the higher learning in america-第22章

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！





assumption　that　co…ordinate　departments　in　the　several



universities　should　supplement　one　another's　work；　　an



assumption　obvious　to　the　meanest　academic　common　sense。　But



amicable　working　arrangements　of　this　kind　between　departments　of



different　universities；　or　between　the　several　universities　as　a



whole；　are　of　course　virtually　barred　out　under　the　current



policy　of　competitive　duplication。　It　is　out　of　the　question；　in



the　same　manner　and　degree　as　the　like　co…operation　between　rival



department　stores　is　out　of　the　question。　Yet　so　urgently　right



and　good　is　such　a　policy　of　mutual　supplement　and　support；



except　as　a　business　proposition；　that　some　exchange　of　academic



civilities　paraded　under　its　cloak　is　constantly　offered　to　view



in　the　manoeuvres　of　the　competing　captains　of　erudition。　The



well…published　and　nugatory（8*）　periodic　conferences　of



presidents　commonly　have　such　an　ostensible　purpose。



　　　　Competitive　enterprise；　reinforced　with　a　sentimental



penchant　for　large　figures；　demands　a　full　schedule　of



instruction。　But　to　carry　such　a　schedule　and　do　the　work　well



would　require　a　larger　staff　of　instructors　in　each　department；



and　a　larger　allowance　of　funds　and　equipment；　than　business



principles　will　countenance。　There　is　always　a　dearth　of　funds；



and　there　is　always　urgent　use　for　more　than　can　be　had；　for　the



enterprising　directorate　is　always　eager　to　expand　and　project



the　business　of　the　concern　into　new　provinces　of　school



work；secondary；　primary；　elementary；　normal；　professional；



technical；　manual…training；　art　schools；　schools　of　music；



elocution；　book…keeping；　housekeeping；　and　a　further　variety　that



will　more　readily　occur　to　those　who　have　been　occupied　with



devising　ways　and　means　of　extending　the　competitive　traffic　of



the　university。　Into　these　divers　and　sundry　channels　of　sand　the



pressure　of　competitive　expansion　is　continually　pushing



additional　half…equipped；　under…fed　and　over…worked　ramifications



of　the　academic　body。　And　then；　too；　sane　competitive　business



practice　insists　on　economy　of　cost　as　well　as　a　large　output　of



goods。　It　is　〃bad　business〃　to　offer　a　better　grade　of　goods　than



the　market　demands；　particularly　to　customers　who　do　not　know　the



difference；　or　to　turn　out　goods　at　a　higher　cost　than　other



competing　concerns。　So　business　exigencies；　those　exigencies　of



economy　to　which　the　businesslike　governing　boards　are　very　much



alive；　preclude　any　department　confining　itself　to　the　work　which



it　can　do　best；　and　at　the　same　stroke　they　preclude　the



authorities　from　dealing　with　any　department　according　to　such　a



measure　of　liberality　as　would　enable　it　to　carry　on　the　required



volume　of　work　in　a　competent　manner。



　　　　In　the　businesslike　view　of　the　captains　of　erudition；　taken



from　the　standpoint　of　the　counting…house；　learning　and



university　instruction　are　a　species　of　skilled　labour；　to　be



hired　at　competitive　wages　and　to　turn　out　the　largest



merchantable　output　that　can　be　obtained　by　shrewd　bargaining



with　their　employees；　whereas；　of　course；　in　point　of　fact　and　of



its　place　in　the　economic　system；　the　pursuit　of　learning　is　a



species　of　leisure；　and　the　work　of　instruction　is　one　of　the



modes　of　a　life　so　spent　in　〃the　increase　and　diffusion　of



knowledge　among　men。〃　It　is　to　be　classed　as　〃leisure〃　only　in



such　a　sense　of　that　term　as　may　apply　to　other　forms　of　activity



that　have　no　economic；　and　more　particularly　no　pecuniary；　end　or



equivalence。　It　is　by　no　means　hereby　intended　to　imply　that　such



pursuit　of　knowledge　is　an　aimless　or　indolent　manner　of　life；



nothing　like　dissipation　has　a　legitimate　place　in　it；　nor　is　it



〃idle〃　in　any　other　sense　than　that　it　is　extra…economic；　not



without　derogation　to　be　classed　as　a　gainful　pursuit。　Its　aim　is



not　the　increase　or　utilization　of　the　material　means　of　life；



nor　can　its　spirit　and　employment　be　bought　with　a　price。　Any



salary；　perquisites；　or　similar　emoluments　assigned　the　scholars



and　scientists　in　the　service　of　civilization；　within　the



university　or　without；　are　（should　be）　in　the　nature　of　a



stipend；　designed　to　further　the　free　use　of　their　talent　in　the



prosecution　of　this　work；　the　value　of　which　is　not　of　a



pecuniary　kind。　But　under　the　stress　of　businesslike　management



in　the　universities　the　drift　of　things　sets　toward　letting　the



work　of　science　and　scholarship　to　the　lowest　bidder；　on　a



roughly　applicable　piece…wage　plan。　The　result　is　about　such　a



degree　of　inefficiency；　waste　and　stultification　as　might　fairly



be　expected；　whereof　there　are　abundantly　many　examples；　that



humble　the　pride　of　the　scholars　and　rejoice　the　heart　of　the



captains　of　erudition。



　　　　The　piece…wage　plan　never　goes　into　effect　in　set　form；　or



has　not　hitherto　done　so；　　although　there　are　schools　of



nominally　university　grade　in　which　there　is　a　recognized　and



avowed　endeavour　so　to　apportion　the　weekly　hours　of　class…room



exercises　to　the　pay　of　the　teachers　as　to　bring　the　pay　per



class…hour　per　semester　to　a　passably　uniform　level　for　the



general　body　of　the　staff。　That　the　piece…wage　plan　has　so　little



avowed　vogue　in　the　academic　wage　scheme　may　at　first　sight　seem



strange；　the　body　of　academic　employees　are　as　defenceless　and



unorganized　as　any　class　of　the　wage…earning　population；　and　it



is　among　the　unorganized　and　helpless　that　the　piece…wage　plan　is



commonly　applied　with　the　best　effect；　at　the　same　time　the



system　of　scholastic　accountancy；　worked　out　for　other　purposes



and　already　applied　both　to　instructors；　to　courses　of



instruction；　and　to　divisions　of　the　school　year；　has　already



reduced　all　the　relevant　items　to　such　standard　units　and



thorough　equivalence　as　should　make　a　system　of　piece…wages



almost　a　matter　of　course。　That　it　has　not　formally　been　put　in



practice　appears　to　be　due　to　tradition；　and　to　that　long…term



common　sense　appreciation　of　the　nature　of　learning　that　will



always　balk　at　rating　this　work　as　a　frankly　materialistic　and



pecuniary　occupation。　The　academic　personnel；　e。　g。；　are　unable



to　rid　themselves　of　a　fastidious　　perhaps　squeamish　



persuasion　that　they　are　engaged　in　this　work　not　wholly　for



pecuniary　returns；　and　the　community　at　large　are　obscurely；　but



irretrievably　and　irresponsibly；　in　the　same　suspicious　frame　of



mind　on　that　head。　The　same　unadvised　and　unformulated　persuasion



that　academic　salaries　are　after　all　not　honestly　to　be　rated　as



wages；　is　doubtless　accountable　for　certain　other　features　of



academic　management　touching　the　pay…roll；　notably　the　failure　of



the　employees　to　organize　anything　like　a　trades…union；　or　to



fall　into　line　on　any　workable　basis　of　solidarity　on　such　an



issue　as　a　wage…bargain；　as　also　the　equivocal　footing　on　which



the　matter　of　appointments　and　removals　is　still　allowed　to



stand；　hence　also　the　unsettled　ethics　of　the　trade　in　this



respect。



　　　　For　divers　reasons；　but　mainly　reasons　of　competitive



statistics；　which　resolve　themselves；　again；　in　the　main　into



reasons　of　expedient　publicity；　it　is　desired　that　the　enrolment



should　be　very　large　and　should　always　and　unremittingly



increase；　　due　regard　being　always　had；　of　course；　to　the



eminent　desirability　of　drawing　into　the　enrolment　many　students



from　the　higher　levels　of　gentility　and　pecuniary　merit。　To　this



end　it　is　well；　as　has　already　been　remarked　above；　to　announce　a



very　full　schedule　of　instruction　and　a　free　range　of　elective



alternatives；　and　also　to　promote　a　complete　and　varied　line　of



scholastic　accessories；　in　the　way　of　athletics；　clubs；



fraternities；　〃student　activities；〃　and　similar　devices　of



politely　blameless　dissipation。



　　　　These　accessories　of　college　life　have　been　strongly　on　the



increase　since　the　business　r間ime　has　come　in。　They　are　held　to



be　indispensable；　or　unavoidable；　not　for　scholarly　work；　of



course；　but　chiefly　to　encourage　the　attendance　of　that



decorative　contingent　who　take　more　kindly　to　sports；　invidious



intrigue　and　social　amenities　than　to　scholarly　pursuits。



Notoriously；　this　contingent　is；　on　the　whole；　a　serious　drawback



to　the　cause　of　learning；　but　it　adds　appreciably；　and　adds　a



highly　valued　contribution；　to　the　number　enrolled；　and　it　gives



also　a　certain；　highly　appreciated；　loud　tone　（〃college　spirit〃）



to　the　student　body；　and　so　it　is　felt　to　benefit　the　corporation



of　learning　by　drawing　public　attention。　Corporate　means　expended



in　provision　for　these　academic　accessories　　〃side　shows；〃　as



certain　ill…disposed　critics　have　sometimes　called　them　　are



commonly　felt　to　be　well　spent。　Persons　who　are　not　intimately



familiar　with　American　college　life　have　little　appreciation　of



the　grave　solicitude　given　to　these　matters。



　　　　During　some　considerable　number　of　years　past；　while　the



undergraduate　enrolment　at　the　universities　has　been　increasing



rapidly；　the　attitude　of　the　authorities　has　progressively　been



undergoing　a　notable　change　touching　these　matters　of



extra…scholastic　amenity。　It　is　in　great　measure　a　continuation



of　changes　that　have　visibly　been　going　forward　in　the　older



universities　of　the　country　for　a　longer　period；　and　it　is



organically　bound　up　with　the　general　shifting　of　ground　that



marks　the　incursion　of　business　principles。



　　　　While　the　authorities　have　turned　their　attention　primarily



to　the　undergraduate　division　and　its　numerical　increase；　they



have　at　the　same　time；　and　largely　with　the　same　end　in　view；



endeavoured　to　give　it　more　of　the　character　of　a　〃gentleman's



college〃；　that　is　to　say；　an　establishment　for　the　cultivation　of



the　graces　of　gentility　and　a　suitable　place　of　residence　for



young　men　of　spendthrift　habits。　The　improvement　sought　in　these



endeavours　is　not　so　much　the　increase　and　acceleration　of



scholarly　pursuits；　as　a　furthering　of　〃social〃　proficiency。　A



〃gentleman's　college〃　is　an　establishment　in　which　scholarship　is



advisedly　made　subordinate　to　genteel　dissipation；　to　a　grounding



in　those　methods　of　conspicuous　consumption　that　should　engage



the　thought　and　energies　of　a　well…to…do　man　of　the　world。　Such



an　ideal；　more　or　less　overtly；　appears　to　be　gaining　ground



among　the　larger　universities；　and；　needless　to　say；　it　is



therefore　also　gaining；　by　force　of　preced