the higher learning in america-第8部分

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of　the　further　growth　of　modern　civilization；　and　the　character



of　this　later　growth　of　the　university　reflects　the　bent　of



modern　civilization；　as　contrasted　with　the　barbarian　spirit　of



things　in　the　mediaeval　spiritual　world。



　　　　In　a　general　way；　the　place　of　the　university　in　the　culture



of　Christendom　is　still　substantially　the　same　as　it　has　been



from　the　beginning。　Ideally；　and　in　the　popular　apprehension；　it



is；　as　it　has　always　been；　a　corporation　for　the　cultivation　and



care　of　the　community's　highest　aspirations　and　ideals。　But　these



ideals　and　aspirations　have　changed　somewhat　with　the　changing



scheme　of　the　Western　civilization；　and　so　the　university　has



also　concomitantly　so　changed　in　character；　aims　and　ideals　as　to



leave　it　still　the　corporate　organ　of　the　community's　dominant



intellectual　interest。　At　the　same　time；　it　is　true；　these



changes　in　the　purpose　and　spirit　of　the　university　have　always



been；　and　are　always　being；　made　only　tardily；　reluctantly；



concessively；　against　the　protests　of　those　who　are　zealous　for



the　commonplaces　of　the　day　before　yesterday。　Such　is　the



character　of　institutional　growth　and　change；　and　in　its



adaptation　to　the　altered　requirements　of　an　altered　scheme　of



culture　the　university　has　in　this　matter　been　subject　to　the



conditions　of　institutional　growth　at　large。　An　institution　is；



after　all；　a　prevalent　habit　of　thought；　and　as　such　it　is



subject　to　the　conditions　and　limitations　that　surround　any



change　in　the　habitual　frame　of　mind　prevalent　in　the　community。



　　　　The　university　of　medieval　and　early　modern　times；　that　is　to



say　the　barbarian　university；　was　necessarily　given　over　to　the



pragmatic；　utilitarian　disciplines；　since　that　is　the　nature　of



barbarism；　and　the　barbarian　university　is　but　another；　somewhat



sublimated；　expression　of　the　same　barbarian　frame　of　mind。　The



barbarian　culture　is　pragmatic；　utilitarian；　worldly　wise；　and



its　learning　partakes　of　the　same　complexion。　The　barbarian；　late



or　early；　is　typically　an　unmitigated　pragmatist；　that　is　the



spiritual　trait　that　most　profoundly　marks　him　off　from　the



savage　on　the　one　hand　and　from　the　civilized　man　on　the　other



hand。　〃He　turns　a　keen；　untroubled　face　home　to　the　instant　need



of　things。〃



　　　　The　high　era　of　barbarism　in　Europe；　the　Dark　and　Middle



Ages；　is　marked　off　from　what　went　before　and　from　what　has



followed　in　the　cultural　sequence；　by　a　hard　and　fast　utilitarian



animus。　The　all…dominating　spiritual　trait　of　those　times　is　that



men　then　made　the　means　of　life　its　end。　It　is　perhaps　needless



to　call　to　mind　that　much　of　this　animus　still　survives　in　later



civilized　life；　especially　in　so　far　as　the　scheme　of　civilized



life　is　embodied　in　the　competitive　system。　In　that　earlier　time；



practical　sagacity　and　the　serviceability　of　any　knowledge



acquired；　its　bearing　on　individual　advantage；　spiritual　or



temporal；　was　the　ruling　consideration；　as　never　before　or　since。



The　best　of　men　in　that　world　were　not　ashamed　to　avow　that　a



boundless　solicitude　for　their　own　salvation　was　their　worthiest



motive　of　conduct；　and　it　is　plain　in　all　their　speculations　that



they　were　unable　to　accept　any　other　motive　or　sanction　as　final



in　any　bearing。　Saint　and　sinner　alike　knew　no　higher　rule　than



expediency；　for　this　world　and　the　next。　And；　for　that　matter；　so



it　still　stands　with　the　saint　and　the　sinner；　　who　make　up



much　of　the　commonplace　human　material　in　the　modern　community；



although　both　the　saint　and　the　sinner　in　the　modern　community



carry；　largely　by　shamefaced　subreption；　an　ever　increasing



side…line　of　other　and　more　genial　interests　that　have　no　merit



in　point　of　expediency　whether　for　this　world　or　the　next。



　　　　Under　the　rule　of　such　a　cultural　ideal　the　corporation　of



learning　could　not　well　take　any　avowed　stand　except　as　an



establishment　for　utilitarian　instruction；　the　practical



expediency　of　whose　work　was　the　sole　overt　test　of　its



competency。　And　such　it　still　should　continue　to　be　according　to



the　avowed　aspirations　of　the　staler　commonplace　elements　in　the



community　today。　By　subreption；　and　by　a　sophisticated



subsumption　under　some　ostensibly　practical　line　of　interest　and



inquiry；　it　is　true；　the　university　men　of　the　earlier　time　spent



much　of　their　best　endeavour　on　matters　of　disinterested



scholarship　that　had　no　bearing　on　any　human　want　more　to　the



point　than　an　idle　curiosity；　and　by　a　similar　turn　of　subreption



and　sophistication　the　later　spokesmen　of　the　barbarian　ideal



take　much　complacent　credit　for　the　〃triumphs　of　modern　science〃



that　have　nothing　but　an　ostensible　bearing　on　any　matter　of



practical　expediency；　and　they　look　to　the　universities　to



continue　this　work　of　the　idle　curiosity　under　some　plausible



pretext　of　practicality。



　　　　So　the　university　of　that　era　unavoidably　came　to　be



organized　as　a　more　or　less　comprehensive　federation　of



professional　schools　or　faculties　devoted　to　such　branches　of



practical　knowledge　as　the　ruling　utilitarian　interests　of　the



time　demanded。　Under　this　overshadowing　barbarian　tradition　the



universities　of　early　modern　times　started　out　as　an　avowed



contrivance　for　indoctrination　in　the　ways　and　means　of



salvation；　spiritual　and　temporal；　individual　and　collective；　



in　some　sort　a　school　of　engineering；　primarily　in　divinity；



secondarily　in　law　and　politics；　and　presently　in　medicine　and



also　in　the　other　professions　that　serve　a　recognized　utilitarian



interest。　After　that　fashion　of　a　university　that　answered　to



this　manner　of　ideals　and　aspirations　had　once　been　installed　and



gained　a　secure　footing；　its　pattern　acquired　a　degree　of



authenticity　and　prescription；　so　that　later　seminaries　of



learning　came　unquestioningly　to　be　organized　on　the　same　lines；



and　further　changes　of　academic　policy　and　practice；　such　as　are



demanded　by　the　later　growth　of　cultural　interests　and　ideals；



have　been　made　only　reluctantly　and　with　a　suspicious　reserve；



gradually　and　by　a　circuitous　sophistication；　so　that　much　of　the



non…utilitarian　scientific　and　scholarly　work　indispensable　to



the　university's　survival　under　modern　conditions　is　still



scheduled　under　the　faculties　of　law　or　medicine；　or　even　of



divinity。



　　　　But　the　human　propensity　for　inquiry　into　things；



irrespective　of　use　or　expediency；　insinuated　itself　among　the



expositors　of　worldly　wisdom　from　the　outset；　and　from　the　first



this　quest　of　idle　learning　has　sought　shelter　in　the　university



as　the　only　establishment　in　which　it　could　find　a　domicile；　even



on　sufferance；　and　so　could　achieve　that　footing　of　consecutive



intellectual　enterprise　running　through　successive　generations　of



scholars　which　is　above　all　else　indispensable　to　the　advancement



of　knowledge。　Under　the　r間ime　of　unmitigated　pragmatic　aims　that



ruled　the　earlier　days　of　the　European　universities；　this　pursuit



of　knowledge　for　its　own　sake　was　carried　on　as　a　work　of



scholarly　supererogation　by　men　whose　ostensibly　sole　occupation



was　the　promulgation　of　some　accredited　line　of　salutary



information。　Frequently　it　had　to　be　carried　on　under　some



colourable　masquerade　of　practicality。　And　yet　so　persistent　has



the　spirit　of　idle　curiosity　proved　to　be；　and　so　consonant　with



the　long…term　demands　even　of　the　laity；　that　the　dissimulation



and　smuggling…in　of　disinterested　learning　has　gone　on　ever　more



openly　and　at　an　ever　increasing　rate　of　gain；　until　in　the　end；



the　attention　given　to　scholarship　and　the　non…utilitarian



sciences　in　these　establishments　has　come　far　to　exceed　that



given　to　the　practical　disciplines　for　which　the　several



faculties　were　originally　installed。　As　time　has　passed　and　as



successive　cultural　mutations　have　passed　over　the　community；



shifting　the　centre　of　interest　and　bringing　new　ideals　of



scholarship；　and　bringing　the　whole　cultural　fabric　nearer　to　its



modern　complexion；　those　purposes　of　crass　expediency　that　were



of　such　great　moment　and　were　so　much　a　matter　of　course　in



earlier　academic　policy；　have　insensibly　fallen　to　the　rank　of



incidentals。　And　what　had　once　been　incidental；　or　even　an　object



of　surreptitious　tolerance　in　the　university；　remains　today　as



the　only　unequivocal　duty　of　the　corporation　of　learning；　and



stands　out　as　the　one　characteristic　trait　without　which　no



establishment　can　claim　rank　as　a　university。



　　　　Philosophy　　the　avowed　body　of　theoretical　science　in　the



late　medieval　time　　had　grown　out　of　the　schoolmen's



speculations　in　theology；　being　in　point　of　derivation　a　body　of



refinements　on　the　divine　scheme　of　salvation；　and　with　a　view　to



quiet　title；　and　to　make　manifest　their　devotion　to　the　greater



good　of　eschatological　expediency；　those　ingenious　speculators



were　content　to　proclaim　that　their　philosophy　is　the　handmaid　of



theology　　Philosophia　theologiae　ancillans。　But　their



philosophy　has　fallen　into　the　alembic　of　the　idle　curiosity　and



has　given　rise　to　a　body　of　modern　science；　godless　and



unpractical；　that　has　no　intended　or　even　ostensible　bearing　on



the　religious　fortunes　of　mankind；　and　their　sanctimonious　maxim



would　today　be　better　accepted　as　the　subject　of　a　limerick　than



of　a　homily。　Except　in　degree；　the　fortunes　of　the　temporal



pragmatic　disciplines；　in　Law　and　Medicine；　have　been　much　the



same　as　that　of　thei