the higher learning in america-第15章

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no　help　for　it　and　no　prospect　of　its　abatement　in　the　calculable



future。



　　　　It　is　a　fact　of　the　current　state　of　things；　grounded　in　the



institutional　fabric　of　Christendom；　and　it　will　avail　little　to



speculate　on　remedial　corrections　for　this　state　of　academic



affairs　so　long　as　the　institutional　ground　of　this　perversion



remains　intact。　Its　institutional　ground　is　the　current　system　of



private　ownership。　It　claims　the　attention　of　students　as　a



feature　of　the　latterday　cultural　growth；　as　an　outcome　of　the



pecuniary　organization　of　modern　society；　and　it　is　to　be　taken



as　a　base…line　in　any　inquiry　into　the　policy　that　controls



modern　academic　life　and　work　　just　as　any　inquiry　into　the



circumstances　and　establishments　of　learning　in　the　days　of



scholasticism　must　take　account　of　the　ecclesiastical　rule　of



that　time　as　one　of　the　main　controlling　facts　in　the　case。　The



fact　is　that　businessmen　hold　the　plenary　discretion；　and　that



business　principles　guide　them　in　their　management　of　the　affairs



of　the　higher　learning；　and　such　must　continue　to　be　the　case　so



long　as　the　community's　workday　material　interests　continue　to　be



organized　on　a　basis　of　business　enterprise。　All　this　does　not



promise　well　for　the　future　of　science　and　scholarship　in　the



universities；　but　the　current　effects　of　this　method　of



university　control　are　sufficiently　patent　to　all　academic　men；



　and　the　whole　situation　should　perhaps　trouble　the　mind　of　no



one　who　will　be　at　pains　to　free　himself　from　the　（possibly



transient）　preconception　that　〃the　increase　and　diffusion　of



knowledge　among　men〃　is；　in　the　end；　more　to　be　desired　than　the



acquisition　and　expenditure　of　riches　by　the　astuter　men　in　the



community。







　　　　Many　of　those　who　fancy　themselves　conversant　with　the



circumstances　of　American　academic　life　would　question　the　view



set　forth　above；　and　they　would　particularly　deny　that　business



principles　do　or　can　pervade　the　corporate　management　of　the



universities　in　anything　like　the　degree　here　implied。　They　would



contend　that　while　the　boards　of　control　are　commonly　gifted　with



all　the　disabilities　described　　that　much　being　not　open　to



dispute　　yet　these　boards　do　not；　on　the　whole；　in　practice；



extend　the　exercise　of　their　plenary　discretion　to　the　directive



control　of　what　are　properly　speaking　academic　matters；　that　they



habitually　confine　their　work　of　directorship　to　the　pecuniary



affairs　of　the　corporation；　and　that　in　so　far　as　they　may　at



times　interfere　in　the　university's　scholarly　and　scientific



work；　they　do　so　in　their　capacity　as　men　of　culture；　not　as　men



of　property　or　of　enterprise。　This　latter　would　also　be　the　view



to　which　the　men　of　property　on　the　boards　would　themselves



particularly　incline。　So　it　will　be　held　by　the　spokesmen　of



content　that　virtually　full　discretion　in　all　matters　of　academic



policy　is　delegated　to　the　academic　head　of　the　university；



fortified　by　the　advice　and　consent　of　the　senior　members　of　his



faculty；　by　the　free　choice　of　the　governing　boards；　in　practice



drawn　out　from　under　the　control　of　these　businessmen　in　question



and　placed　in　the　hands　of　the　scholars。　And　such；　commonly；　is



at　least　ostensibly　the　case；　in　point　of　form；　more　particularly



as　regards　those　older　establishments　that　are　burdened　with



academic　traditions　running　back　beyond　the　date　when　their



governing　boards　were　taken　over　by　the　businessmen；　and　more



particularly　in　the　recent　past　than　in　the　immediate　present　or



for　the　establishments　of　a　more　recent　date。



　　　　This　complaisant　view　overlooks　the　fact　that　much　effective



surveillance　of　the　academic　work　is　exercised　through　the



board's　control　of　the　budget。　The　academic　staff　can　do　little



else　than　what　the　specifications　of　the　budget　provide　for；



without　the　means　with　which　the　corporate　income　should　supply



them　they　are　as　helpless　as　might　be　expected。



　　　　Imbued　with　an　alert　sense　of　those　tangible　pecuniary　values



which　they　are　by　habit　and　temperament　in　a　position　to



appreciate；　a　sagacious　governing　board　may；　for　instance；



determine　to　expend　the　greater　proportion　of　the　available



income　of　the　university　in　improving　and　decorating　its　real



estate；　and　they　may　with　businesslike　thrift　set　aside　an



appreciable　proportion　of　the　remainder　for　a　sinking　fund　to



meet　vaguely　unforeseen　contingencies；　while　the　academic　staff



remains　（notoriously）　underpaid　and　so　scantily　filled　as



seriously　to　curtail　their　working　capacity。　Or　the　board　may；



again；　as　has　also　happened；　take　a　thrifty　resolution　to



〃concede〃　only　a　fraction　　say　ten　or　fifteen　per…cent　　of



the　demands　of　the　staff　for　books　and　similar　working　materials



for　current　use；　while　setting　aside　a　good　share　of　the　funds



assigned　for　such　use；　to　accumulate　until　at　some　future　date



such　materials　may　be　purchased　at　more　reasonable　prices　than



those　now　ruling。　These　illustrations　are　not　supplied　by　fancy。



There　is；　indeed；　a　visible　reluctance　on　the　part　of　these



businesslike　boards　to　expend　the　corporation's　income　for　those



intangible；　immaterial　uses　for　which　the　university　is



established。　These　uses　leave　no　physical；　tangible　residue；　in



the　way　of　durable　goods；　such　as　will　justify　the　expenditure　in



terms　of　vendible　property　acquired；　therefore　they　are　prima



facie　imbecile；　and　correspondingly　distasteful；　to　men　whose



habitual　occupation　is　with　the　acquisition　of　property。　By　force



of　the　same　businesslike　bias　the　boards　unavoidably　incline　to



apportion　the　funds　assigned　for　current　expenses　in　such　a　way



as　to　favour　those　〃practical〃　or　quasi…practical　lines　of



instruction　and　academic　propaganda　that　are　presumed　to　heighten



the　business　acumen　of　the　students　or　to　yield　immediate　returns



in　the　way　of　a　creditable　publicity。







　　　　As　to　the　delegation　of　powers　to　the　academic　head。　There　is



always　the　reservation　to　be　kept　in　mind；　that　the　academic　head



is　limited　in　his　discretion　by　the　specifications　of　the　budget。



The　permissible　deviations　in　that　respect　are　commonly　neither



wide　nor　of　a　substantial　character；　though　the　instances　of　a



university　president　exercising　large　powers　are　also　not



extremely　rare。　But　in　common　practice；　it　is　to　be　noted；　the



academic　head　is　vested　with　somewhat　autocratic　powers；　within



the　lines　effectually　laid　down　in　the　budget；　he　is　in　effect



responsible　to　the　governing　board　alone；　and　his　responsibility



in　that　direction　chiefly　touches　his　observance　of　the　pecuniary



specifications　of　the　budget。



　　　　But　it　is　more　to　the　point　to　note　that　the　academic　head



commonly　holds　office　by　choice　of　the　governing　board。　Where　the



power　of　appointment　lies　freely　in　the　discretion　of　such　a



board；　the　board　will　create　an　academic　head　in　its　own　image。



In　point　of　notorious　fact；　the　academic　head　of　the　university



is　selected　chiefly　on　grounds　of　his　business　qualifications；



taking　that　expression　in　a　somewhat　special　sense。　There　is　at



present　an　increasingly　broad　and　strenuous　insistence　on　such



qualifications　in　the　men　selected　as　heads　of　the　universities；



and　the　common　sense　of　the　community　at　large　bears　out　the



predilections　of　the　businesslike　board　of　control　in　this



respect。　The　new　incumbents　are　selected　primarily　with　a　view　to



give　the　direction　of　academic　policy　and　administration　more　of



a　businesslike　character。　The　choice　may　not　always　fall　on　a



competent　business　man；　but　that　is　not　due　to　its　inclining　too



far　to　the　side　of　scholarship。　It　is　not　an　easy　matter　even　for



the　most　astute　body　of　businessmen　to　select　a　candidate　who



shall　measure　up　to　their　standard　of　businesslike　efficiency　in



a　field　of　activity　that　has　substantially　nothing　in　common　with



that　business　traffic　in　which　their　preconceptions　of　efficiency



have　been　formed。



　　　　In　many　cases　the　alumni　have　much　to　say　in　the　choice　of　a



new　academic　head；　whether　by　courtesy　or　by　express　provision；



and　the　results　under　these　circumstances　are　not　substantially



different。　It　follows　as　an　inevitable　consequence　of　the　current



state　of　popular　sentiment　that　the　successful　businessmen　among



the　alumni　will　have　the　deciding　voice；　in　so　far　as　the　matter



rests　with　the　alumni；　for　the　successful　men　of　affairs　assert



themselves　with　easy　confidence；　and　they　are　looked　up　to；　in



any　community　whose　standards　of　esteem　are　business　standards；



so　that　their　word　carries　weight　beyond　that　of　any　other　class



or　order　of　men。　The　community　at　large；　or　at　least　that　portion



of　the　community　that　habitually　makes　itself　heard；　speaks　to



the　same　effect　and　on　the　same　ground；　　viz。；　a　sentimental



conviction　that　pecuniary　success　is　the　final　test　of　manhood。



Business　principles　are　the　sacred　articles　of　the　secular　creed；



and　business　methods　make　up　the　ritual　of　the　secular　cult。



　　　　The　one　clear　note　of　acclaim　that　goes　up；　from　the　avowed



adepts　of　culture　and　from　those　without　the　pale；　when　a　new



head　has；　as　recently　been　called　to　one　of　the　greater



universities；　is　in　commendation　of　his　business　capacity；



〃commercial　sense；〃　executive　ability；　financiering　tact；　and　the



effectual　canvass　of　his　qualifications　does　not　commonly　range



much　outside　of　these　prime　requisites。　The　modicum　of



scholarship　and　scholarly　ideals　and　insight　concessively　deemed



indispensable　in　such　a　case　is　somewhat　of　the　nature　of　a



perquisite；　and　is　easily　found。　It　is　not　required　that　the



incumbent　meet　the　prepossessions　of　the　contingent　of　learned



men　in　the　community　in　this　respect；　the　choice　does　not　rest



with　that　element；　nor　does　its　ratification；　but　rather　at　the



other　end　of　the　scale；　with　that　extreme　wing　of　the　laity　that



is　taken　up　with　〃practical；〃　that　is　to　say　pecuniary；　affairs。



　　　　As　to　the　requirements　of　scholarly　or　scientific　competency；



a　plausible　speaker　with　a　large　gift　of　assurance；　a



businesslike　〃educator〃　or　clergyman；　some　urbane　pillar　of



society；　some　astute　veteran　of　the　scientific　demi…monde；　will



meet　all　reasonable　requirements。　Scholarship　is　not　barred；　of



course；　though　it　is　commonly　the　quasi…scholarship　of　the



popular　raconteur　that　comes　in　eviden