the higher learning in america-第25章

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administration　and　its　bearing　on　advanced　work。　The　scholastic



accessories　spoken　of　above　　clubs；　fraternities；　devotional



organizations；　class　organizations；　spectacles　and　social



functions；　athletics；　and　〃student　activities〃　generally　　do



not　in　any　appreciable　degree　bear　directly　on　the　advanced　work；



in　as　much　as　they　find　no　ready　lodgement　among　the　university



students　proper。　But　they　count；　indirectly　and　effectually；



toward　lowering　the　scholarly　ideals　and　keeping　down　the　number



of　advanced　students；　chiefly　by　diverting　the　interest　and



energies　of　the　undergraduate　men　from　scholarly　pursuits　and



throwing　them　into　various　lines　of　business　and　sportsmanship。



　　　　The　subsidized　clubs　work；　in　these　premises；　to　much　the



same　effect　as　the　fraternities；　both　are；　in　effect；　designed　to



cultivate　expensive　habits　of　life。　The　same　is　true　in　a　higher



degree　of　athletic　sports。　The　full　round　of　sportsmanlike



events；　as　well　as　the　round　schedule　of　social　amenities　for



which　the　polite　side　of　undergraduate　life　（partly　subsidized）



is　designed　to　give　a　taste　and　training；　are　beyond　the　compass



of　men　devoted　to　scholarship。　In　effect　these　things　come　in　as



alternatives　to　the　pursuit　of　knowledge。　These　things　call　for　a



large　expenditure　of　time　and　means；　neither　of　which　can　be



adequately　met　by　the　scientist　or　scholar。　So　that　men　who　have



been　trained　to　the　round　of　things　that　so　go　to　make　up　the



conventional　scheme　of　undergraduate　interests　can　not　well　look



to　a　career　in　the　higher　learning　as　a　possible　outcome　of　their



residence　in　college。　On　the　other　hand；　young　men　habitually；



and　no　doubt　rightly；　expect　a　business　career　to　yield　an　income



somewhat　above　the　average　of　incomes　in　the　community；　and　more



particularly　in　excess　of　the　commonplace　incomes　of　academic



men；　such　an　income；　indeed；　as　may　afford　the　means　to　cover　the



conventional　routine　of　such　polite　expenditures。　So　that；　in　the



absence　of　an　independent　income；　some　sort　of　a　business　career



that　promises　well　in　the　pecuniary　respect　becomes　the　necessary



recourse　of　the　men　to　whom　these　amenities　of　expenditure　have



become　habitual　through　their　undergraduate　training。　With　like



effect　the　mental　discipline　exercised　by　these　sports　and　polite



events　greatly　favours　the　growth　of　tactful　equivocation　and　a



guarded　habit　of　mind；　such　as　makes　for　worldly　wisdom　and



success　in　business；　but　which　is　worse　than　useless　in　the



scholar　or　scientist。　And　further　and　perhaps　more　decisively；　an



undergraduate　who　does　his　whole　duty　in　the　way　of　sports；



fraternities；　clubs；　and　reputable　dissipation　at　large；　commonly



comes　through　his　undergraduate　course　with　a　scanty　and



superficial　preparation　for　scholarly　or　scientific　pursuits；　if



any。　So　that　even　in　case　he　should　still　chance　to　harbour　a



penchant　for　the　pursuit　of　learning　he　will　be　unfit　by　lack　of



training。







NOTES：







1。　Cf。　George　T。　Ladd；　〃The　Need　of　Administrative　Changes　in　the



American　University；〃　reprinted　in　University　Control；　by　J。



McKeen　Cattell；　especially　pp。　352…353。







2。　Cf。　George　T。　Ladd；　as　above；　pp。　351…352。







3。　Apart　from　the　executive's　need　of　satisfying　the　prejudices



of　the　laity　in　this　matter；　there　is　no　ground　for　this



competition　between　the　universities；　either　in　the　pecuniary



circumstances　of　the　several　establishments　or　in　the　work　they



are　to　take　care　of。　So　much　is　admitted　on　all　hands。　But　the



fact　remains　that　no　other　one　motive　has　as　much　to　do　with



shaping　academic　policy　as　this　same　competition　for　traffic。　The



cause　of　it　appears　to　be　very　little　if　anything　else　than　that



the　habits　of　thought　induced　by　experience　in　business　are



uncritically　carried　over　into　academic　affairs。



　　　　Critics　of　the　present　r間ime　are　inclined　to　admit　that　the



colleges　of　the　land　are　in　great　part　so　placed　as　to　be　thrown



into　competition　by　force　of　circumstances；　both　as　to　the



acquisition　of　funds　and　as　to　the　enrolment　of　students。　The



point　may　be　conceded；　though　with　doubt　and　reservation；　as



applies　to　the　colleges；　for　the　universities　there　is　no　visible



ground　of　such　rivalry；　apart　from　unreflecting　prejudice　on　the



part　of　the　laity；　and　an　ambition　for　popular　acclaim　on　the



part　of　the　university　directorate。







4。　An　incumbent　of　executive　office；　recently　appointed；　in　one



of　the　greater　universities　was　at　pains　a　few　years　ago　to　speak



his　mind　on　this　head；　to　the　effect　that　the　members　of　the



academic　staff　are　employees　in　the　pay　of　the　university　and



under　the　orders　of　its　president；　and　as　such　they　are　bound　to



avoid　all　criticism　of　him　and　his　administration　so　long　as　they



continue　on　the　pay…roll；　and　that　if　any　member　of　the　staff　has



any　fault　to　find　with　the　conduct　of　affairs　he　must　first　sever



his　connection　with　the　university；　before　speaking　his　mind。



These　expressions　were　occasioned　by　the　underhand　dismissal　of　a



scholar　of　high　standing　and　long　service；　who　had　incurred　the



displeasure　of　the　president　then　in　charge；　by　overt　criticism



of　the　administration。　As　to　its　general　features　the　case　might



well　have　been　the　one　referred　to　by　Professor　Ladd　（University



Control；　as　above；　p。　359）；　though　the　circumstances　of　the



dismissal　offer　several　details　of　a　more　discreditable　character



than　Professor　Ladd　appears　to　have　been　aware　of。







5。　The　strategic　reason　for　this　is　the　desire　to　retain　for



graduate　registration　any　student　who　might　otherwise　prefer　to



look　for　graduate　instruction　elsewhere。　The　plan　has　not　been



found　to　work　well；　and　it　is　still　on　trial。







6。　At　least　one　such　businesslike　chief　of　bureau　has　seriously



endeavoured　so　to　standardize　and　control　the　work　of　his　staff



as　to　have　all　courses　of　lectures　professed　in　the　department



reduced　to　symmetrical　and　permanent　shape　under　the　form　of



certified　syllabi；　which　could　then　be　taken　over　by　any　member



of　the　staff；　at　the　discretion　of　the　chief；　and　driven　home　in



the　lecture　room　with　the　accredited　pedagogical　circumstance　and



apparatus。　The　scheme　has　found　its　way　into　academic　anecdote；



on　the　lighter　side；　as　being　a　project　to　supply　standard



erudition　in　uniform　packages；　〃guaranteed　under　the　pure　food



law；　fully　sterilized。　and　sealed　without　solder　or　acids〃；　to



which　it　is　only　necessary　to　〃add　hot　air　and　serve。〃







7。　So；　e。　g。；　it　is　known　to　have；　on　occasion；　became　a



difficult　question　of　inter…bureaucratic　comity；　whether



commercial　geography　belongs　of　right　to　the　department　of



geology　or　to　that　of　economics；　whether　given　courses　in　Hebrew



are　equitably　to　be　assigned　to　the　department　of　Semitics　or　to



that　of　Religions；　whether　Church　History　is　in　fairness　to　be



classed　with　profane　History　or　with　Divinity；　etc。；　　questions



which；　except　in　point　of　departmental　rivalry；　have　none　but　a



meretricious　significance。







8。　Nugatory；　that　is；　for　the　ostensible　purpose　of　reducing



inter…academic　rivalry　and　duplication。　However；　there　are　other



matters　of　joint　interest　to　the　gild　of　university　executives；



as；　e。g。；　the　inter…academic；　or　inter…executive；　blacklist；　and



similar　recondite　matters　of　presidential　courtesy　and　prestige；



necessary　to　be　attended　to　though　not　necessary　to　be　spread



abroad。







9。　The　English　pattern　of　boys'　schools　and　gentlemanly



university　residence　has　doubtless　afforded　notable　guidance　to



the　〃Educators〃　who　have　laboured　for　the　greater　gentility　of



American　college　life；　at　the　same　time　that　the　grave



authenticity　of　these　English　customs　has　at　many　a　difficult



passage　sewed　opportunely　to　take　the　edge　off　the



gentlemen…educators'　sense　of　shame。







10。　Illustrative　instances　have　little　value　as　anecdotes　and　not



much　more　as　circumstantial　evidence；　their　abundance　and



outrance　are　such　as　to　have　depreciated　their　value　in　both



respects。　Yet　to　any　who　may　not　know　of　this　traffic　by　familiar



contact　one　or　two　commonplace　instances　may　perhaps　not　seem　too



much。　So；　a　few　years　ago；　in　one　of　the　greater　of　the　new



universities；　a　valued　member　of　one　of　the　athletic　teams　was



retained　at　an　allowance　of　40　a　month　as　bookkeeper　to　the



janitor　of　one　of　the　boys'　dormitories　on　the　campus。　At　the



same　university　and　about　the　same　time　two　other　athletes　were



carried　on　university　pay　as　assistants　to　the　editor　of　the



weekly　bulletin　announcing　the　programme　of　academic　events　for



the　week；　though　in　this　case；　to　the　relief　of　the　editor　in



question；　only　one　of　the　two　assistants　reported　at　his　office；



and　that　only　once；　during　the　year　of　their　incumbency。　These；



as　already　remarked；　are　commonplace　occurrences。　The　more



spectacular　instances　of　shrewd　management　in　these　premises　can



not　well　be　dealt　with　otherwise　than　by　a　canny　silence；　that



being　also　the　course　approved　by　current　practice。







11。　A　single　instance　may　tolerantly　be　admitted　here。　Among　the



formal　requirements　that　would　admit　students　to　a　free　pursuit



of　sportsmanship；　at　the　same　university　as　above　mentioned；



without　imputation　of　professionalism；　was　specified　the　ability



to　read　at　sight　such　a　passage　in　a　given　foreign　language　as



would　satisfy　the　instructor　in　charge　that　the　candidate　was



competent　in　the　language　in　question。　The　instructor　responsible



in　this　case；　a　man　of　high　academic　rank　and　gifted　with　a



sympathetic　good…will　toward　the　〃boys；〃　submitted　in　fulfilment



of　the　test　a　copy　of　the　Lord's　Prayer　in　this　foreign　tongue；



and　passed　the　（several）　candidates　on　finding　them　able　passably



to　repeat　the　same　in　English。　It　would　scarcely　be　fair　to



distinguish　this　episode　by　giving　names　and　places；　since



equally　ingenious　expedients　have　been　in　use　elsewhere。







12。　〃And　then　there　came　another　locust　and　carried　off　another



grain　of　wheat；　and　then　there　came　another　locust；〃　etc。；　etc。







13。　More　than　one　instance　might　be　cited　where　a　student　whose



privately　avowed　and　known　aim　was　the　study　and　practice　of　Law



has　deliberately　been　induced　by　the　offer　of　a　fellowship



stipend　to　register；　for　the　time　being；　as　an　academi