the higher learning in america-第58章

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



is　maintained。　This　result　follows；　primarily；　from　the



substitution　of　impersonal；　mechanical　relations；　standards　and



tests；　in　the　place　of　personal　conference；　guidance　and



association　between　teachers　and　students；　as　also　from　the



imposition　of　a　mechanically　standardized　routine　upon　the



members　of　the　staff；　whereby　any　disinterested　preoccupation



with　scholarly　or　scientific　inquiry　is　thrown　into　the



background　and　falls　into　abeyance。　Few　if　any　who　are　competent



to　speak　in　these　premises　will　question　that　such　has　been　the



outcome。　To　offset　against　this　work　of　mutilation　and



retardation　there　are　certain　gains　in　expedition；　and　in　the



volume　of　traffic　that　can　be　carried　by　any　given　equipment　and



corps　of　employees。　Particularly　will　there　be　a　gain　in　the



statistical　showing；　both　as　regards　the　volume　of　instruction



offered；　and　probably　also　as　regards　the　enrolment；　since



accountancy　creates　statistics　and　its　absence　does　not。



　　　　Such　increased　enrolment　as　may　be　due　to　businesslike



management　and　methods　is　an　increase　of　undergraduate　enrolment。



The　net　effect　as　regards　the　graduate　enrolment　　apart　from



any　vocational　instruction　that　may　euphemistically　be　scheduled



as　〃graduate〃　　is　in　all　probability　rather　a　decrease　than　an



increase。　Through　indoctrination　with　utilitarian　（pecuniary）



ideals　of　earning　and　spending；　as　well　as　by　engendering



spendthrift　and　sportsmanlike　habits；　such　a　businesslike



management　diverts　the　undergraduate　students　from　going　in　for



the　disinterested　pursuit　of　knowledge；　and　so　from　entering　on



what　is　properly　university　work；　as　witness　the　relatively



slight　proportion　of　graduate　students　outside　of　the



professional　schools　　who　come　up　from　the　excessively　large



undergraduate　departments　of　the　more　expansive　universities；　as



contrasted　with　the　number　of　those　who　come　into　university　work



from　the　smaller　and　less　businesslike　colleges。



　　　　The　ulterior　consequences　that　follow　from　such　businesslike



standardization　and　bureaucratic　efficiency　are　evident　in　the



current　state　of　the　public　schools；　especially　as　seen　in　the



larger　towns；　where　the　principles　of　business　management　have



had　time　and　scope　to　work　out　in　a　fair　degree　of　consistency。



The　resulting　abomination　of　desolation　is　sufficiently



notorious。　And　there　appears　to　be　no　reason　why　a　similarly



stale　routine　of　futility　should　not　overtake　the　universities；



and　give　similarly　foolish　results；　as　fast　as　the　system　of



standardization；　accountancy　and　piece…work　goes　consistently



into　effect；　　except　only　for　the　continued　enforced　employment



of　a　modicum　of　impracticable　scholars　and　scientists　on　the



academic　staff；　whose　unbusinesslike　scholarly　proclivities　and



inability　to　keep　the　miner's…inch　of　scholastic　credit　always　in



mind；　must　in　some　measure　always　defeat　the　perfect　working　of



standardization　and　accountancy。



　　　　As　might　be　expected；　this　r間ime　of　graduated　sterility　has



already　made　fair　headway　in　the　undergraduate　work；　especially



in　the　larger　undergraduate　schools；　and　this　in　spite　of　any



efforts　On　the　part　of　the　administration　to　hedge　against　such



an　outcome　by　recourse　to　an　intricate　system　of　electives　and　a



wide　diversification　of　the　standard　units　of　erudition　so



offered。



　　　　In　the　graduate　work　the　like　effect　is　only　less　visible；



because　the　measures　leading　to　it　have　come　into　bearing　more



recently；　and　hitherto　less　unreservedly。　But　the　like　results



should　follow　here　also；　just　so　fast　and　so　far　as　the　same



range　of　business　principles　come　to　be　worked　into　the　texture



of　the　university　organization　in　the　same　efficacious　manner　as



they　have　already　taken　effect　in　the　public　schools。　And；　pushed



on　as　it　is　by　the　progressive　substitution　of　men　imbued　with



the　tastes　and　habits　of　practical　affairs；　in　the　place　of



unpractical　scholarly　ideals；　the　movement　toward　a　perfunctory



routine　of　mediocrity　should　logically　be　expected　to　go　forward



at　a　progressively　accelerated　rate。　The　visible　drift　of　things



in　this　respect　in　the　academic　pursuit　of　the　social　sciences；



so…called；　is　an　argument　as　to　what　may　be　hoped　for　in　the



domain　of　academic　science　at　large。　It　is　only　that　the



executive　is　actuated　by　a　sharper　solicitude　to　keep　the



academic　establishment　blameless　of　anything　like　innovation　or



iconoclasm　at　this　point；　which　reinforces　the　drift　toward　a



mechanistic　routine　and　a　curtailment　of　inquiry　in　this　field；



it　is　not　that　these　sciences　that　deal　with　the　phenomena　of



human　life　lend　themselves　more　readily　to　mechanical　description



and　enumeration　than　the　material　sciences　do；　nor　is　their



subject　matter　intrinsically　more　inert　or　less　provocative　of



questions。







　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　II







　　　　Throughout　the　above　summary　review；　as　also　through　the



foregoing　inquiry；　the　argument　continually　returns　to　or　turns



about　two　main　interests；　　notoriety　and　the　academic



executive。　These　two　might　be　called　the　two　foci　about　which



swings　the　orbit　of　the　university　world。　These　conjugate　foci



lie　on　a　reasonably　short　axis；　indeed；　they　tend　to　coincide；　so



that　the　orbit　comes　near　the　perfection　of　a　circle；　having



virtually　but　a　single　centre；　which　may　perhaps　indifferently　be



spoken　of　as　the　university's　president　or　as　its　renown；



according　as　one　may　incline　to　conceive　these　matters　in　terms



of　tangible　fact　or　of　intangible。



　　　　The　system　of　standardization　and　accountancy　has　this　renown



or　prestige　as　its　chief　ulterior　purpose；　　the　prestige　of　the



university　or　of　its　president；　which　largely　comes　to　the　same



net　result。　Particularly　will　this　be　true　in　so　far　as　this



organization　is　designed　to　serve　competitive　ends；　which　are；　in



academic　affairs；　chiefly　the　ends　of　notoriety；　prestige；



advertising　in　all　its　branches　and　bearings。　It　is　through



increased　creditable　notoriety　that　the　universities　seek　their



competitive　ends；　and　it　is　on　such　increase　of　notoriety；



accordingly；　that　the　competitive　endeavours　of　a　businesslike



management　are　chiefly　spent。　It　is　in　and　through　such　accession



of　renown；　therefore；　that　the　chief　and　most　tangible　gains　due



to　the　injection　of　competitive　business　principles　in　the



academic　policy　should　appear。



　　　　Of　course；　this　renown；　as　such；　has　no　substantial　value　to



the　corporation　of　learning；　nor；　indeed；　to　any　one　but　the



university　executive　by　whose　management　it　is　achieved。　Taken



simply　in　its　first　incidence；　as　prestige　or　notoriety；　it



conduces　in　no　degree　to　the　pursuit　of　knowledge；　but　in　its



ulterior　consequences；　it　appears　currently　to　be　believed；　at



least　ostensibly；　that　such　notoriety　must　greatly　enhance　the



powers　of　the　corporation　of　learning。　These　ulterior



consequences　are　（believed　to　be）；　a　growth　in　the　material



resources　and　the　volume　of　traffic。



　　　　Such　good　effects　as　may　follow　from　a　sedulous　attention　to



creditable　publicity；　therefore；　are　the　chief　gains　to　be　set



off　against　the　mischief　incident　to　〃scientific　management〃　in



academic　affairs。　Hence　any　line　of　inquiry　into　the　business



management　of　the　universities　continually　leads　back　to　the



cares　of　publicity；　with　what　might　to　an　outsider　seem　undue



insistence。　The　reason　is　that　the　businesslike　management　and



arrangements　in　questio