the higher learning in america-第26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！





has　deliberately　been　induced　by　the　offer　of　a　fellowship



stipend　to　register；　for　the　time　being；　as　an　academic　graduate



student　and　as　candidate　for　the　academic　doctor's　degree。　In　the



instances　that　come　to　mind　the　students　in　question　have　since



completed　their　law　studies　and　entered　practice；　without　further



troubling　about　the　academic　degree　for　which　they　once　were



ostensible　candidates。







CHAPTER　IV







Academic　Prestige　and　the　Material　Equipment







　　　　In　the　course　of　the　preceding　chapter　it　has　appeared　that



the　introduction　of　business　principles　into　university　policy



has　had　the　immediate　and　ubiquitous　effect　of　greatly



heightening　the　directorate's　solicitude　for　a　due　and　creditable



publicity；　a　convincing　visible　success；　a　tactful　and　effectual



showing　of　efficiency　reflected　in　an　uninterrupted　growth　in



size　and　other　tangible　quantitative　features。　This　is　good



policy　as　seen　from　the　point　of　view　of　competitive　business



enterprise。　In　competitive　business　it　is　of　the　gravest



importance　to　keep　up　the　concern's　prestige；　or　〃good　will。〃　A



business　concern　so　placed　must　be　possessed　of　such　prestige　as



will　draw　and　hold　a　profitable　traffic；　otherwise　the　enterprise



is　in　a　precarious　case。　For　the　objective　end　and　aim　of



business　enterprise　is　profitable　sales；　or　the　equivalent　of



such　sales　if　the　concern　is　not　occupied　with　what　would



strictly　be　called　sales。　The　end　sought　is　a　net　gain　over



costs；　in　effect；　to　buy　cheap　and　sell　dear。　The　qualities　that



count　as　of　prime　consequence　in　business　enterprise；　therefore；



particularly　in　such　business　enterprise　as　has　to　do　with　many



impressionable　customers；　are　the　salesmanlike　virtues　of



effrontery　and　tact。　These　are　high　qualities　in　all　business；



because　their　due　exercise　is　believed　to　bring　a　net　return



above　the　cost　of　the　goods　to　the　seller；　and；　indeed；　above



their　value　to　the　buyer。　Unless　the　man　in　competitive　business



is　able；　by　force　of　these　businesslike　aptitudes；　to　get



something　more　than　he　gives；　it　is　felt　that　he　has　fallen　short



of　the　highest　efficiency。　So　the　efficient　salesman；　and



similarly　the　efficiently　managed　business　concern；　are　enabled



to　add　to　their　marketable　goods　an　immaterial　increment　of



〃prestige　value；〃　as　some　of　the　economists　are　calling　it。　A



margin　of　prepossessions　or　illusions　as　to　their　superior；　but



intangible　and　inexpensive；　utility　attaches　to　a　given　line　of



goods　because　of　the　advertiser's　or　salesman's　work；　　work



spent　not　so　much　on　the　goods　as　on　the　customer's



sensibilities。



　　　　In　case　these　illusions　of　superior　worth　are　of　an　enduring



character；　they　will　add　an　increment　of　such　intangible　utility



also　to　goods　or　other　marketable　items　subsequently　to　be



offered　by　the　same　concern；　and　they　can　be　added　up　as　a



presumptive　aggregate　and　capitalized　as　intangible　assets　of　the



business　concern　in　question。　Such　a　body　of　accumulated　and



marketable　illusions　constitute　what　is　known　as　〃good…will；〃　in



the　stricter　sense　of　the　term。　The　illusions　in　question　need；



of　course；　not　be　delusions；　they　may　be　well　or　ill　founded；　for



the　purpose　in　hand　that　is　an　idle　question。



　　　　The　most　familiar　and　convincing　illustrations　of　such　good



will　are　probably　those　afforded　by　the　sales　of　patent



medicines；　and　similar　proprietary　articles　of　household



consumption；　but　intangible　values　of　a　similar　nature　are



involved　in　nearly　all　competitive　business。　They　are　the　product



of　salesmanship；　not　of　workmanship；　and　they　are　useful　to　the



seller；　not　to　the　buyer。　They　are　useful　for　purposes　of



competitive　gain　to　the　businessman；　not　for　serviceability　to



the　community　at　large；　and　their　value　to　their　possessor　lies



in　the　differential　advantage　which　they　give　to　one　seller　as



against　another。　They　have；　on　the　whole；　no　aggregate　value　or



utility。　From　the　point　of　view　of　the　common　good；　work　and



expenditure　so　incurred　for　these　competitive　purposes　are



bootless　waste。







　　　　Under　compulsion　of　such　precedents；　drawn　from　the　conduct



of　competitive　business；　publicity　and　〃goodwill〃　have　come　to



take　a　foremost　place　in　the　solicitude　of　the　academic



directorate。　Not　that　this　notoriety　and　prestige；　or　the　efforts



that　go　to　their　cultivation；　conduce　in　any　appreciable　degree



to　any　ostensible　purpose　avowed；　or　avowable；　by　any　university。



These　things；　that　is　to　say；　rather　hinder　than　help　the　cause



of　learning；　in　that　they　divert　attention　and　effort　from



scholarly　workmanship　to　statistics　and　salesmanship。　All　that　is



beyond　cavil。　The　gain　which　so　accrues　to　any　university　from



such　an　accession　of　popular　illusions　is　a　differential　gain　in



competition　with　rival　seats　of　learning；　not　a　gain　to　the



republic　of　learning　or　to　the　academic　community　at　large；　and



it　is　a　gain　in　marketable　illusions；　not　in　serviceability　for



the　ends　of　learning　or　for　any　other　avowed　or　avowable　end



sought　by　the　universities。　But　as　competitors　for　the　good…will



of　the　unlettered　patrons　of　learning　the　university　directorates



are　constrained　to　keep　this　need　of　a　reputable　notoriety



constantly　in　mind；　however　little　it　may　all　appeal　to　their　own



scholarly　tastes。



　　　　It　is　in　very　large　part；　if　not　chiefly；　as　touches　the



acquirement　of　prestige；　that　the　academic　work　and　equipment　are



amenable　to　business　principles；　　not　overlooking　the　pervasive



system　of　standardization　and　accountancy　that　affects　both　the



work　and　the　equipment；　and　that　serves　other　purposes　as　well　as



those　of　publicity；　so　that　〃business　principles〃　in　academic



policy　comes　to　mean；　chiefly；　the　principles　of　reputable



publicity。　It　means　this　more　frequently　and　more　consistently



than　anything　else；　so　far　as　regards　the　academic



administration；　as　distinguished　from　the　fiscal　management　of



the　corporation。



　　　　Of　course；　the　standards；　ideals；　principles　and　procedure　of



business　traffic　enter　into　the　scheme　of　university　policy　in



other　relations　also；　as　has　already　appeared　and　as　will　be



shown　more　at　large　presently；　but　after　all　due　qualification　is



had；　it　remains　true　that　this　business　of　publicity　necessarily；



or　at　least　commonly；　accounts　for　a　disproportionately　large



share　of　the　business　to　be　taken　care　of　in　conducting　a



university；　as　contrasted　with　such　an　enterprise；　e。g。；　as　a



bank；　a　steel　works；　or　a　railway　company；　on　a　capital　of　about



the　same　volume。　This　follows　from　the　nature　of　the　case。　The



common　run　of　business　concerns　are　occupied　with　industrial



enterprise　of　some　kind；　and　with　transactions　in　credit；　　with



a　running　sequence　of　bargains　from　which　the　gains　of　the



concern　are　to　accrue；　　and　it　is　upon　these　gains　that



attention　and　effort　centers；　and　to　which　the　management　of　the



concern　constantly　looks。　Such　concerns　have　to　meet　their



competitors　in　buying；　selling；　and　effecting　contracts　of　all



kinds；　from　which　their　gains　are　to　come。　A　university；　on　the



other　hand；　can　look　to　no　such　gains　in　the　work　which　is　its



sole　ostensible　interest　and　occupation；　and　the　pecuniary



transactions　and　arrangements　which　it　enters　into　on　the　basis



of　its　accumulated　prestige　are　a　relatively　very　trivial　matter。



There　is；　in　short；　no　appreciable　pecuniary　gain　to　be　looked



for　from　any　traffic　resting　on　the　acquired　prestige；　and



therefore　there　is　no　relation　of　equivalence　or　discrepancy



between　any　outlay　incurred　in　this　behalf　and　the　volume　of



gainful　business　to　be　transacted　on　the　strength　of　it；　with　the



result　that　the　academic　directorate　applies　itself　to　this



pursuit　without　arri鑢e　pens閑。　So　far　as　the　acquired　prestige



is　designed　to　serve　a　pecuniary　end　it　can　only　be　useful　in　the



way　of　impressing　potential　donors；　a　highly　speculative　line　of



enterprise；　offering　a　suggestive　parallel　to　the　drawings　of　a



lottery。



　　　　Outlay　for　the　purpose　of　publicity　is　not　confined　to　the



employment　of　field…agents　and　the　circulation　of　creditable



gossip　and　reassuring　printed　matter。　The　greater　share　of　it



comes　in　as　incidental　to　the　installation　of　plant　and　equipment



and　the　routine　of　academic　life　and　ceremony。　As　regards　the



material　equipment；　the　demands　of　a　creditable　appearance　are



pervading　and　rigorous；　and　their　consequences　in　the　way　of



elaborate　and　premeditated　incidentals　are；　perhaps；　here　seen　at



their　best。　To　the　laity　a　〃university〃　has　come　to　mean；　in　the



first　place　and　indispensably；　an　aggregation　of　buildings　and



other　improved　real…estate。　This　material　equipment　strikes　the



lay　attention　directly　and　convincingly；　while　the　pursuit　of



learning　is　a　relatively　obscure　matter；　the　motions　of　which　can



not　well　be　followed　by　the　unlettered；　even　with　the　help　of　the



newspapers　and　the　circular　literature　that　issues　from　the



university's　publicity　bureau。　The　academic　work　is；　after　all；



unseen；　and　it　stays　in　the　background。　Current　expenditure　for



the　prosecution　of　this　work；　therefore；　offers　the　enterprise　in



advertisement　a　less　advantageous　field　for　the　convincing　use　of



funds　than　the　material　equipment；　especially　the　larger　items；



　laboratory　and　library　buildings；　assembly　halls；　curious



museum　exhibits；　grounds　for　athletic　contests；　and　the　like。



There　is　consequently　a　steady　drift　of　provocation　towards



expenditure　on　conspicuous　extensions　of　the　〃plant；〃　and　a



correlative　constant　temptation　to　parsimony　in　the　more　obscure



matter　of　necessary　supplies　and　service；　and　similar



running…expenses　without　which　the　plant　can　not　effectually　be



turned　to　account　for　its　ostensible　use；　with　the　result；　not



infrequently；　that　the　usefulness　of　an　imposing　plant　is



seriously　impaired　for　want　of　what　may　be　called　〃working



capital。〃（1*）



　　　　Indeed；　instances　might　be　cited　where　funds　that　were　much



needed　to　help　out　in　meeting　running　expenses　have　been　turned



to　use　for　conspicuous　extensions　of　the　plant　in　the　way　of



buildings；　in　excess　not　only　of　what　was　needed　for　their



alleged　purpose　but　in　excess　of　what　could　conveniently　be　made



use　of。　More　particularly　is　there　a　marked　proclivity　to　extend



th