the higher learning in america-第57章

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business　principles　converge；　and　in　which　they　find　their



consummate　expression；　　even　though　it　is　broadly　to　be



recognized　and　taken　account　of　that　such　is　the　deliberate



appraisal　awarded　by　the　common　sense　of　civilized　mankind。　The



profit　and　loss　here　spoken　for　is　not　profit　and　loss；　to



mankind　or　to　any　given　community；　in　respect　of　that　inclusive



complex　of　interests　that　makes　up　the　balanced　total　of　good　and



ill；　it　is　profit　and　loss　for　the　cause　of　learning；　simply；　and



there　is　here　no　aspiration　to　pass　on　ulterior　questions。　As



required　by　the　exigencies　of　such　an　argument；　it　is　therefore



assumed；　pro　forma；　that　profit　and　loss　for　the　pursuit　of



learning　is　profit　and　loss　without　reservation；　very　much　as　a



corporation　accountant　will　audit　income　and　outlay　within　the



affairs　of　the　corporation；　whereas；　qua　accountant；　he　will



perforce　have　nothing　to　say　as　to　the　ulterior　expediency　of　the



corporation　and　its　affairs　in　any　other　bearing。







　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　I







　　　　Business　principles　take　effect　in　academic　affairs　most



simply；　obviously　and　avowably　in　the　way　of　a　businesslike



administration　of　the　scholastic　routine；　where　they　lead



immediately　to　a　bureaucratic　organization　and　a　system　of



scholastic　accountancy。　In　one　form　or　another；　some　such



administrative　machinery　is　a　necessity　in　any　large　school　that



is　to　be　managed　on　a　centralized　plan；　as　the　American　schools



commonly　are；　and　as；　more　particularly；　they　aim　to　be。　This



necessity　is　all　the　more　urgent　in　a　school　that　takes　over　the



discipline　of　a　large　body　of　pupils　that　have　not　reached　years



of　discretion；　as　is　also　commonly　the　case　with　those　American



schools　that　claim　rank　as　universities；　and　the　necessity　is　all



the　more　evident　to　men　whose　ideal　of　efficiency　is　the



centralized　control　exercised　through　a　system　of　accountancy　in



the　modern　large　business　concerns。　The　larger　American　schools



are　primarily　undergraduate　establishments；　　with　negligible



exceptions；　and　under　these　current　American　conditions；　of



excessive　numbers；　such　a　centralized　and　bureaucratic



administration　appears　to　be　indispensable　for　the　adequate



control　of　immature　and　reluctant　students；　at　the　same　time；



such　an　organization　conduces　to　an　excessive　size。　The　immediate



and　visible　effect　of　such　a　large　and　centralized　administrative



machinery　is；　on　the　whole；　detrimental　to　scholarship；　even　in



the　undergraduate　work；　though　it　need　not　be　so　in　all　respects



and　unequivocally；　so　far　as　regards　that　routine　training　that



is　embodied　in　the　undergraduate　curriculum。　But　it　is　at　least　a



necessary　evil　in　any　school　that　is　of　so　considerable　a　size　as



to　preclude　substantially　all　close　or　cordial　personal　relations



between　the　teachers　and　each　of　these　immature　pupils　under



their　charge；　as；　again；　is　commonly　the　case　with　these　American



undergraduate　establishments。　Such　a　system　of　authoritative



control；　standardization；　gradation；　accountancy；　classification；



credits　and　penalties；　will　necessarily　be　drawn　on　stricter



lines　the　more　the　school　takes　on　the　character　of　a　house　of



correction　or　a　penal　settlement；　in　which　the　irresponsible



inmates　are　to　be　held　to　a　round　of　distasteful　tasks　and



restrained　from　（conventionally）　excessive　irregularities　of



conduct。　At　the　same　time　this　recourse　to　such　coercive　control



and　standardization　of　tasks　has　unavoidably　given　the　schools



something　of　the　character　of　a　penal　settlement。



　　　　As　intimated　above；　the　ideal　of　efficiency　by　force　of　which



a　large…scale　centralized　organization　commends　itself　in　these



premises　is　that　pattern　of　shrewd　management　whereby　a　large



business　concern　makes　money。　The　underlying　business…like



presumption　accordingly　appears　to　be　that　learning　is　a



merchantable　commodity；　to　be　Produced　on　a　piece…rate　plan；



rated；　bought　and　sold　by　standard　units；　measured；　counted　and



reduced　to　staple　equivalence　by　impersonal；　mechanical　tests。　In



all　its　bearings　the　work　is　hereby　reduced　to　a　mechanistic；



statistical　consistency；　with　numerical　standards　and　units；



which　conduces　to　perfunctory　and　mediocre　wOrk　throughout；　and



acts　to　deter　both　students　and　teachers　from　a　free　pursuit　of



knowledge；　as　contrasted　with　the　pursuit　of　academic　credits。　So



far　as　this　mechanistic　system　goes　freely　into　effect　it　leads



to　a　substitution　of　salesmanlike　proficiency　　a　balancing　of



bargains　in　staple　credits　　in　the　place　of　scientific　capacity



and　addiction　to　study。



　　　　The　salesmanlike　abilities　and　the　men　of　affairs　that　so　are



drawn　into　the　academic　personnel　are；　presumably；　somewhat　under



grade　in　their　kind；　since　the　pecuniary　inducement　offered　by



the　schools　is　rather　low　as　compared　with　the　remuneration　for



office　work　of　a　similar　character　in　the　common　run　of　business



occupations；　and　since　businesslike　employees　of　this　kind　may



fairly　be　presumed　to　go　unreservedly　to　the　highest　bidder。　Yet



these　more　unscholarly　members　of　the　staff　will　necessarily　be



assigned　the　more　responsible　and　discretionary　positions　in　the



academic　organization；　since　under　such　a　scheme　of



standardization；　accountancy　and　control；　the　school　becomes



primarily　a　bureaucratic　organization；　and　the　first　and



unremitting　duties　of　the　staff　are　those　of　official　management



and　accountancy。　The　further　qualifications　requisite　in　the



members　of　the　academic　staff　will　be　such　as　make　for



vendibility；　　volubility；　tactful　effrontery；　conspicuous



conformity　to　the　popular　taste　in　all　matters　of　opinion；　usage



and　conventions。



　　　　The　need　of　such　a　businesslike　organization　asserts　itself



in　somewhat　the　same　degree　in　which　the　academic　policy　is



guided　by　considerations　of　magnitude　and　statistical　renown；　and



this　in　turn　is　somewhat　closely　correlated　with　the　extent　of



discretionary　power　exercised　by　the　captain　of　erudition　placed



in　control。　At　the　same　time；　by　provocation　of　the　facilities



which　it　offers　for　making　an　impressive　demonstration；　such



bureaucratic　organization　will　lead　the　university　management　to



bend　its　energies　with　somewhat　more　singleness　to　the　parade　of



magnitude　and　statistical　gains。　It　also；　and　in　the　same



connection；　provokes　to　a　persistent　and　detailed　surveillance



and　direction　of　the　work　and　manner　of　life　of　the　academic



staff；　and　so　it　acts　to　shut　off　initiative　of　any　kind　in　the



work　done。（1*）



　　　　Intimately　bound　up　with　this　bureaucratic　officialism　and



accountancy；　and　working　consistently　to　a　similar　outcome；　is



the　predilection　for　〃practical　efficiency〃　that　is　to　say；　for



pecuniary　success　　prevalent　in　the　American　community。（2*）



This　predilection　is　a　matter　of　settled　habit；　due；　no　doubt；　to



the　fact　that　preoccupation　with　business　interests　characterizes



this　community　in　an　exceptional　degree；　and　that　pecuniary



habits　of　thought　consequently　rule　popular　thinking　in　a



peculiarly　uncritical　and　prescriptive　fashion。　This　pecuniary



animus　falls　in　with　and　reinforces　the　movement　for　academic



accountancy；　and　combines　with　it　to　further　a　so…called



〃practical〃　bias　in　all　the　work　of　the　schools。



　　　　It　appears；　then；　that　the　intrusion　of　business　principles



in　the　universities　goes　to　weaken　and　retard　the　pursuit　of



learning；　and　therefore　to　defeat　the　ends　for　which　a　university



is　maintained。　This　result　follows；　primarily；　from　the