the higher learning in america-第58部分

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sanguine　hope　of　surcease　from　skilled　malpractice　and



malversation。　All　that　is　here　intended　to　he　said　is　nothing



more　than　the　obiter　dictum　that；　as　seen　from　the　point　of　view



of　the　higher　learning；　the　academic　executive　and　all　his　works



are　anathema；　and　should　be　discontinued　by　the　simple　expedient



of　wiping　him　off　the　slate；　and　that　the　governing　board；　in　so



far　as　it　presumes　to　exercise　any　other　than　vacantly



perfunctory　duties；　has　the　same　value　and　should　with　advantage



be　lost　in　the　same　shuffle。







NOTES：







1。　〃He　has　stifled　all　manly　independence　and　individuality



wherever　it　has　exhibited　itself　at　college。　All　noble　idealism；



and　all　the　graces　of　poetry　and　art　have　been　shrivelled　by　his



brutal　and　triumphant　power。　He　has　made　mechanical　efficiency



and　administrative　routine　the　goal　of　the　university's



endeavour。　The　nobler　ends　of　academic　life　will　never　be　served



so　long　as　this　spokesman　of　materialism　remains　in　power。〃



　　　　History　will　relate　that　one　of　the　eminent　captains；　through



an　incumbency　of　more　than　a　quarter　of　a　century；　in　a



university　of　eminent　wealth　and　volume；　has　followed　a　settled



policy　of　defeating　any　overt　move　looking　to　scientific　or



scholarly　inquiry　on　the　part　of　any　member　of　his　faculty。



Should　a　man　of　scholarly　proclivities　by　any　chance　sift　through



the　censorship　exercised　in　virtue　of　the　executive's　appointing



power；　as　might　happen；　since　the　captain　was　himself　not



qualified　to　pass　a　grounded　opinion　on　any　man's　qualifications



in　that　respect；　and　should　he　then　give　evidence　of　continuing



to　spend　time　and　thought　on　matters　of　that　nature；　his　burden



of　administrative　and　class…room　tasks　would　presently　be



increased　sufficiently　to　subdue　his　wayward　bent；　or；　in　an



incorrigible　case；　the　offender　against　the　rule　of　academic



sterility　would　eventually　be　retired　by　severance　of　his



connection　with　this　seat　of　learning。



　　　　In　some　sinister　sense　the　case　reflects　credit　on　the



American　academic　community　at　large；　in　that；　by　the　close　of



this　quarter…century　of　preventive　regimen；　the　resulting



academic　staff　had　become　a　byword　of　nugatory　intrigue　and



vacant　pedantry。







2。　So　far　has　this　predilection　made　its　way　in　the　counsels　of



the　〃educators〃　that　much　of　the　current　discussion　of



desideranda　in　academic　policy　reads　like　controversial　argument



on　〃efficiency　engineering；〃　　an　〃efficiency　engineer〃　is　an



accountant　competent　to　advise　business　concerns　how　best　to



increase　their　saleable　output　per　unit　of　cost。　And　there　has；



indeed；　been　at　least　one　tour　of　inspection　of　American



universities　by　such　an　〃efficiency　engineer；〃　undertaken　in　the



service　of　an　establishment　founded　with　a　view　to　academic



welfare　and　governed　by　a　board　of　university　presidents。　The



report　submitted　by　the　inquiry　in　question　duly　conforms　to　the



customary　lines　of　〃scientific　management。〃







3。　〃Education　is　the　one　kind　of　human　enterprise　that　can　not　be



brought　under　the　action　of　the　economic　law　of　supply　and



demand。　It　can　not　be　conducted　on　'business　principles。'　There



is　no　'demand'　for　education　in　the　economic　sense。。。。　Society　is



the　only　interest　that　can　be　said　to　demand　it；　and　society　must



supply　its　own　demand。　Those　who　found　educational　institutions



or　promote　educational　enterprise　put　themselves　in　the　place　of



society　and　assume　to　speak　and　act　for　society；　not　for　any



economic　interest。〃　　Lester　F。　Ward；　Pure　Sociology；　p。　575。







4。　Indeed；　the　resemblance　is　visible。　As　among　professional



politicians；　so　also　as　regards　incumbents　and　aspirants　for



academic　office；　it　is　not　at　all　unusual；　nor　does　it　cause



surprise；　to　find　such　persons　visibly　affected　with　those



characteristic　pathological　marks　that　come　of　what　is



conventionally　called　〃high　living〃　　late　hours；　unseasonable



vigils；　surfeit　of　victuals　and　drink；　the　fatigue　of　sedentary



ennui。　A　flabby　habit　of　body；　hypertrophy　of　the　abdomen；



varicose　veins；　particularly　of　the　facial　tissues；　a　blear　eye



and　a　colouration　suggestive　of　bile　and　apoplexy；　　when　this



unwholesome　bulk　is　duly　wrapped　in　a　conventionally　decorous



costume　it　is　accepted　rather　as　a　mark　of　weight　and



responsibility；　and　so　serves　to　distinguish　the　pillars　of



urbane　society。　Nor　should　it　be　imagined　that　these　grave　men　of



affairs　and　discretion　are　in　any　peculiar　degree　prone　to



excesses　of　the　table　or　to　nerve…shattering　bouts　of



dissipation。　The　exigencies　of　publicity；　however；　are；　by



current　use　and　wont；　such　as　to　enjoin　not　indulgence　in　such



excursions　of　sensual　perversity；　so　much　as　a　gentlemanly



conformity　to　a　large　routine　of　conspicuous　convivialities。



〃Indulgence〃　in　ostensibly　gluttonous　bouts　of　this　kind　



banquets；　dinners；　etc。　　is　not　so　much　a　matter　of　taste　as　of



astute　publicity；　designed　to　keep　the　celebrants　in　repute　among



a　laity　whose　simplest　and　most　assured　award　of　esteem　proceeds



on　evidence　of　wasteful　ability　to　pay。　But　the　pathological



consequences；　physical　and　otherwise；　are　of　much　the　same　nature



in　either　case。







5。　See　pp。　68…73；　79…81；　above。







6。　As　bearing　on　this　〃hired…man's　loyalty〃　of　the　academic　staff



and　the　means　of　maintaining　it；　see；　e。g。；　a　paper　by　George



Cram　Cook　in　the　Forum　for　October；　1913；　on　〃The　Third　American



Sex；〃　especially　pp。　450…455。







7。　Unfortunately；　the　language　wants　a　competent　designation　for



public…minded　personages　of　this　class；　which　comprises　something



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　conclusio