the higher learning in america-第69章

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would　presently　consume　their　tissues　after　the　same　fashion。



　　　　It　is；　to　all　appearance；　impracticable　and　inadvisable　to



let　these　institutions　of　research　take　over　any　appreciable



share　of　that　work　of　scientific　and　scholarly　instruction　that



is　slipping　out　of　the　palsied　hands　of　the　universities；　so　as



to　include　some　consistent　application　to　teaching　within　the



scope　of　their　everyday　work。　And　this　cuts　out　of　their



complement　of　ways　and　means　one　of　the　chief　aids　to　an



effectual　pursuit　of　scientific　inquiry。　Only　in　the　most



exceptional；　not　to　say　erratic；　cases　will　good；　consistent；



sane　and　alert　scientific　work　be　carried　forward　through　a



course　of　years　by　any　scientist　without　students；　without　loss



or　blunting　of　that　intellectual　initiative　that　makes　the



creative　scientist。　The　work　that　can　be　done　well　in　the　absence



of　that　stimulus　and　safe…guarding　that　comes　of　the　give　and



take　between　teacher　and　student　is　commonly　such　only　as　can



without　deterioration　be　reduced　to　a　mechanically　systematized



task…work；　　that　is　to　say；　such　as　can；　without　loss　or　gain；



be　carried　on　under　the　auspices　of　a　businesslike　academic



government。



　　　　This；　imperatively　unavoidable；　absence　of　provision　for



systematic　instruction　in　these　new…found　establishments　of



research　means　also　that　they　and　the　work　which　they　have　in



hand　are　not　self…perpetuating；　whether　individually　and　in



detail　or　taken　in　the　large；　since　their　work　breeds　no



generation　of　successors　to　the　current　body　of　scientists　on



which　they　draw。　As　the　matter　stands　now；　they　depend　for　their



personnel　on　the　past　output　of　scholars　and　scientists　from　the



schools；　and　so　they　pick　up　and　turn　to　account　what　there　is



ready　to　hand　in　that　way　　not　infrequently　men　for　whom　the



universities　find　little　use；　as　being　refractory　material　not



altogether　suitable　for　the　academic　purposes　of　notoriety。　When



this　academic　source　fails；　as　it　presently　must；　with　the



increasingly　efficient　application　of　business　principles　in　the



universities；　there　should　seem　to　be　small　recourse　for



establishments　of　this　class　except　to　run　into　the　sands　of



intellectual　quietism　where　the　universities　have　gone　before。



　　　　In　this　connection　it　will　be　interesting　to　note；　by　way　of



parenthesis；　that　even　now　a　large　proportion　of　the　names　that



appear　among　the　staff　of　these　institutions　of　research　are　not



American；　and　that　even　the　American…born　among　them　are



frequently　not　American…bred　in　respect　of　their　scientific



training。　For　this　work；　recourse　is　necessarily　had　to　the



output　of　men　trained　elsewhere　than　in　the　vocational　and



athletic　establishments　of　the　American　universities；　or　to　that



tapering　file　of　academic　men　who　are　still　imbued　with



traditions　so　alien　to　the　current　scheme　of　conventions　as　to



leave　them　not　amenable　to　the　dictates　of　business　principles。



Meantime；　that　which　is　eating　the　heart　out　of　the　American



seminaries　of　the　higher　learning　should　in　due　course　also　work



out　the　like　sterilization　in　the　universities　of　Europe；　as　fast



and　as　far　as　these　other　countries　also　come　fully　into　line



with　the　same　pecuniary　ideals　that　are　making　the　outcome　in



America。　And　evidence　is　not　wholly　wanting　that　the　like



proclivity　to　pragmatic　and　popular　traffic　is　already　making　the



way　of　the　academic　scientist　or　scholar　difficult　and



distasteful　in　the　greater　schools　of　the　Old　World。　America　is



by　no　means　in　a　unique　position　in　this　matter；　except　only　in



respect　of　the　eminent　degree　in　which　this　community　is　pervaded



by　business　principles；　and　its　consequent　faith　in　businesslike



methods；　and　its　intolerance　of　any　other　than　pecuniary



standards　of　value。　It　is　only　that　this　country　is　in　the　lead；



the　other　peoples　of　Christendom　are　following　the　same　lead　as



fast　as　their　incumbrance　of　archaic　usages　and　traditions　will



admit；　and　the　generality　of　their　higher　schools　are　already



beginning　to　show　the　effects　of　the　same　businesslike



aspirations；　decoratively　coloured　with　feudalistic　archaisms　of



patriotic　buncombe。







　　　　As　will　be　seen　from　the　above　explication　of　details　and



circumstances；　such　practicable　measures　as　have　hitherto　been



offered　as　a　corrective　to　this　sterilization　of　the　universities



by　business　principles；　amount　to　a　surrender　of　these



institutions　to　the　enemies　of　learning；　and　a　proposal　to



replace　them　with　an　imperfect　substitute。　That　it　should　so　be



necessary　to　relinquish　the　universities；　as　a　means　to　the



pursuit　of　knowledge；　and　to　replace　them　with　a　second…best；　is



due；　as　has　also　appeared　from　the　above　analysis；　to　the　course



of　policy　（necessarily）　pursued　by　the　executive　officers　placed



in　control　of　academic　affairs；　and　the　character　of　the　policy



so　pursued　follows　unavoidably　from　the　dependence　of　the



executive　on　a　businesslike　governing　board；　backed　by　a



businesslike　popular　clamour；　on　the　one　hand；　and　from　his　being



（necessarily）　vested；　in　effect；　with　arbitrary　power　of　use　and



abuse　within　the　academic　community；　on　the　other　hand。　It



follows；　therefore；　also　that　no　remedy　or　corrective　can　be



contrived　that　will　have　anything　more　than　a　transient



palliative　effect；　so　long　as　these　conditions　that　create　the



difficulty　are　allowed　to　remain　in　force。



　　　　All　of　which　points　unambiguously　to　the　only　line　of



remedial　measures　that　can　be　worth　serious　consideration；　and　at



the　same　time　it　carries　the　broad　implication　that　in　the



present　state　of　popular　sentiment；　touching　these　matters　of



control　and　administration；　any　effort　that　looks　to　reinstate



the　universities　as　effectual　seminaries　of　learning　will



necessarily　be　nugatory；　inasmuch　as　the　popular　sentiment　runs



plainly　to　the　effect　that　magnitude；　arbitrary　control；　and



businesslike　administration　is　the　only　sane　rule　to　be　followed



in　any　human　enterprise。　So　that；　while　the　measures　called　for



are　simple；　obvious；　and　effectual；　they　are　also　sure　to　be



impracticable；　and　for　none　but　extraneous　reasons。



　　　　While　it　still　remains　true　that　the　long…term　common　sense



judgment　of　civilized　mankind　places　knowledge　above　business



traffic；　as　an　end　to　be　sought；　yet　workday　habituation　under



the　stress　of　competitive　business　has　induced　a　frame　of　mind



that　will　tolerate　no　other　method　of　procedure；　and　no　rule　of



life　that　does　not　approve　itself　as　a　faithful　travesty　of



competitive　enterprise。　And　since　the　quest　of　learning　can　not



be　carried　on　by　the　methods　or　with　the　apparatus　and　incidents



of　competitive　business；　it　follows　that　the　only　remedial



measures　that　hold　any　promise　of　rehabilitation　for　the　higher



learning　in　the　universities　can　not　be　attempted　in　the　present



state　of　public　sentiment。



　　　　All　that　is　required　is　the　abolition　of　the　academic



executive　and　of　the　governing　board。　Anything　short　of　this



heroic　remedy　is　bound　to　fail；　because　the　evils　sought　to　be



remedied　are　inherent　in　these　organs；　and　intrinsic　to　their



functioning。



　　　　Even　granting　the　possibility　of　making　such　a　move；　in　the



face　of　popular　prejudice；　it　will　doubtless　seem　suicidal；　on



first　thought；　to　take　so　radical　a　departure；　in　that　it　would



be　held　to　cripple　the　whole　academic　organization　and　subvert



the　scheme　of　things　academic；　for　good　and　all：　　which；　by　the



way；　is　precisely　what　would　have　to　be　aimed　at；　since　it　is　the