the higher learning in america-第15部分

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hardihood；　insight；　temerity　or　tenacity；　but　wealth　does　not



accumulate　in　their　hands；　and　it　is　a　common　saying；　of　them　as



of　the　inventors；　that　they　are　not　fit　to　conduct　their　own



（pecuniary）　affairs；　and　the　reminder　is　scarcely　needed　that



neither　they　nor　their　qualities　are　drawn　into　the　counsels　of



these　governing　boards。　The　wealth　and　the　serviceable　results



that　come　of　the　endeavours　of　these　enterprising　and　temerarious



Americans　habitually　inure　to　the　benefit　of　such　of　their



compatriots　as　are　endowed　with　a　〃safe　and　sane〃　spirit　of



〃watchful　waiting；〃　　of　caution；　collusion　and　chicane。　There



is　a　homely　but　well…accepted　American　colloquialism　which　says



that　〃The　silent　hog　eats　the　swill。〃



　　　　As　elsewhere；　but　in　a　higher　degree　and　a　more　cogent　sense



than　elsewhere；　success　in　business　affairs；　in　such　measure　as



to　command　the　requisite　deference；　comes　only　by　getting



something　for　nothing。　And；　baring　　accidents　and　within　the



law；　it　is　only　the　waiting　game　and　the　defensive　tactics　that



will　bring　gains　of　that　kind；　unless　it　be　strategy　of　the



nature　of　finesse　and　chicane。　Now　it　happens　that　American



conditions　during　the　past　one　hundred　years　have　been　peculiarly



favourable　to　the　patient　and　circumspect　man　who　will　rather



wait　than　work；　and　it　is　also　during　these　hundred　years　that



the　current　traditions　and　standards　of　business　conduct　and　of



businesslike　talent　have　taken　shape　and　been　incorporated　in　the



community's　common　sense。　America　has　been　a　land　of　free　and



abounding　resources；　which　is　to　say；　when　converted　into　terms



of　economic　theory；　that　it　is　the　land　of　the　unearned



increment。　In　all　directions；　wherever　enterprise　and　industry



have　gone；　the　opportunity　was　wide　and　large　for　such　as　had　the



patience　or　astuteness　to　place　themselves　in　the　way　of　this



multifarious　flow　of　the　unearned　increment；　and　were　endowed



with　the　retentive　grasp。　Putting　aside　the　illusions　of　public



spirit　and　diligent　serviceability；　sedulously　cultivated　by　the



apologists　of　business；　it　will　readily　be　seen　that　the　great



mass　of　reputably　large　fortunes　in　this　country　are　of　such　an



origin；　nor　will　it　cost　anything　beyond　a　similar　lesion　to　the



affections　to　confirm　the　view　that　such　is　the　origin　and　line



of　derivation　of　the　American　propertied　business　community　and



its　canons　of　right　and　honest　living。







　　　　It　is　a　common　saying　that　the　modern　taste　has　been　unduly



commercialized　by　the　unremitting　attention　necessarily　given　to



matters　of　price　and　of　profit　and　loss　in　an　industrial



community　organized　on　business　principles；　that　pecuniary



standards　of　excellence　are　habitually　accepted　and　applied　with



undue　freedom　and　finality。　But　what　is　scarcely　appreciated　at



its　full　value　is　the　fact　that　these　pecuniary　standards　of



merit　and　efficiency　are　habitually　applied　to　men　as　well　as　to



things；　and　with　little　less　freedom　and　finality。　The　man　who



applies　himself　undeviatingly　to　pecuniary　affairs　with　a　view　to



his　own　gain；　and　who　is　habitually　and　cautiously　alert　to　the



main　chance；　is　not　only　esteemed　for　and　in　respect　of　his



pecuniary　success；　but　he　is　also　habitually　rated　high　at　large；



as　a　particularly　wise　and　sane　person。　He　is　deferred　to　as



being　wise　and　sane　not　only　in　pecuniary　matters　but　also　in　any



other　matters　on　which　he　may　express　an　opinion。



　　　　A　very　few　generations　ago；　be　fore　the　present　pecuniary　era



of　civilization　had　made　such　headway；　and　before　the　common　man



in　these　civilized　communities　had　lost　the　fear　of　God；　the　like



wide…sweeping　and　obsequious　veneration　and　deference　was　given



to　the　clergy　and　their　opinions；　for　the　churchmen　were　then；　in



the　popular　apprehension；　proficient　in　all　those　matters　that



were　of　most　substantial　interest　to　the　common　man　of　that　time。



Indeed；　the　salvation　of　men's　souls　was　then　a　matter　of　as



grave　and　untiring　solicitude　as　their　commercial　solvency　has



now　become。　And　the　trained　efficiency　of　the　successful



clergyman　of　that　time　for　the　conduct　of　spiritual　and



ecclesiastical　affairs　lent　him　a　prestige　with　his　fellow　men



such　as　to　give　his　opinions；　decisions　and　preconceptions　great



and　unquestioned　weight　in　temporal　matters　as　well；　he　was　then



accepted　as　the　type　of　wise；　sane　and　benevolent　humanity；　in



his　own　esteem　as　well　as　in　the　esteem　of　his　fellows。　In　like



manner　also；　in　other　times　and　under　other　cultural　conditions



the　fighting…man　has　held　the　first　place　in　men's　esteem　and　has



been　deferred　to　in　matters　that　concerned　his　trade　and　in



matters　that　did　not。



　　　　Now；　in　that　hard　and　fast　body　of　aphoristic　wisdom　that



commands　the　faith　of　the　business　community　there　is　comprised



the　conviction　that　learning　is　of　no　use　in　business。　This



conviction　is；　further；　backed　up　and　coloured　with　the　tenet；



held　somewhat　doubtfully；　but　also；　and　therefore；　somewhat



doggedly；　by　the　common　run　of　businessmen；　that　what　is　of　no



use　in　business　is　not　worth　while。　More　than　one　of　the　greater



businessmen　have　spoken；　advisedly　and　with　emphasis；　to　the



effect　that　the　higher　learning　is　rather　a　hindrance　than　a　help



to　any　aspirant　for　business　success；（4*）　more　particularly　to



any　man　whose　lot　is　cast　in　the　field　of　business　enterprise　of



a　middling　scale　and　commonplace　circumstances。　And　notoriously；



the　like　view　of　the　matter　prevails　throughout　the　business



community　at　large。　What　these　men　are　likely　to　have　in　mind　in



passing　this　verdict；　as　shown　by　various　expressions　on　this



head；　is　not　so　much　the　higher　learning　in　the　proper　sense；　but



rather　that　slight　preliminary　modicum　that　is　to　be　found



embodied　in　the　curriculum　of　the　colleges；　　for　the　common　run



of　businessmen　are　not　sufficiently　conversant　with　these　matters



to　know　the　difference；　or　that　there　is　a　difference；　between



the　college　and　the　university。　They　are　busy　with　other　things。



　　　　It　is　true；　men　whose　construction　of　the　facts　is　coloured



by　their　wish　to　commend　the　schools　to　the　good　will　of　the



business　community　profess　to　find　ground　for　the　belief　that



university　training；　or　rather　the　training　of　the　undergraduate



school；　gives　added　fitness　for　a　business　career；　particularly



for　the　larger　business　enterprise。　But　they　commonly　speak



apologetically　and　offer　extenuating　considerations；　such　as



virtually　to　concede　the　case；　at　the　same　time　that　they　are



very　prone　to　evade　the　issue　by　dwelling　on　accessory　and



subsidiary　considerations　that　do　not　substantially　touch　the



question　of　trained　capacity　for　the　conduct　of　business



affairs。（5*）　The　apologists　commonly　shift　from　the　undebatable



ground　of　the　higher　learning　as　related　to　business　success；　to



the　more　defensible　ground　of　the　undergraduate　curriculum；



considered　as　introductory　to　those　social　amenities　that　devolve



on　the　successful　man　of　business；　and　in　so　far　as　they　confine



themselves　to　the　topic　of　education　and　business　they　commonly



spend　their　efforts　in　arguing　for　the　business　utility　of　the



training　afforded　by　the　professional　and　technical　schools；



included　within　the　university　corporation　or　otherwise。　There　is



ground　for　their　contention　in　so　far　as　〃university　training〃　is



（by　subreption）　taken　to　mean　training　in　those　〃practical〃



branches　of　knowledge　（Law；　Politics；　Accountancy；　etc。）　that



have　a　place　within　the　university　precincts　only　by　force　of　a



non…sequitur。　And　the　spokesmen　for　these　views　are　commonly



also；　and　significantly；　eager　to　make　good　their　contention　by



advocating　the　introduction　of　an　increased　proportion　of　these



〃practical〃　subjects　into　the　schedule　of　instruction。



　　　　The　facts　are　notorious　and　leave　little　room　for　cavil　on



the　merits　of　the　case。　Particularly　is　the　award　of　the　facts



unequivocal　in　America；　　the　native　ground　of　the　self…made



businessman；　and　at　the　same　time　the　most　admirably



thorough…paced　business　community　extant。　The　American　business



community　is　well　enough　as　it　is；　without　the　higher　learning；



and　it　is　fully　sensible　that　the　higher　learning　is　not　a



business　proposition。



　　　　But　a　good　rule　works　both　ways。　If　scholarly　and　scientific



training；　such　as　may　without　shame　be　included　under　the　caption



of　the　higher　learning；　unfits　men　for　business　efficiency；　then



the　training　that　comes　of　experience　in　business　must　also　be



held　to　unfit　men　for　scholarly　and　scientific　pursuits；　and　even



more　pronouncedly　for　the　surveillance　of　such　pursuits。　The



circumstantial　evidence　for　the　latter　proposition　is　neither



less　abundant　nor　less　unequivocal　than　for　the　former。　If　the



higher　learning　is　incompatible　with　business　shrewdness；



business　enterprise　is；　by　the　same　token；　incompatible　with　the



spirit　of　the　higher　learning。　Indeed；　within　the　ordinary　range



of　lawful　occupations　these　two　lines　of　endeavour；　and　the



animus　that　belongs　to　each；　are　as　widely　out　of　touch　as　may



be。　They　are　the　two　extreme　terms　of　the　modern　cultural　scheme；



although　at　the　same　time　each　is　intrinsic　and　indispensable　to



the　scheme　of　modern　civilization　as　it　runs。　With　the　excision



or　serious　crippling　of　either；　Western　Civilization　would　suffer



a　dislocation　amounting　to　a　revolutionary　change。