



　hitherto　with　an　equivocal　outcome。　The　schools　of　commerce；



even　more　than　the　other　vocational　schools；　have　been　managed



somewhat　parsimoniously；　and　the　effectual　results　have



habitually　fallen　far　short　of　the　clever　promises　held　out　in



the　prospectus。　The　professed　purpose　of　these　schools　is　the



training　of　young　men　to　a　high　proficiency　in　the　larger　and



more　responsible　affairs　of　business；　but　for　the　present　this



purpose　must　apparently　remain　a　speculative；　and　very



temperately　ingenuous；　aspiration；　rather　than　a　practicable



working　programme。







NOTES：







1。　〃Our　professors　in　the　Harvard　of　the　'50s　were　a　set　of



rather　eminent　scholars　and　highly　respectable　men。　They　attended



to　their　studies　with　commendable　assiduity　and　drudged　along　in



a　dreary；　humdrum　sort　of　way　in　a　stereotyped　method　of



classroom　instruction。。。



　　　　〃And　that　was　the　Harvard　system。　It　remains　in　essence　the



system　still　　the　old；　outgrown；　pedagogic　relation　of　the



large　class…recitation　room。　The　only　variation　has　been　through



Eliot's　effort　to　replace　it　by　the　yet　more　pernicious　system　of



premature　specialization。　This　is　a　confusion　of　the　college　and



university　functions　and　constitutes　a　distinct　menace　to　all



true　higher　education。　The　function　of　the　college　is　an



all…around　development；　as　a　basis　for　university



specializations。　Eliot　never　grasped　that　fundamental　fact；　and



so　he　undertook　to　turn　Harvard　college　into　a　German　university



　specializing　the　student　at　18。　He　instituted　a　system　of



one…sided　contact　in　place　of　a　system　based　on　no　contact　at



all。　It　is　devoutly　to　be　hoped　that；　some　day；　a　glimmer　of　true



light　will　effect　an　entrance　into　the　professional　educator's



head。　It　certainly　hadn't　done　so　up　to　1906。〃…　Charles　Francis



Adams；　An　Autobiography。







2。　The　college　student's　interest　in　his　studies　has　shifted　from



the　footing　of　an　avocation　to　that　of　a　vocation。







3。　So；　e。g。；　in　the　later　eighties；　at　the　time　when　the



confusion　of　sentiments　in　this　matter　of　electives　and　practical



academic　instruction　was　reaching　its　height；　one　of　the　most



largely　endowed　of　the　late…founded　universities　set　out　avowedly



to　bend　its　forces　singly　to　such　instruction　as　would　make　for



the　material　success　of　its　students；　and；　moreover；　to



accomplish　this　end　by　an　untrammelled　system　of　electives；



limited　only　by　the　general　qualification　that　all　instruction



offered　was　to　be　of　this　pragmatic　character。　The　establishment



in　question；　it　may　be　added；　has　in　the　course　of　years　run　a



somewhat　inglorious　career；　regard　being　had　to　its　unexampled



opportunities；　and　has　in　the　event　come　to　much　the　same　footing



of　compromise　between　learning　and　vocational　training；　routine



and　electives；　as　its　contemporaries　that　have　approached　their



present　ambiguous　position　from　the　contrary　direction；　except



that；　possibly；　scholarship　as　such　is　still　held　in　slightly



lower　esteem　among　the　men　of　this　faculty　　selected　on　grounds



of　their　practical　bias　　than　among　the　generality　of　academic



men。







4。　〃And　why　the　sea　is　boiling　hot；　And　whether　pigs　have　wings。〃







5。　Cf。　Adam　Smith　on　the　〃idle　curiosity。〃　Moral　Sentiments；　1st



ed。；　p。　351　　；　esp。　355。







6。　So；　a　man　eminent　as　a　scholar　and　in　the　social　sciences　has



said；　not　so　long　ago：　〃The　first　question　I　would　ask　is；　has



not　this　learning　a　large　part　to　play　in　supplementing　those



practical　powers；　instincts　and　sympathies　which　can　be　developed



only　in　action；　only