the higher learning in america-第18部分

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fraction　of　the　income；　again；　an　appreciable　sum　was　set　aside



as　a　special　sinking　fund　to　accumulate　for　the　eventual　use　of



the　university　library；　　which；　it　may　be　remarked；　was　in　the



meantime　seriously　handicapped　for　want　of　funds　with　which　to



provide　for　current　needs。　So　also　the　academic　establishment　at



large　was　perforce　managed　on　a　basis　of　penurious　economy；　to



the　present　inefficiency　and　the　lasting　damage　of　the



university。



　　　　The　figures　and　percentages　given　above　are　not　claimed　to　be



exact；　it　is　known　that　a　more　accurate　specification　of　details



would　result　in　a　less　favourable　showing。



　　　　At　the　time　when　these　matters　were　disclosed　（to　a　small



number　of　the　uneasy　persons　interested）　there　was　an　ugly



suggestion　afloat　touching　the　pecuniary　integrity　of　the　board's



management；　but　this　is　doubtless　to　be　dismissed　as　being　merely



a　loose　expression　of　ill…will；　and　the　like　is　also　doubtless　to



be　said　as　regards　the　suggestion　that　there　may　have　been　an



interested　collusion　between　the　academic　head　and　the　active



members　of　the　board。　These　were　〃all　honourable　men；〃　of　great



repute　in　the　community　and　well　known　as　sagacious　and



successful　men　in　their　private　business　ventures。







2。　Cf。　The　Instinct　of　Workmanship；　ch。　vii；　pp。　343…352。







3。　A　subsidiary　reason　of　some　weight　should　not　be　overlooked　in



seeking　the　cause　of　this　secularization　of　the　boards；　and　of



the　peculiar　colour　which　the　secularization　has　given　them。　In



any　community　where　wealth　and　business　enterprise　are　held　in



such　high　esteem；　men　of　wealth　and　of　affairs　are　not　only



deferred　to；　but　their　countenance　is　sought　from　one　motive　and



another。　At　the　same　time　election　to　one　of　these　boards　has



come　to　have　a　high　value　as　an　honourable　distinction。　Such



election　or　appointment　therefore　is　often　sought　from　motives　of



vanity；　and　it　is　at　the　same　time　a　convenient　means　of



conciliating　the　good　will　of　the　wealthy　incumbent。



　　　　It　may　be　added　that　now　and　again　the　discretionary　control



of　large　funds　which　so　falls　to　the　members　of　the　board　may



come　to　be　pecuniarily　profitable　to　them；　so　that　the　office　may



come　to　be　attractive　as　a　business　proposition　as　well　as　in



point　of　prestige。　Instances　of　the　kind　are　not　wholly　unknown；



though　presumably　exceptional。







4。　Cf。；　e。　g。。　R。　T。　Crane。　The　Futility　of　All　Kinds　of　Higher



Schooling；　especially　part　I；　ch。　iv。







5。　Cf。　R。T。　Crane；　as　above；　especially　part　I；　ch。　ii。　iii；　and



vi。　Cf。　also　H。P。　Judson；　The　Higher　Education　as　a　Training　for



Business；　where　the　case　is　argued　in　a　typically　commonplace　and



matter…of…fact　spirit；　but　where　〃The　Higher　Education〃　is　taken



to　mean　the　undergraduate　curriculum　simply；　also　〃A　Symposium　on



the　value　of　humanistic；　particularly　classical；　studies　as　a



training　for　men　of　affairs；〃　Proceedings　of　the　Classical



Conference　at　Ann　Arbor；　Michigan；　April　3；　1909。







6。　Cf。　Bacon；　Essays　　〃Of　Cunning〃；　and　〃Of　Wisdom　for　a　Man's



Self。〃







7。　Cf。　ch。　viii；　especially　pp。　242…269。







CHAPTER　III







The　Academic　Administration　and　Policy







　　　　Men　dilate　on　the　high　necessity　of　a　businesslike



organization　and　control　of　the　university；　its　equipment；



personnel　and　routine。　What　is　had　in　mind　in　this　insistence　on



an　efficient　system　is　that　these　corporations　of　learning　shall



set　their　affairs　in　order　after　the　pattern　of　a　well…conducted



business　concern。　In　this　view　the　university　is　conceived　as　a



business　house　dealing　in　merchantable　knowledge；　placed　under



the　governing　hand　of　a　captain　of　erudition；　whose　office　it　is



to　turn　the　means　in　hand　to　account　in　the　largest　feasible



output。　It　is　a　corporation　with　large　funds；　and　for　men　biased



by　their　workday　training　in　business　affairs　it　comes　as　a



matter　of　course　to　rate　the　university　in　terms　of　investment



and　turnover。　Hence　the　insistence　on　business　capacity　in　the



executive　heads　of　the　universities；　and　hence　also　the　extensive



range　of　businesslike　duties　and　powers　that　devolve　on　them。



　　　　Yet　when　all　these　sophistications　of　practical　wisdom　are



duly　allowed　for；　the　fact　remains　that　the　university　is；　in



usage；　precedent；　and　common　sense　preconception；　an



establishment　for　the　conservation　and　advancement　of　the　higher



learning；　devoted　to　a　disinterested　pursuit　of　knowledge。　As



such；　it　consists　of　a　body　of　scholars　and　scientists；　each　and



several　of　whom　necessarily　goes　to　his　work　on　his　own



initiative　and　pursues　it　in　his　own　way。　This　work　necessarily



follows　an　orderly　sequence　and　procedure；　and　so　takes　on　a



systematic　form；　of　an　organic　kind。　But　the　system　and　order



that　so　govern　the　work；　and　that　come　into　view　in　its　procedure



and　results；　are　the　logical　system　and　order　of　intellectual



enterprise；　not　the　mechanical　or　statistical　systematization



that　goes　into　effect　in　the　management　of　an　industrial　plant　or



the　financiering　of　a　business　corporation。



　　　　Those　items　of　human　intelligence　and　initiative　that　go　to



make　up　the　pursuit　of　knowledge；　and　that　are　embodied　in



systematic　form　in　its　conclusions；　do　not　lend　themselves　to



quantitative　statement；　and　can　not　be　made　to　appear　on　a



balance…sheet。　Neither　can　that　intellectual　initiative　and



proclivity　that　goes　in　as　the　indispensable　motive　force　in　the



pursuit　of　learning　be　reduced　to　any　known　terms　of



subordination；　obedience；　or　authoritative　direction。　No　scholar



or　scientist　can　become　an　employee　in　respect　of　his　scholarly



or　scientific　work。　Mechanical　systematization　and　authoritative



control　can　in　these　premises　not　reach　beyond　the　material



circumstances　that　condition　the　work　in　hand；　nor　can　it　in



these　external　matters　with　good　effect　go　farther　than　is



necessary　to　supply　the　material　ways　and　means　requisite　to　the



work；　and　to　adapt　them　to　the　peculiar　needs　of　any　given　line



of　inquiry　or　group　of　scholars。　In　order　to　their　best



efficiency；　and　indeed　in　the　degree　in　which　efficiency　in　this



field　of　activity　is　to　be　attained　at　all；　the　executive



officers　of　the　university　must　stand　in　the　relation　of



assistants　serving　the　needs　and　catering　to　the　idiosyncrasies



of　the　body　of　scholars　and　scientists　that　make　up　the



university；（1*）　in　the　degree　in　which　the　converse　relation　is



allowed　to　take　effect；　the　unavoidable　consequence　is　wasteful



defeat。　A　free　hand　is　the　first　and　abiding　requisite　of



scholarly　and　scientific　work。



　　　　Now；　in　accepting　office　as　executive　head　of　a　university；



the　incumbent　necessarily　accepts　all　the　conditions　that　attach



to　the　administration　of　his　office；　whether　by　usage　and　common



sense　expectation；　by　express　arrangement；　or　by　patent



understanding　with　the　board　to　which　he　owes　his　elevation　to



this　post　of　dignity　and　command。　By　usage　and　precedent　it　is



incumbent　on　him　to　govern　the　academic　personnel　and　equipment



with　an　eye　single　to　the　pursuit　of　knowledge；　and　so　to　conduct



its　affairs　as　will　most　effectually　compass　that　end。　That　is　to



say　he　must　so　administer　his　office　as　best　to　serve　the



scholarly　needs　of　the　academic　staff；　due　regard　being



scrupulously　had　to　the　idiosyncrasies；　and　even　to　the　vagaries；



of　the　men　whose　work　he　is　called　on　to　further。　But　by　patent



understanding；　if　not　by　explicit　stipulation；　from　the　side　of



the　governing　board；　fortified　by　the　preconceptions　of　the　laity



at　large　to　the　same　effect；　he　is　held　to　such　a　conspicuously



efficient　employment　of　the　means　in　hand　as　will　gratify　those



who　look　for　a　voluminous　turnover。　To　this　end　he　must　keep　the



academic　administration　and　its　activity　constantly　in　the　public



eye；　with　such　〃pomp　and　circumstance〃　of　untiring　urgency　and



expedition　as　will　carry　the　conviction　abroad　that　the



university　under　his　management　is　a　highly　successful　going



concern；　and　he　must　be　able　to　show　by　itemized　accounts　that



the　volume　of　output　is　such　as　to　warrant　the　investment。　So　the



equipment　and　personnel　must　be　organized　into　a　facile　and



orderly　working　force；　held　under　the　directive　control　of　the



captain　of　erudition　at　every　point；　and　so　articulated　and



standardized　that　its　rate　of　speed　and　the　volume　of　its　current



output　can　be　exhibited　to　full　statistical　effect　as　it　runs。



　　　　The　university　is　to　make　good　both　as　a　corporation　of



learning　and　as　a　business　concern　dealing　in　standardized



erudition；　and　the　executive　head　necessarily　assumes　the



responsibility　of　making　it　count　wholly　and　unreservedly　in　each



of　these　divergent；　if　not　incompatible　lines。（2*）　Humanly



speaking；　it　follows　by　necessary　consequence　that　he　will　first



and　always　take　care　of　those　duties　that　are　most　jealously



insisted　on　by　the　powers　to　whom　he　is　accountable；　and　the　due



performance　of　which　will　at　the　same　time　yield　some



sufficiently　tangible　evidence　of　his　efficiency。　That　other；



more　recondite　side　of　the　university's　work　that　has



substantially　to　do　with　the　higher　learning　is　not　readily　set



out　in　the　form　of　statistical　exhibits；　at　the　best；　and　can



ordinarily　come　to　appraisal　and　popular　appreciation　only　in　the



long　run。　The　need　of　a　businesslike　showing　is　instant　and



imperative