the higher learning in america-第12章

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that　is　to　say　in　the　current　common…sense　apprehension　of　what



is　right　and　good；　as　it　works　out　in　the　long　run；　　the



university　is　a　corporation　of　learning；　disinterested　and



dispassionate。　To　its　keeping　is　entrusted　the　community's　joint



interest　in　esoteric　knowledge。　It　is　given　over　to　the



single…minded　pursuit　of　science　and　scholarship；　without



afterthought　and　without　a　view　to　interests　subsidiary　or



extraneous　to　the　higher　learning。　It　is；　indeed；　the　one　great



institution　of　modern　times　that　works　to　no　ulterior　end　and　is



controlled　by　no　consideration　of　expediency　beyond　its　own　work。



Typically；　normally；　in　point　of　popular　theory；　the　university



is　moved　by　no　consideration　other　than　〃the　increase　and



diffusion　of　knowledge　among　men。〃　This　is　so　because　this



profitless　quest　of　knowledge　has　come　to　be　the　highest　and



ulterior　aim　of　modern　culture。



　　　　Such　has　been　the　case；　increasingly；　for　some　generations



past；　but　it　is　not　until　quite　recently　that　such　a　statement



would　hold　true　unequivocally　and　with　an　unqualified　generality。



That　the　case　stands　so　today　is　due　to　the　failure　of



theoretical　interests　of　a　different　kind；　directly　and



immediately　it　is　due　to　the　fact　that　in　the　immediate　present



the　cult　of　knowledge　has；　by　default；　taken　over　that　primacy



among　human　interests　which　an　eschatologically　thrifty　religious



sentiment　once　held　in　the　esteem　of　Christendom。　So　long　as　the



fear　of　God　still　continued　to　move　the　generality　of　civilized



men　in　sufficient　measure；　their　theoretical　knowledge　was



organized　for　〃the　glory　of　God　and　the　good　of　man；〃　　the



latter　phrase　being　taken　in　the　eschatological　sense；　and　so



long　the　resulting　scheme　of　learning　was　laid　out　and　cultivated



with　an　eye　to　the　main　chance　in　a　hereafter　given　over；　in　the



main　and　for　its　major　effect；　to　pains　and　penalties。　With　the



latterday　dissipation　of　this　fear　of　God；　the　scheme　of



knowledge　handed　down　out　of　a　devout　past　and　further　amplified



in　the　（theoretically）　Godless　present；　has；　by　atrophy　of



disuse；　lost　its　ulterior　view　to　such　spiritual　expediency；　and



has　come　to　stand　over　as　an　output　of　intellectual　enterprise



working　under　the　impulsion　and　guidance　of　an　idle　curiosity



simply。　All　this　may　not　be　much　to　the　credit　of　civilized



mankind；　but　dispassionate　reflection　will　not　leave　the　fact　in



doubt。　And　the　outcome　for　the　university；　considered　as　an



institution　of　this　modern　culture；　is　such　as　this　conjuncture



of　circumstances　will　require。



　　　　But　while　such　is　the　dispassionate　working　theory；　the



long…term　drift　of　modern　common　sense　as　touches　the　work　of　the



university；　it　is　also　a　matter　of　course　that　this　ideally



single…minded　course　of　action　has　never　been　realized　in　any



concrete　case。　While　it　holds　true；　by　and　large；　that　modern



Christendom　has　outlived　the　fear　of　God；　　that　is　to　say　of



〃the　Pope；　the　Turk；　and　the　Devil；〃　　it　does　not　therefore



follow　that　men　take　a　less　instant　interest　in　the　affairs　of



life；　or　carry　on　the　traffic　of　their　lives　with　a　less　alert



eye　to　the　main　chance；　than　they　once　did　under　the　habitual



shadow　of　that　barbarian　fear。　The　difference　is；　for　the　purpose



in　hand；　that　the　same　solicitous　attention　that　once　converged



on　such　an　avoidance　of　ulterior　consequences　now　centres　on



questions　of　present　ways　and　means。　Worldly　wisdom　has　not



fallen　into　decay　or　abeyance；　but　it　has　become　a　wisdom　of　ways



and　means　that　lead　to　nothing　beyond　further　ways　and　means。



Expediency　and　practical　considerations　have　come　to　mean



considerations　of　a　pecuniary　kind；　good；　on　the　whole；　for



pecuniary　purposes　only；　that　is　to　say；　gain　and　expenditure　for



the　sake　of　further　gain　and　expenditure；　with　nothing　that　will



stand　scrutiny　as　a　final　term　to　this　traffic　in　ways　and　means；



　except　only　this　cult　of　the　idle　curiosity　to　which　the　seats



of　learning　are；　in　theory；　dedicate。　But　unremitting　habituation



to　the　competitive　pursuit　of　ways　and　means　has　determined　that



〃practical〃　interests　of　this　complexion　rule　workday　life　in　the



modern　community　throughout；　and　they　are　therefore　so　intimately



and　ubiquitously　bound　up　with　current　habits　of　thought；　and



have　so　strong　and　immediate　a　hold　on　current　workday　sentiment；



that；　hitherto；　in　no　case　have　the　seats　of　learning　been　able



to　pursue　their　quest　of　knowledge　with　anything　like　that



single…mindedness　which　academic　men　are　moved　to　profess　in



their　moments　of　academic　elation。



　　　　Some　one　vital　interest　of　this　practical　sort；　some　variant



of　the　quest　of　gain；　is　always　at　hand　and　strenuously　effective



in　the　community's　life；　and　therefore　dominates　their　everyday



habits　of　thought　for　the　time　being。　This　tone…giving　dominance



of　such　a　workday　interest　may　be　transient　or　relatively



enduring；　it　may　be　more　or　less　urgently　important　and



consequential　under　the　circumstances　in　which　the　community　is



placed；　or　the　clamour　of　its　spokesmen　and　beneficiaries　may　be



more　or　less　ubiquitous　and　pertinacious；　but　in　any　case　it　will



have　its　effect　in　the　counsels　of　the　〃Educators；〃　and　so　it



will　infect　the　university　as　well　as　the　lower　levels　of　the



educational　system。　So　that；　while　the　higher　learning　still



remains　as　the　enduring　purpose　and　substantial　interest　of　the



university　establishment；　the　dominant　practical　interests　of　the



day　will；　transiently　but　effectually；　govern　the　detail　lines　of



academic　policy；　the　range　of　instruction　offered；　and　the



character　of　the　personnel；　and　more　particularly　and　immediately



will　the　character　of　the　governing　boards　and　the　academic



administration　so　be　determined　by　the　current　run　of　popular



sentiment　touching　the　community's　practical　needs　and　aims；



since　these　ruling　bodies　stand；　in　one　way　or　another；　under　the



critical　surveillance　of　a　lay　constituency。







　　　　The　older　American　universities　have　grown　out　of　underlying



colleges；　　undergraduate　schools。　Within　the　memory　of　men



still　living　it　was　a　nearly　unbroken　rule　that　the　governing



boards　of　these　higher　American　schools　were　drawn　largely　from



the　clergy　and　were　also　guided　mainly　by　ecclesiastical；　or　at



least　by　devotional；　notions　of　what　was　right　and　needful　in



matters　of　learning。　This　state　of　things　reflected　the　ingrained



devoutness　of　that　portion　of　the　American　community　to　which　the



higher　schools　then　were　of　much　significance。　At　the　same　time



it　reflected　the　historical　fact　that　the　colleges　of　the　early



days　had　been　established　primarily　as　training　schools　for



ministers　of　the　church。　In　their　later　growth；　in　the　recent



past；　while　the　chief　purpose　of　these　seminaries　has　no　longer



been　religious；　yet　ecclesiastical　prepossessions　long　continued



to　mark　the　permissible　limits　of　the　learning　which　they



cultivated；　and　continued　also　to　guard　the　curriculum　and



discipline　of　the　schools。



　　　　That　phase　of　academic　policy　is　past。　Due　regard　at　least



is；　of　course；　still　had　to　the　religious　proprieties　　the



American　community；　by　and　large；　is　still　the　most　devout　of



civilized　countries　　but　such　regard　on　the　part　of　the



academic　authorities　now　proceeds　on　grounds　of　businesslike



expediency　rather　than　on　religious　conviction　or　on　an



ecclesiastical　or　priestly　bias　in　the　ruling　bodies。　It　is　a



concessive　precaution　on　the　part　of　a　worldly…wise　directorate；



in　view　of　the　devout　prejudices　of　those　who　know　no　better。



　　　　The　rule　of　the　clergy　belongs　virtually　to　the　prehistory　of



the　American　universities。　While　that　rule　held　there　were　few　if



any　schools　that　should　properly　be　rated　as　of　university　grade。



Even　now；　it　is　true；　much　of　the　secondary　school　system；



including　the　greater　part；　though　a　diminishing　number；　of　the



smaller　colleges；　is　under　the　tutelage　of　the　clergy；　and　the



academic　heads　o*　these　schools　are　almost　universally　men　of



ecclesiastical　standing　and　bias　rather　than　of　scholarly



attainments。　But　that　fact　does　not　call　for　particular　notice



here；　since　these　schools　lie　outside　the　university　field；　and



so　outside　the　scope　of　this　inquiry。



　　　　For　a　generation　past；　while　the　American　universities　have



been　coming　into　line　as　seminaries　of　the　higher　learning；　there



has　gone　on　a　wide…reaching　substitution　of　laymen　in　the　place



of　clergymen　on　the　governing　boards。　This　progressive



secularization　is　sufficiently　notorious；　even　though　there　are



some　among　the　older　establishments　the　terms　of　whose　charters



require　a　large　proportion　of　clergymen　on　their　boards。　This



secularization　is　entirely　consonant　with　the　prevailing　drift　of



sentiment　in　the　community　at　large；　as　is　shown　by　the　uniform



and　uncritical　approval　with　which　it　is　regarded。　The



substitution　is　a　substitution　of　businessmen　and　politicians；



which　amounts　to　saying　that　it　is　a　substitution　of　businessmen。



So　that　the　discretionary　control　in　matters　of　university　policy



now　rests　finally　in　the　hands　of　businessmen。



　　　　The　reason　which　men　prefer　to　allege　for　this　state　of



things　is　the　sensible　need　of　experienced　men　of　affairs　to　take



care　of　the　fiscal　concerns　of　these　university　corporations；　for



the　typical　modern　university　is　a　corporation　possessed　of　large



property　and　disposing　of　large　aggregate　expenditures；　so　that



it　will　necessarily　have　many　and　often　delicate　pecuniary



interests　to　be　looked　after。　It　is　at　the　same　time　held　to　be



expedient　in　case　of　emergency　to　have　several　wealthy　men



identified　with　the　governing　board；　and　such　men　of　wealth　are



also　commonly　businessmen。　It　is　apparently　believed；　though　on



just　what　ground　this　sanguine　belief　rests　does　not　appear；　that



in　case　of　emergency　the　wealthy　members　of　the　boards　may　be



counted　on　to　spend　their　substance　in　behalf　of　the　university。



In　point　of　fact；　at　any　rate；　poor　men　and　men　without　large



experience　in　business　affairs　are　felt　to　have　no　place　in　these



bodies。　If　by　any　chance　such　men；　without　the　due　pecuniary



qualifications；　should　come　to　make　up　a　majority；　or　even　an



appreciable　minority　of　such　a　governing　board；　the　situation



would　be　viewed　with　some　apprehension　by　all　perso