the higher learning in america-第73章

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！





appreciably　more　than　the　homiletical　university　executives



alluded　to　above；　and　their　understudies；　while　it　is　also　not



strictly　inclusive　of　all　these　executives。　There　is　indeed　a



fairly　obvious　contingent　comes　in　from　among　those　minor



politicians　and　clergymen　who　crave　the　benefit　of　an　inoffensive



notoriety；　and　who　are　at　the　same　time　solicitous　to　keep　their



fellow…men　in　mind　of　the　unforgotten　commonplaces。　One　will



necessarily　have　misgivings　about　putting　forward　a　new　technical



term　for　adoption　into　a　vocabulary　that　is　already　top…heavy



with　technical　innovations。　〃Philandropist〃　has　been　suggested。



It　is　not　a　large　innovation；　and　it　has　the　merit　of　being



obviously　self…explanatory。　At　the　same　time　its　phonetic



resemblance　to　an　older　term；　already　well　accepted　in　the



language；　should　recommend　it　to　the　members　of　the　craft　whom　it



is　designed　to　signalize；　and　with　whom　phonetic　considerations



are　habitually　allowed　weight。　The　purists　will　doubtless　find



〃philandropist〃　a　barbarism；　but　that　is　an　infirmity　that　has



attached　to　many　technical　designations　at　their　inception；



without　permanently　hindering　their　acceptance　and



serviceability；　it　is　also　not　wholly　unfitting　that　the　term



chosen　should　be　of　such　a　character。







8。　　　　　　〃The　time　has　come；　the　walrus　said；



　　　　　　　　To　talk　of　many　things。〃







Within　the　last　few　years　one　of　the　more　illustrious　and　fluent



of　the　captains　of　erudition　hit　upon　the　expedient　of　having　a



trusted　locum　tenens　appointed　to　take　over　the　functions　of　the



home　office　for　a　term　of　years；　while　the　captain　himself　〃takes



the　road〃　　on　an　appreciably　augmented　salary　　to　speak　his



mind　eloquently　on　many　topics。　The　device　can；　however；　scarcely



yet　be　said　to　have　passed　the　experimental　phase。　This



illustrious　exponent　of　philandropism　commands　an　extraordinary



range　of　homily　and　is　a　raconteur　of　quite　exceptional　merit；



and　a　device　that　commends　itself　in　this　special　case；



therefore；　may　or　may　not　prove　a　feasible　plan　in　general　and



ordinary　usage。　But　in　any　case　it　indicates　a　felt　need　of　some



measure　of　relief；　such　as　will　enable　the　run　of　presidential



speech　to　gain　a　little　something　in　amplitude　and　frequency。







9。　So；　e。g。；　a　certain　notably　self…possessed　and　energetic



captain　of　erudition　has　been　in　the　habit　of　repeating　（〃on　the



spur　of　the　moment〃）　a　homily　on　one　of　the　staple　Christian



virtues。







10。　These　resulting　canons　of　blameless　anility　will　react　on　the



character　of　the　academic　personnel　in　a　two…fold　way：　negatively



and　by　indirection　they　work　out　in　an　（uncertain　but　effectual）



selective　elimination　of　such　persons　as　are　worth　while　in　point



of　scholarship　and　initiative；　while　positively　and　by　direct



incitement　it　results　that　the　tribe　of　Lo　Basswood　has　been



elected　to　fill　the　staff　with　vacancy。



　　　　At　the　same　time　the　case　is　not　unknown；　nor　is　it



altogether　a　chance　occurrence；　where　such　an　executive　with



plenary　powers；　driven　to　uncommonly　fatuous　lengths　by　this



calculus　of　expedient　notoriety；　and　intent　on　putting　a　needed



patch　on　the　seat　of　his　honour；　has　endeavoured　to　save　some



remnant　of　good…will　among　his　academic　acquaintance　by



protesting；　in　strict　and　confidential　privacy；　that　his　course



of　action　taken　in　conformity　with　these　canons　was　taken　for　the



sake　of　popular　effect；　and　not　because　he　did　not　know　better。



apparently　having　by　familiar　use　come　to　the　persuasion　that　a



knave　is　more　to　be　esteemed　than　a　fool；　and　overlooking　the



great　ease　with　which　he　has　been　able　to　combine　the　two



characters。







11。　In　all　fairness　it　should　be　noted；　as　a　caution　against



hasty　conclusions；　that　in　both　of　these　cases　this　initial



scholarly　intention　has　been　questioned　　or　denied　　by　men



well　informed　as　to　the　later　state　of　things　in　either　of　the



two　universities　in　question。　And　it　may　as　well　be　admitted



without　much　reservation　that　the　later　state　of　things　has



carried　no　broad　hint　of　an　initial　phase　in　the　life…history　of



these　schools；　in　which　ideals　of　scholarship　were　given　first



consideration。　Yet　it　is　to　be　taken　as　unequivocal　fact　that



such　was　the　case；　in　both　instances；　this　is　known　as　an　assured



matter　of　memory　by　men　competent　to　speak　from　familiar



acquaintance　with　the　relevant　facts　at　the　time。　In　both　cases；



it　is　only　in　the　outcome；　only　after　the　pressure　of



circumstances　has　had　time　to　act；　that　a　rounded　meretricious



policy　has　taken　effect。　What　has　misled　hasty　and　late…come



observers　in　this　matter　is　the　relatively　very　brief　



inconspicuously　brief　　time　interval　during　which　it　was　found



practicable　to　let　the　academic　policy　be　guided　primarily　by



scholarly　ideals。







12。　As　a　commentary　on　the　force　of　circumstances　and　the



academic　value　of　the　executive　office；　it　is　worth　noting　that；



in　the　case　cited；　an　administration　guided　by　a　forceful；



ingenious　and　intrepid　personality；　initially　imbued　with



scholarly　ideals　of　a　sort；　has　run　a　course　of　scarcely



interrupted　academic　decay；　while　the　succeeding　reign　of　astute



vacuity　and　quietism　as　touches　all　matters　of　scholarship　and



science　has；　on　the　whole；　and　to　date；　left　the　university　in　an



increasingly　hopeful　posture　as　a　seminary　of　the　higher



learning。　All　of　which　would　appear　to　suggest　a　parallel　with



the　classic　instance　of　King　Stork　and　King　Log；　Indeed；　at　the



period　of　the　succession　alluded　to；　the　case　of　these　fabled



majesties　was　specifically　called　to　mind　by　one　and　another　of



the　academic　staff。　It　would　appear　that　the　academic　staff　will



take　care　of　its　ostensible　work　with　better　effect　the　less



effectually　its　members　are　interfered　with　and　suborned　by　an



enterprising　captain　of　erudition。







13。　There　is　a　word　to　add；　as　to　the　measure　of　success　achieved



by　these　enterprises　along　their　chosen　lines　of　endeavour。　Both



of　the　establishments　spoken　of　are　schools　of　some　value　in　many



directions；　and　both　have　also　achieved　a　large　reputation　among



the　laity。　Indeed；　the　captains　under　whose　management　the　two



schools　have　perforce　carried　on　their　work；　are　commonly　held　in



considerable　esteem　as　having　achieved　great　things。　There　is　no



desire　here　to　understate　the　case；　but　it　should　be　worth



noting；　as　bearing　on　the　use　and　academic　value　of　the



presidential　office；　that　the　disposal　of　very　large　means　



means　of　unexampled　magnitude　　has　gone　to　this　achievement。　A



consideration　of　these　results；　whether　in　point　of　scholarship



or　of　notoriety；　as　compared　with　the　means　which　the　captains



have　disposed　of；　will　leave　one　in　doubt。　It　should　seem



doubtful　if　the　results　could　have　been　less　excellent　or　less



striking；　given　the　free　disposal　of　an　endowment　of　20　or　30



millions；　and　upward；　even　under　the　undistinguished　and



uneventful　management　of　commonplace　honesty　and　academic



traditions　without　the　guidance　of　a　〃strong　man。〃　It　is；　indeed；



not　easy　to　believe　that　less　could　have　been　achieved　without



the　captain's　help。　There　is　also　evidence　to　hand　that　the　loss



of　the　〃strong　man〃　has　entailed　no　sensible　loss　either　in　the



efficiency　or　in　the　good　repute　of　the　academic　establishment；



rather　the　reverse。







14。　Within　the　precincts；　it　is　not　unusual　to　meet　with　a



harsher　and　more　personal　note　of　appraisal　of　what　are　rated　as



the　frailties　of　the　executive。　The