the higher learning in america-第60章

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〃publicity　of　accounts〃　as　regards　the　work　to　be　done；



accomplishes　no　useful　aggregate　result。　And；　as　is　true　of



advertising　in　other　competitive　business；　current　university



publicity　is　not　an　effective　means　of　spreading　reliable



information；　nor　is　it　designed　for　that　end。　Here　as　elsewhere；



to　meet　the　requirements　of　competitive　enterprise；　advertising



must　somewhat　exceed　the　point　of　maximum　veracity。



　　　　In　no　field　of　human　endeavour　is　competitive　notoriety　and　a



painstaking　conformity　to　extraneous　standards　of　living　and　of



conduct　so　gratuitous　a　burden；　since　learning　is　in　no　degree　a



competitive　enterprise；　and　all　mandatory　observance　of　the



conventions　　pecuniary　or　other　　is　necessarily　a　drag　on　the



pursuit　of　knowledge。　In　ordinary　competitive　business；　as；　e。g。；



merchandising；　advertisement　is　a　means　of　competitive　selling；



and　is　justified　by　the　increased　profits　that　come　to　the



successful　advertiser　from　the　increased　traffic；　and　on　the　like



grounds　a　painstaking　conformity　to　conventional　usage；　in



appearances　and　expenditure；　is　there　wisely　cultivated　with　the



same　end　in　view。　In　the　affairs　of　science　and　scholarship；



simply　as　such　and　apart　from　the　personal　ambitions　of　the



university's　executive；　there　is　nothing　that　corresponds　to　this



increased　traffic　or　these　competitive　profits；（3*）　　nor　will



the　discretionary　officials　avow　that　such　increased　traffic　is



the　purpose　of　academic　publicity。　Indeed；　an　increased　enrolment



of　students　yields　no　increased　net　income；　nor　is　the



corporation　of　learning　engaged　（avowedly；　at　least）　in　an



enterprise　that　looks　to　a　net　income。　At　the　same　time；　such



increased　enrolment　as　comes　of　this　competitive　salesmanship



among　the　universities　is　made　up　almost　wholly　of　wasters；



accessions　from　the　genteel　and　sporting　classes；　who　seek　the



university　as　a　means　of　respectability　and　dissipation；　and　who



serve　the　advancement　of　the　higher　learning　only　as　fire；　flood



and　pestilence　serve　the　needs　of　the　husbandman。



　　　　Competitive　publicity；　therefore；　and　its　maid…servant



conventional　observance；　would　appear　in　all　this　order　of　things



to　have　no　serious　motive；　or　at　least　none　that　can　freely　be



avowed；　as　witness　the　unwillingness　of　any　university



administration　formally　to　avow　that　it　seeks　publicity　or



expends　the　corporate　funds　in　competitive　advertising。　So　that



on　its　face　this　whole　academic　traffic　in　publicity　and　genteel



conventionalities　appears　to　be　little　else　than　a　boyish



imitation　of　the　ways　and　means　employed；　with　shrewd　purpose；　in



business　enterprise　that　has　no　analog　with　the　pursuit　of



knowledge。　But　the　aggregate　yearly　expenditure　of　the



universities　on　this　competitive　academic　publicity　runs　well　up



into　the　millions；　and　it　involves　also　an　extensive　diversion　of



the　energies　of　the　general　body　of　academic　men　to　these



purposes　of　creditable　notoriety；　and　such　an　expenditure　of



means　and　activities　is　not　lightly　to　be　dismissed　as　an



unadvised　play　of　businesslike　fancy　on　the　part　of　the



university　authorities。



　　　　Unquestionably；　an　unreflecting　imitation　of　methods　that



have　been　found　good　in　retail　merchandising　counts　for　something



in　the　case；　perhaps　for　much；　for　the　academic　executives　under



whose　surveillance　this　singularly　futile　traffic　is　carried　on



are　commonly　men　of　commonplace　intelligence　and　aspiration；



bound　by　the　commonplace　habits　of　workday　intercourse　in　a



business　community。　The　histrionic　afflatus　is　also　by　no　means



wanting　in　current　university　management；　and　when　coupled　with



commonplace　ideals　in　the　dramatic　art　its　outcome　will



necessarily　be　a　tawdry；　spectacular　pageantry　and　a　straining



after　showy　magnitude。　There　is　also　the　lower　motive　of



unreflecting　clannishness　on　the　part　of　the　several　university



establishments。　This　counts　for　something；　perhaps　for　more　than



one　could　gracefully　admit。　It　stands　out　perhaps　most　baldly　in



the　sentimental　rivalry　　somewhat　factitious；　it　is　true　



shown　at　intercollegiate　games　and　similar　occasions　of　invidious



comparison　between　the　different　schools。　It　is；　of　course；



gratifying　to　the　clannish　conceit　of　any　college　man　to　be　able



to　hold　up　convincing　statistical　exhibits　showing　the　greater



glory　of　〃his　own〃　university；　whether　in　athletics；　enrolment；



alumni；　material　equipment；　or　schedules　of　instruction；　whether



he　be　an　official；　student；　alumnus；　or　member　of　the　academic



staff；　and　all　this　array　and　circumstance　will　appeal　to　him　the



more　unreservedly　in　proportion　as　he　is　gifted　with　a　more



vulgar　sportsmanlike　bent　and　is　unmoved　by　any　dispassionate



interest　in　matters　of　science　or　scholarship；　and　in　proportion；



also；　as　his　habitual　outlook　is　that　of　the　commonplace　man　of



affairs。　In　the　uncritical　eyes　of　the　commonplace　men　of



affairs；　whose　experience　in　business　has　trained　them　into　a



quasi…tropismatic　approval　of　notoriety　as　a　means　of



advertising；　these　puerile　demonstrations　will；　of　course；　have　a



high　value　simply　in　their　own　right。　Sentimental　chauvinism　of



this　kind　is　a　good　and　efficient　motive　to　emulative　enterprise；



as　far　as　it　goes；　but　even　when　backed　with　the　directorate's



proclivity　to　businesslike　make…believe；　it　can；　after　all；



scarcely　be　made　to　cover　the　whole　voluminous　traffic　that　must



on　any　consistent　view　go　in　under　the　head　of　competitive



publicity。











　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　III







　　　　The　abiding　incentives　to　this　traffic　in　publicity　and



genteel　observance　must　be　sought　elsewhere　than　in　the　boyish



emotions　of　rivalry　and　clanish　elation　that　animates　the



academic　staff；　or　even　in　the　histrionic　interest　which　the



members　of　the　staff　or　the　directorate　may　have　in　the　prestige



of　their　own　establishment。　The　staff；　indeed；　are　not　in　any



sensible　degree　accountable　for　this　pursuit　of　prestige；　since



they　have　but　little　discretion　in　these　matters；　in　substance；



the　government　of　a　competitive　university　is　necessarily　of　an



autocratic　character；　whatever　plausible　forms　of　collective



action　and　advisement　it　may　be　found　expedient　to　observe。　The



seat　of　discretion　is　in　the　directorate；　though　many　details　of



administration　may　be　left　to　the　deliberations　of　the　staff；　so



long　as　these　details　do　not　impinge　on　the　directorate's　scheme



of　policy。　The　impulse　and　initiative　to　this　enterprise　in



publicity；　as　well　as　the　surveillance　and　guidance　in　the



matter；　radiates　from　this　centre；　and　it　is　here；　presumably；



that　the　incentives　to　such　enterprise　are　immediately　felt。　The



immediate　discretion　in　the　conduct　of　these　matters　rests　in　the



hands　of　the　directive　academic　head；　with　the　aid　and　advice　of



his　circle　of　personal　counsellors；　and　with　the　backing　of　the



governing　board。



　　　　The　incentives　that　decide　the　policy　of　publicity　and　guide



its　execution　must　accordingly　be　such　as　will　appeal　directly　to



the　sensibilities　of　the　academic　head　and　of　the　members　of　the



governing　board；　and　this　applies　not　only　as　regards　the　traffic



in　publicity　by　print　and　public　spectacles；　but　also　as　regards



the　diversion　of　the　corporation　of　learning　to　utilitarian　ends；



and　as　regards　the　traffic　in　conventional　observances　and



conformity　to　popular　opinion。　What　these　incentives　may　be；　that



so　appeal　to　the　authorities　in　discretion；　and　that　move　them　to



divert　the　universities　from　the　pursuit　of