the higher learning in america-第67章

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to　the　exigencies　of　this　high　office　will　leave　the　incumbent



still　amenable　to　the　dictates　of　commonplace　tolerance　and



common　honesty。



　　　　As　intimated　above；　men　with　ingrained　scholarly　ideals　and　a



consistent　aim　to　serve　the　ends　of　learning　will　still



occasionally　be　drawn　into　the　executive　office　by　force　of



circumstances　　particularly　by　force　of　the　slow…dying



preconception　that　the　preferences　of　the　academic　staff　should



count　for　something　in　the　choice　of　their　senior　member；　and



this　will　happen　in　spite　of　the　ubiquitous　candidature　of



aspirants　who　have　prepared　themselves　for　this　enterprise　by



sedulous　training　in　all　the　arts　of　popularity　and　by　a　well



organized　backing　of　influential　〃friends。〃　The　like　happened



more　frequently　a　quarter　of　a　century　ago；　at　the　time　when　the



current　situation　was　taking　shape　under　the　incipient　incursion



of　business　principles　into　university　policy。　But　it　does　not



appear　that　those　incumbents　who　so　enter　on　these　duties；　will



fare　notably　otherwise　in　the　end　than　do　the　others　whose



previous　training　has　already　bent　them　to　the　typical　policy　of



deviation；　from　the　outset。



　　　　An　illustrative　instance　or　two　may　well　be　to　the　point。　And



the　same　illustrations　will　perhaps　also　serve　to　enforce　the



view　that　anything　like　an　effectual　university　　a　seminary　of



the　higher　learning；　as　distinct　from　an　assemblage　of　vocational



schools　　is　not　a　practicable　proposition　in　America　under



current　conditions。　Such　seems　to　be　the　conclusion　vouched　for



by　the　two　most　notable　attempts　of　the　kind　during　the　past



quarter…century。　The　two　instances　in　question　should　appear　to



afford　clear　experimental　evidence　to　that　effect；　though　it　is



always　possible　to　allege　that　personal　or　local　conditions　may



so　far　have　affected　these　experimental　instances　as　still　to



leave　the　case　in　doubt。



　　　　In　these　two　instances；　in　the　Middle　West　and　in　the　Far



West；　the　matter　has　been　tried　out　under　conditions　as



favourable　to　the　cause　of　learning　as　the　American　community　may



hope　to　offer；　barring　only　the　possible　inhibition　due　to　an



untoward　local　colour　of　sentiment。　Each　of　these　two　great



establishments　has　been　favoured　with　an　endowment　of　such



magnitude　as　would　be　adequate　to　the　foundation　of　an　effectual



university；　sufficient　to　the　single…minded　pursuit　of　the　higher



learning；　with　all　the　〃modern　appliances〃　requisite　to



scientific　and　scholarly　work；　if　only　their　resources　had　been



husbanded　with　a　single　mind　to　that　end；　and　in　either　case　the



terms　of　the　endowment　have　been　sufficiently　tolerant　to　admit



such　pursuit　of　knowledge　without　arri鑢e　pens閑。　The　directive



hands；　too；　under　whose　discretionary　control　each　of　these



establishments　entered　on　its　adventures　and　attained　its



distinctive　character；　were　men　who；　at　one　point　or　another　in



their　administration　of　academic　policy；　entertained　a　sincerely



conceived　scholarly　ambition　to　create　a　substantial　university；



an　institution　of　learning。（11*）　And；　in　a　general　way；　the　two



attempts　have　equally　failed　of　their　avowed　initial　purpose。



　　　　In　the　persons　of　their　discretionary　heads；　the　two



enterprises　were　from　the　outset　animated　with　widely　divergent



ideals　and　aspirations　in　matters　of　scholarship；　and　with



singularly　dissimilar　and　distinctive　traits　of　character；



resembling　one　another　in　little　else　than　a　sincere　devotion　to



the　cause　of　scholarship　and　an　unhampered　discretion　in　their



autocratic　management　of　affairs；　but　it　is　an　illuminating



comment　on　the　force　of　circumstances　governing　these　matters；



that　these　two　establishments　have　gone　down　to　substantially　the



same　kind　and　degree　of　defeat；　　a　defeat　not　extreme　but



typical；　both　in　kind　and　degree。　In　the　one　case；　the　more



notorious；　the　initial　aim　（well　known　to　persons　intimately　in



touch　with　the　relevant　facts　at　the　time）　was　the　pursuit　of



scholarship；　somewhat　blatant　perhaps；　but　none　the　less　sincere



and　thoughtful；　in　the　companion…piece　it　was　in　a　like　degree



the　pursuit　of　scientific　knowledge　and　serviceability；　though；



it　is　true；　unschooled　and　puzzle…headed　to　a　degree。　In　both



enterprises　alike　the　discretionary　heads　so　placed　in　control



had　been　selected　by　individual　businessmen　of　the　untutored



sort；　and　were　vested　with　plenary　powers。　Under　pressure　of



circumstances；　in　both　cases　alike；　the　policy　of　forceful



initiative　and　innovation；　with　which　both　alike　entered　on　the



enterprise；　presently　yielded　to　the　ubiquitous　craving　for



statistical　magnitude　and　the　consequent　felt　need　of



conciliatory　publicity；　until　presently　the　ulterior　object　of



both　was　lost　in　the　shadow　of　these　immediate　and　urgent



manoeuvres　of　expediency；　and　it　became　the　rule　of　policy　to



stick　at　nothing　but　appearances。



　　　　So　that　both　establishments　have　come　substantially　to



surrender　the　university　ideal；　through　loss　of　effectual



initiative　and　courage；　and　so　have　found　themselves　running



substantially　the　same　course　of　insidious　compromise　with



〃vocational〃　aims；　undergraduate　methods；　and　the　counsels　of　the



Philistines。　The　life…history　of　each；　while　differing　widely　in



detail　of　ways　and　methods；　is　after　all　macle　up；　for　the



greater　part；　of　futile　extensions；　expansions；　annexations；



ramifications；　affiliations　and　pronunciamentos；　in　matters　that



are　no　more　germane　to　the　cause　of　learning　than　is　the　state　of



the　weather。　In　the　one　case；　the　chase　after　a　sufficient



notoriety　took　the　direction　of　a　ravenous　megalomania；　the



busiest　concern　of　which　presently　came　to　be　how　most



conspicuously　to　prolong　a　shout　into　polysyllables；　and　the



further　fact　that　this　clamorous　raid　on　the　sensibilities　of　the



gallery　was　presently；　on　a　change　of　executive　personnel；



succeeded　by　a　genial　surrender　to　time　and　tide；　an　aimless



gum…shod　pusillanimity；　has　apparently　changed　the　drift　of



things　in　no　very　appreciable　degree。（12*）



　　　　In　the　companion…piece；　the　enterprise　has　been　brought　to



the　like　manner　and　degree　of　stultification　under　the　simple



guidance　of　an　hysterically　meticulous　deference　to　all　else　than



the　main　facts。　In　both　cases　alike　the　executive　solicitude　has



come　to　converge　on　a　self…centred　and　irresponsible　government



of　intolerance；　differing　chiefly　in　the　degree　of　its



efficiency。　Of　course；　through　all　this　drift　of　stultification



there　has　always　remained　　decus　et　solamen　　something　of　an



amiably　inefficient　and　optimistic　solicitude　for　the　advancement



of　learning　at　large；　in　some　unspecified　manner　and　bearing；



some　time；　but　not　to　interfere　with　the　business　in　hand。



　　　　It　is　not　that　either　of　these　two　great　schools　is　to　be



rated　as　useless　for　whatever　each　is　good　for；　but　only　that



that　pursuit　of　learning　on　which　both　set　out　in　the　beginning



has　fallen　into　abeyance；　by　force　of　circumstances　as　they



impinge　on　the　sensibilities　of　a　discretionary　executive。　As



vocational　schools　and　as　establishments　for　the　diffusion　of



salutary　advice　on　the　state　of　mankind　at　large；　both　are



doubtless　all　that　might　be　desired；　particularly　in　respect　of



their　statistical　showing。　It　is　only　that　the　affairs　of　the



higher　learning　have　come　definitively　to　take　a　subsidiary；　or



putative；　place。　In　these　establishments；　and　to　all　appearance



irretrievably　so；　because　both　are　now　committed　to　so　large　and



exacting　a　volume　of　obligations　and