the higher learning in america-第7部分

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nor　is　it　found　in　practice　to　further　the　work　of　the　sciences。



The　schools　in　question　do　not　in　any　peculiar　degree　draw　on　the



work　of　the　scientists　attached　to　their　particular　university；



nor　do　these　scientists；　on　the　other　hand；　have　any　special　use



for　the　work　of　their　associated　technical　schools。　In　either



case　the　source　drawn　on　is　the　general　literature　of　the



subject；　the　body　of　materials　available　at　large；　not　the　work



of　particular　men　attached　to　particular　schools。　The



generalizations　of　science　are　indispensable　to　the　technical



men；　but　what　they　draw　on　is　the　body　of　science　at　large；



regardless　of　what　any　given　university　establishment　may　have



had　to　do　with　the　work　out　of　which　the　particular　items　of



scientific　information　have　emerged。　Nor　is　this　scientific



material　useful　to　the　technologists　for　the　further　pursuit　of



science；　to　them　the　scientific　results　are　data；　raw　material　to



be　turned　to　practical　use；　not　means　by　which　to　carry



scientific　inquiry　out　to　further　results。



　　　　Similarly；　the　professions　and　the　technical　schools　afford



valuable　data　for　the　use　of　the　professed　scholars　and



scientists；　information　that　serves　as　material　of　Investigation；



or　that　will　at　least　be　useful　as　a　means　of　extending



correcting；　verifying　and　correlating　lines　of　inquiry　on　which



they　are　engaged。　But　the　further　bearing　of　these　facts　upon　the



affairs　of　life；　their　expediency　or　futility；　is　of　no　interest



or　consequence。　The　affairs　of　life；　except　the　affairs　of



learning；　do　not　touch　the　interest　of　the　university　man　as　a



scholar　or　scientist。　What　is　of　importance　to　him　in　all　these



matters　with　which　the　professions　and　technologists　are　busy　is



their　bearing　on　those　matters　of　fact　into　which　his　scientific



interest　leads　him　to　inquire。　The　tests　and　experiments　carried



out　at　these　technical　schools；　as　well　as　the　experience



gathered　by　the　members　of　their　staff；　will　occasionally　afford



him　material　for　further　inquiry　or　means　whereby　to　check



results　already　arrived　at；　but　for　such　material　he　does　not　by



preference　resort　to　any　one　of　the　technical　schools　as



contrasted　with　any　other；　and　it　is　quite　an　idle　question



whether　the　source　of　any　such　serviceable　information　is　a



school　attached　to　his　own　university。　The　investigator　finds　his



material　where　he　can；　which　comes　to　saying　that　he　draws　on　the



general　body　of　technical　knowledge；　with　no　afterthought　as　to



what　particular　technical　school　may　have　stood　in　some　relation



or　other　to　the　information　which　he　finds　useful。



　　　　Neither　to　the　man　engaged　in　university　work　nor　to　the



technical　schools　that　may　serve　him　as　occasional　sources　of



material　is　there　any　advantage　to　be　derived　from　their



inclusion　in　the　university　establishment。　Indeed；　it　is　a



detriment　to　both　parties；　as　has　already　been　remarked；　but　more



decidedly　to　the　university　men。　By　including　the　technical　and



professional　schools　in　the　university　corporation　the



technologists　and　professional　men　attached　to　these　schools　are



necessarily　included　among　the　academic　staff；　and　so　they　come



to　take　their　part　in　the　direction　of　academic　affairs　at　large。



In　what　they　so　do　toward　shaping　the　academic　policy　they　will



not　only　count　for　all　they　are　worth；　but　they　are　likely　to



count　for　something　more　than　their　due　share　in　this　respect；



for　they　are　to　some　extent　trained　to　the　conduct　of　affairs；



and　so　come　in　for　something　of　that　deference　that　is　currently



paid　to　men　of　affairs；　at　the　same　time　that　this　practical



training　gives　them　an　advantage　over　their　purely　academic



colleagues；　in　the　greater　assurance　and　adroitness　with　which



they　are　able　to　present　their　contentions。　By　virtue　of　this



same　training；　as　well　as　by　force　of　current　practical　interest；



the　technologist　and　the　professional　man　are；　like　other　men　of



affairs；　necessarily　and　habitually　impatient　of　any　scientific



or　scholarly　work　that　does　not　obviously　lend　itself　to　some



practical　use。　The　technologist　appreciates　what　is　mechanically



serviceable；　the　professional　man；　as；　for　instance；　the　lawyer；



appreciates　what　promises　pecuniary　gain；　and　the　two　unite　with



the　business…man　at　large　in　repudiating　whatever　does　not　look



directly　to　such　a　utilitarian　outcome。　So　that　as　members　of　the



academic　staff　these　men　are　likely　to　count　at　their　full　weight



toward　the　diversion　of　the　university's　forces　from



disinterested　science　and　scholarship　to　such　palpably



utilitarian　ends。







　　　　But　the　active　measures　so　taken　by　the　academic　authorities



at　the　instance　of　the　schoolmasters　and　〃practical〃　men　are　by



no　means　the　only　line　along　which　their　presence　in　the　academic



corporation　affects　the　case。　Intimate　association　with　these



〃utilitarians〃　unavoidably　has　its　corrupting　effect　on　the



scientists　and　scholars；　and　induces　in　them　also　something　of



the　same　bias　toward　〃practical〃　results　in　their　work；　so　that



they　no　longer　pursue　the　higher　learning　with　undivided



interest；　but　with　more　or　less　of　an　eye　to　the　utilitarian　main



chance；　whereby　the　advantages　of　specialization；　which　are　the



reason　for　these　schools；　are　lost；　and　the　pride　of　the　modern



community　is　wounded　in　its　most　sensitive　spot　　the　efficiency



of　its　specialists。



　　　　So　also；　on　the　other　hand；　the　formal　incorporation　of　these



technological　and　professional　men　in　the　academic　body；　with　its



professedly　single…minded　interest　in　learning；　has　its　effect　on



their　frame　of　mind。　They　are；　without　intending　it；　placed　in　a



false　position；　which　unavoidably　leads　them　to　court　a　specious



appearance　of　scholarship；　and　so　to　invest　their　technological



discipline　with　a　degree　of　pedantry　and　sophistication；　whereby



it　is　hoped　to　give　these　schools　and　their　work　some　scientific



and　scholarly　prestige；　and　so　lift　it　to　that　dignity　that　is



pressed　to　attach　to　a　non…utilitarian　pursuit　of　learning。



Doubtless　this　pursuit　of　scholarly　prestige　is　commonly



successful；　to　the　extent　that　it　produces　the　desired　conviction



of　awe　in　the　vulgar；　who　do　not　know　the　difference；　but　all



this　make…believe　scholarship；　however　successfully　staged；　is



not　what　these　schools　are　designed　for；　or　at　least　it　is　not



what　is　expected　of　them；　nor　is　it　what　they　can　do　best　and



most　efficiently。



　　　　To　the　substantial　gain　of　both　parties；　though　with　some



lesion　of　the　vanity　of　both；　the　separation　between　the



university　and　the　professional　and　technical　schools　should　be



carried　through　and　made　absolute。　Only　on　such　conditions　can



either　the　one　or　the　other　do　its　own　work　in　a　workmanlike



manner。　Within　the　university　precincts　any　aim　or　interest　other



than　those　of　irresponsible　science　and　scholarship　　pursuit　of



matter…of…fact　knowledge　　are　to　be　rated　as　interlopers。







　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　IV







　　　　To　all　this　there　is　the　ready　objection　of　the　schoolmasters



and　utilitarians　that　such　a　project　is　fantastic　and



unpractical；　useless　and　undesirable；　that　such　has　not　been　the



mission　of　the　university　in　the　past；　nor　its　accepted　place　and



use　in　the　educational　system　of　today　and　yesterday；。　that　the



universities　of　Christendom　have　from　their　first　foundation　been



occupied　with　professional　training　and　useful　knowledge；　that



they　have　been　founded　for　utilitarian　purposes　and　their　work



has　been　guided　mainly　or　altogether　by　utilitarian



considerations；　　all　of　which　is　conceded　without　argument。　The



historical　argument　amounts　to　saying　that　the　universities　were



founded　before　modern　civilization　took　on　its　modern　character；



before　the　disinterested　pursuit　of　knowledge　had　come　to　take



the　first　place　among　the　ideals　of　civilized　mankind；　and　that



they　were　established　to　take　care　of　those　interests　which　were



then　accounted　of　first　importance；　and　that　this　intellectual



enterprise　in　pursuit　of　disinterested　knowledge　consequently　was



not　at　that　time　confided　to　the　care　of　any　special



establishment　or　freely　avowed　as　a　legitimate　interest　in　its



own　right。



　　　　It　is　true　that；　by　historical　accident；　the　university　at



large　has　grown　out　of　professional　training…schools；　primarily



schools　for　training　in　theology；　secondarily　in　law　and



medicine。　It　is　also　true；　in　like　wise　and　in　like　degree；　that



modern　science　and　scholarship　have　grown　out　of　the　technology



of　handicraft　and　the　theological　philosophy　of　the



schoolmen。（7*）　But　just　as　it　would　be　a　bootless　enterprise　to



cut　modern　science　back　into　handicraft　technology；　so　would　it



be　a　gratuitous　imbecility　to　prune　back　the　modern　university　to



that　inchoate　phase　of　its　life…history　and　make　it　again　a



corporation　for　the　training　of　theologians；　jurists　and　doctors



of　medicine。　The　historical　argument　does　not　enjoin　a　return　to



the　beginning　of　things；　but　rather　an　intelligent　appreciation



of　what　things　are　coming　to。



　　　　The　genesis　of　the　university　at　large；　taken　as　an



institution　of　civilized　life；　is　an　incident　of　the　transition



from　the　barbarian　culture　of　the　middle　ages　to　modern　times；



and　its　later　growth　and　acquirement　of　character　is　an　incident



of　the　further　growth　of　modern　civilization；　and　the　character



of