the higher learning in america-第51部分

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！





much　of　this　traffic　will　necessarily　be　delegated　to　such



representatives　of　the　chief　as　may　be　trusted　duly　to　observe



its　spirit　and　intention；　and　the　indicated　bearers　of　these



vicarious　dignities　and　responsibilities　will　necessarily　be　the



personal　aids　and　counsellors　of　the　chief；　which　throws　them；



again；　into　public　notice　in　a　most　propitious　fashion。



　　　　So　also；　by　force　of　the　same　exigencies　of　parade　and



discourse；　the　chief　executive　is　frequently　called　away　from



home　on　a　more　or　less　extended　itinerary；　and　the　burden　of



dignity　attached　to　the　thief　office　is　such　as　to　require　that



its　ostensible　duties　be　delegated　to　some　competent　lieutenant



during　these　extensive　absences　of　the　chief；　and　here；　again；



this　temporary　discretion　and　dignity　will　most　wisely　and



fittingly　be　delegated　to　some　member　of　the　corps　of　personal



aids　who　stands　in　peculiarly　close　relations　of　sympathy　and



usefulness　to　the　chief。　It　has　happened　more　than　once　that　such



an　habitual　〃acting　head〃　has　come　in　for　the　succession　to　the



executive　office。



　　　　It　comes；　therefore；　to　something　like　a　general　rule；　that



the　discipline　which　makes　the　typical　captain　of　erudition；　as



he　is　seen　in　the　administration　of　executive　office；　will　have



set　in　before　his　induction　into　office；　not　infrequently　at　an



appreciable　interval　before　that　event；　and　involving　a



consequent；　more　or　less　protracted；　term　of　novitiate；　probation



and　preliminary　seasoning；　and　the　aspirants　so　subjected　to　this



discipline　of　initiation　are　at　the　same　time　picked　men；　drawn



into　the　running　chiefly　by　force　of　a　facile　conformity　and　a



self…selective　predisposition　for　this　official　dignity。



　　　　The　resulting　captain　of　erudition　then　falls　under　a　certain



exacting　discipline　exercised　by　the　situation　in　which　the



exigencies　of　office　place　him。　These　exigencies　are　of　divers



origin；　and　are　systematically　at　variance　among　themselves。　So



that　the　dominant　note　of　his　official　life　necessarily　becomes



that　of　ambiguity。　By　tradition；　　indeed；　by　that　tradition　to



which　the　presidential　office　owes　its　existence；　and　except　by



force　of　which　there　would　apparently　be　no　call　to　institute



SuCh　an　office　at　all；　　by　tradition　the　president　of　the



university　is　the　senior　member　of　the　faculty；　its　confidential



spokesman　in　official　and　corporate　concerns；　and　the　〃moderator〃



of　its　town　meeting　like　deliberative　assemblies。　As　chairman　of



its　meetings　he　is；　by　tradition；　presumed　to　exercise　no



peculiar　control；　beyond　such　guidance　as　the　superior　experience



of　the　senior　member　may　be　presumed　to　afford　his　colleagues。　As



spokesman　for　the　faculty　he　is；　by　tradition；　presumed　to　be　a



scholar　of　such　erudition；　breadth　and　maturity　as　may　fairly



command　something　of　filial　respect　and　affection　from　his



associates　in　the　corporation　of　learning；　and　it　is　by　virtue　of



these　qualities　of　scholarly　wisdom；　which　give　him　his　place　as



senior　member　of　a　corporation　of　scholars；　that　he　is；　by



tradition；　competent　to　serve　as　their　spokesman　and　to　occupy



the　chair　in　their　deliberative　assembly。



　　　　Such　is　the　tradition　of　the　American　College　President；　



and；　in　so　far；　of　the　university　president；　　as　it　comes　down



from　that　earlier　phase　of　academic　history　from　which　the　office



derives　its　ostensible　character；　and　to　which　it　owes　its　hold



on　life　under　the　circumstances　of　the　later　growth　of　the



schools。　And　it　will　be　noted　that　this　office　is　distinctly



American；　it　has　no　counterpart　elsewhere；　and　there　appears　to



be　no　felt　need　of　such　an　office　in　other　countries；　where　no



similar　tradition　of　a　college　president　has　created　a



presumptive　need　of　a　similar　official　in　the　universities；　



the　reason　being　evidently　that　these　universities　in　other　lands



have　not；　in　the　typical　case；　grown　out　of　an　underlying



college。



　　　　In　the　sentimental　apprehension　of　the　laity　out　of　doors；



and　in　a　degree　even　in　the　unreflecting　esteem　of　men　within　the



academic　precincts；　the　presidential　office　still　carries



something　of　this　traditionally　preconceived　scholarly　character；



and　it　is　this　still　surviving　traditional　preconception；　which



confuses　induction　into　the　office　with　scholarly　fitness　for　its



dignities；　that　still　makes　the　office　of　the　academic　executive



available　for　those　purposes　of　expansive　publicity　and



businesslike　management　that　it　has　been　made　to　serve。　Except



for　this　uncritical　esteem　of　the　office　and　its　incumbency；　so



surviving　out　of　an　inglorious　past；　no　great　prestige　could



attach　to　that　traffic　in　spectacular　solemnities；　edifying



discourse　and　misdirected　business　control；　that　makes　up　the



substantial　duties　of　the　office　as　now　conducted。　It　is



therefore　of　the　utmost　moment　to　keep　up；　or　rather　to　magnify；



that　appearance　of　scholarly　competence　and　of　intimate



solidarity　with　the　corporation　of　learning　that　gives　the



presidential　office　this　prestige　value。　But　since　it　is　only　for



purposes　external；　not　to　say　extraneous；　to　the　corporation　of



learning　that　this　prestige　value　is　seriously　worth　while；　it　is



also　only　toward　the　outside　that　the　make…believe　of



presidential　erudition　and　scholarly　ideals　need　seriously　be



kept　up。　For　the　common　run　of　the　incumbents　today　to　pose



before　their　faculties　as　in　any　eminent　degree　conversant　with



the　run　of　contemporary　science　or　scholarship；　or　as　rising　to



the　average　even　of　their　own　faculties　in　this　respect；　would　be



as　bootless　as　it　is　uncalled　for。　But　the　faculties；　as　is　well



enough　understood；　need　of　course　entertain　no　respect　for　their



executive　head　as　a　citizen　of　the　republic　of　learning；　so　long



as　they　at　all　adequately　appreciate　his　discretionary　power　of



use　and　abuse；　as　touches　them　and　their　fortunes　and　all　the



ways；　means　and　opportunities　of　academic　work。　By　tradition；　and



in　the　genial　legendary　lore　that　colours　the　proceedings　of　the



faculty…meeting；　he　is　still　the　senior　member　of　an　assemblage



of　scholarly　gentlemen；　but　in　point　of　executive　fact　he　is



their　employer；　who　does　business　with　and　by　them　on　a



commercial　footing。　To　the　faculty；　the　presidential　office　is　a



business　proposition；　and　its　incumbent　is　chiefly　an　object　of



circumspection；　to　whom　they　owe　a　〃hired…man's　loyalty。〃



　　　　It　is　toward　the　outside；　in　the　face　of　the　laity　out　of



doors；　that　the　high　fence　　〃the　eight…fold　fence〃　　of



scholarly　pretension　is　to　be　kept　up。　Hence　the　indicated　means



of　its　up…keep　are　such　as　will　presumably　hold　the　（transient）



respect　and　affection　of　this　laity；quasi…scholarly　homiletical



discourse；　frequent；　voluminous；　edifying　and　optimistic；



ritualistic　solemnities；　diverting　and　vacant；　spectacular



affectations　of　（counterfeit）　scholastic　usage　in　the　way　of



droll　vestments；　bizarre　and　archaic；　parade　of　（make…believe）



gentility；　encouragement　and　（surreptitious）　subvention　of



athletic　contests；　promulgation　of　（presumably　ingenuous）



statistics　touching　the　volume　and　character　of　the　work　done。



　　　　It　is　only　by　keeping　up　these　manifestations　toward　the



outside；　and　making　them　good　in　the　esteem　of　the　unlearned；



that　the　presidential　office　can　be　made　to　serve　the　ends　of　the



board　of　control　and　the　ambitions　of　the　incumbent；　and　this



large　apparatus　and　traffic　of　make…believe；　therefore；　is　the



first　and　most　unremitting　object　of　executive　solicitude。　It　is



the　〃place　whereon　to　stand〃　while　moving　the　academic　universe。



The　uses　to　be　made　of　the　standing…place　so　achieved　have



already　been　set　out　in　some　detail　in　earlier　chapters。　They



centre　about　three　main　considerations：　Visible　magnitude；



bureaucratic　organization；　and　vocational　training。







　　　　As　already　noted　in　earlier　passages；　the　boards　of　control



are　bodies　of　businessmen　in　whose　apprehension　the　methods



successfully　employed　in　competitive　business　are　suitable　for



all　purposes　of　administration；　from　which　follows　that　the



academic　head　who　is　to　serve　as　their　general　manager　is　vested；



in　effect；　with　such　discretionary　powers　as　currently　devolve　on



the　discretionary　officials　of　business　corporations；　from　which



follows；　among　other　things；　that　the　members　of　the　faculty　come



to　take　rank　as　employees　of　the　concern；　hired　by　and



responsible　to　the　academic　head。



　　　　The　first　executive　duty　of　the　incumbent　of　office；



therefore；　is　to　keep　his　faculty　under　control；　so　as　to　be　able



unhampered　to　carry　out　the　policy　of　magnitude　and



secularization　with　a　view　to　which　the　governing　board　has



invested　him　with　his　powers。　This　work　of　putting　the　faculty　in



its　place　has　by　this　time　been　carried　out　with　sufficient



effect；　so　that　its　〃advice　and　consent〃　may　in　all　cases　be



taken　as　a　matter　of　course；　and　should　a　remnant　of　initiative



and　scholarly　aspiration　show　itself　in　any　given　concrete　case



in　such　a　way　as　to　traverse　the　lines　of　policy　pursued　by　the



executive；　he　can　readily　correct　the　difficulty　by　exercise　of　a



virtually　plenary　power　of　appointment；　preferment　and　removal；



backed　as　this　power　is　by　a　nearly　indefeasible　black…list。　So



well　is　the　academic　black…list　understood；　indeed；　and　so



sensitive　and　trustworthy　is　the　fearsome　loyalty　of　the　common



run　among　acad