the higher learning in america-第3章

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dispassionate　knowledge　that　modern　civilized　mankind　most



ingenuously　plumes　itself　and　confidently　rests　its　hopes。　The



more　emotional　and　spiritual　virtues　that　once　held　the　first



place　have　been　overshadowed　by　the　increasing　consideration



given　to　proficiency　in　matter…of…fact　knowledge。　As　prime　movers



in　the　tide　of　civilized　life；　these　sentimental　movements　of　the



human　spirit　belong　in　the　past；　…at　least　such　is　the



self…complacent　avowal　of　the　modern　spokesmen　of　culture。　The



modern　technology；　and　the　mechanistic　conception　of　things　that



goes　with　that　technology；　are　alien　to　the　spirit　of　the　〃Old



Order。〃　The　Church；　the　court；　the　camp；　the　drawing…room；　where



these　elder　and　perhaps　nobler　virtues　had　their　laboratory　and



playground；　have　grown　weedy　and　gone　to　seed。　Much　of　the



apparatus　of　the　old　order；　with　the　good　old　way；　still　stands



over　in　a　state　of　decent　repair；　and　the　sentimentally



reminiscent　endeavors　of　certain　spiritual　〃hold…overs〃　still



lend　this　apparatus　of　archaism　something　of　a　galvanic　life。　But



that　power　of　aspiration　that　once　surged　full　and　hot　in　the



cults　of　faith；　fashion；　sentiment；　exploit；　and　honor；　now　at



its　best　comes　to　such　a　head　as　it　may　in　the　concerted



adulation　of　matter…of…fact。



　　　　This　esoteric　knowledge　of　matter…of…fact　has　come　to　be



accepted　as　something　worth　while　in　its　own　right；　a



self…legitimating　end　of　endeavor　in　itself；　apart　from　any



bearing　it　may　have　on　the　glory　of　God　or　the　good　of　man。　Men



have；　no　doubt；　always　been　possessed　of　a　more　or　less　urgent



propensity　to　inquire　into　the　nature　of　things；　beyond　the



serviceability　of　any　knowledge　so　gained；　and　have　always　been



given　to　seeking　curious　explanations　of　things　at　large。　The



idle　curiosity　is　a　native　trait　of　the　race。　But　in　past　times



such　a　disinterested　pursuit　of　unprofitable　knowledge　has；　by



and　large；　not　been　freely　avowed　as　a　legitimate　end　of



endeavour；　or　such　has　at　any　rate　been　the　state　of　the　case



through　that　later　segment　of　history　which　students　commonly



take　account　of。　A　quest　of　knowledge　has　overtly　been　rated　as



meritorious；　or　even　blameless；　only　in　so　far　as　it　has　appeared



to　serve　the　ends　of　one　or　another　of　the　practical　interests



that　have　from　time　to　time　occupied　men's　attention。　But



latterly；　during　the　past　few　generations；　this　learning　has　so



far　become　an　avowed　〃end　in　itself〃　that　〃the　increase　and



diffusion　of　knowledge　among　men〃　is　now　freely　rated　as　the　most



humane　and　meritorious　work　to　be　taken　care　of　by　any



enlightened　community　or　any　public…spirited　friend　of



civilization。



　　　　The　expediency　of　such　〃increase　and　diffusion〃　is　no　longer



held　in　doubt；　because　it　has　ceased　to　be　a　question　of



expediency　among　the　enlightened　nations；　being　itself　the



consummation　upon　which；　in　the　apprehension　of　civilized　men；



the　advance　of　culture　must　converge。　Such　has　come　to　be　the



long…term　common　sense　judgment　of　enlightened　public　opinion。　A



settled　presumption　to　some　such　effect　has　found　lodgment　as　a



commonplace　conviction　in　the　popular　mind；　in　much　the　same



measure　and　in　much　the　same　period　of　time　as　the　current　body



of　systematic　knowledge　has　taken　on　the　character　of　matter　of



fact。　For　good　or　ill；　civilized　men　have　come　to　hold　that　this



matter…of…fact　knowledge　of　things　is　the　only　end　in　life　that



indubitably　justifies　itself。　So　that　nothing　more　irretrievably



shameful　could　overtake　modern　civilization　than　the　miscarriage



of　this　modern　learning；　which　is　the　most　valued　spiritual　asset



of　civilized　mankind。



　　　　The　truth　of　this　view　is　borne　out　by　the　professions　even



of　those　lieutenants　of　the　powers　of　darkness　who　are　straining



to　lay　waste　and　debauch　the　peoples　of　Christendom。　In



high…pitched　concert　they　all　swear　by　the　name　of　a　〃culture〃



whose　sole　inalienable　asset　is　this　same　intellectual　mastery　of



matters　of　fact。　At　the　same　time　it　is　only　by　drawing　on　the



resources　of　this　matter…of…fact　knowledge　that　the　protagonists



of　reaction　are　able　to　carry　on　their　campaign　of　debauchery　and



desolation。







　　　　Other　interests　that　have　once　been　held　in　higher　esteem



appear　by　comparison　to　have　fallen　into　abeyance；　　religious



devotion；　political　prestige；　fighting　capacity；　gentility；



pecuniary　distinction；　profuse　consumption　of　goods。　But　it　is



only　by　comparison　with　the　higher　value　given　to　this　enterprise



of　the　intellect　that　such　other　interests　appear　to　have　lost



ground。　These　and　the　like　have　fallen　into　relative　disesteem；



as　being　sordid　and　insubstantial　by　comparison。　Not　that　these



〃lower〃　human　interests；　answering　to　the　〃lower〃　ranges　of　human



intellect；　have　fallen　into　neglect；　it　is　only　that　they　have



come　to　be　accounted　〃lower；〃　as　contrasted　with　the　quest　of



knowledge；　and　it　is　only　on　sober　second　thought；　and　perhaps



only　for　the　ephemeral　present；　that　they　are　so　accounted　by　the



common　run　of　civilized　mankind。　Men　still　are　in　sufficiently



hot　pursuit　of　all　these　time…worn　amenities；　and　each　for



himself　is；　in　point　of　fact；　more　than　likely　to　make　the



pursuit　of　such　self…seeking　ends　the　burden　of　his　life；　but　on



a　dispassionate　rating；　and　under　the　corrective　of　deliberate



avowal；　it　will　appear　that　none　of　these　commend　themselves　as



intrinsically　worth　while　at　large。　At　the　best　they　are　rated　as



expedient　concessions　to　human　infirmity　or　as　measures　of



defense　against　human　perversity　and　the　outrages　of　fortune。　The



last　resort　of　the　apologists　for　these　more　sordid　endeavours　is



the　plea　that　only　by　this　means　can　the　ulterior　ends　of　a



civilization　of　intelligence　be　served。　The　argument　may　fairly



be　paraphrased　to　the　effect　that　in　order　to　serve　God　in　the



end；　we　must　all　be　ready　to　serve　the　Devil　in　the　meantime。







　　　　It　is　always　possible；　of　course；　that　this　pre…eminence　of



intellectual　enterprise　in　the　civilization　of　the　Western



peoples　is　a　transient　episode；　that　it　may　eventually　　perhaps



even　precipitately；　with　the　next　impending　turn　in　the　fortunes



of　this　civilization　　again　be　relegated　to　a　secondary　place



in　the　scheme　of　things　and　become　only　an　instrumentality　in　the



service　of　some　dominant　aim　or　impulse；　such　as　a　vainglorious



patriotism；　or　dynastic　politics；　or　the　breeding　of　a　commercial



aristocracy。　More　than　one　of　the　nations　of　Europe　have　moved　so



far　in　this　matter　already　as　to　place　the　primacy　of　science　and



scholarship　in　doubt　as　against　warlike　ambitions；　and　the



aspirations　of　the　American　community　appear　to　be　divided　



between　patriotism　in　the　service　of　the　captains　of　war；　and



commerce　in　the　service　of　the　captains　of　finance。　But　hitherto



the　spokesmen　of　any　such　cultural　reversion　are　careful　to



declare　a　perfunctory　faith　in　that　civilization　of　disinterested



intellectual　achievement　which　they　are　endeavouring　to　suborn　to



their　several　ends。　That　such　pro　forma　declarations　are　found



necessary　argues　that　the　faith　in　a　civilization　of　intelligence



is　still　so　far　intact　as　to　require　all　reactionaries　to　make



their　peace　with　it。



　　　　Meantime　the　easy　matter…of…course　presumption　that　such　a



civilization　of　intelligence　justifies　itself　goes　to　argue　that



the　current　bias　which　so　comes　to　expression　will　be　the　outcome



of　a　secure　and　protracted　experience。　What　underlies　and　has



brought　on　this　bent　in　the　temper　of　the　civilized　peoples　is　a



somewhat　intricate　question　of　institutional　growth；　and　can　not



be　gone　into　here；　but　the　gradual　shifting　of　this



matter…of…fact　outlook　into　the　primacy　among　the　ideals　of



modern。　Christendom　is　sufficiently　evident　in　point　of　fact；　to



any　attentive　student　of　modern　times。　Conceivably；　there　may



come　an　abrupt　term　to　its　paramount　vogue；　through　some



precipitate　sweep　of　circumstances；　but　it　did　not　come　in　by



anything　like　the　sudden　intrusion　of　a　new　invention　in　ideals



　after　the　fashion　of　a　religious　conversion　nor　by　the



incursion　of　a　hitherto　alien　element　into　the　current　scheme　of



life；　but　rather　by　force　of　a　gradual　and　unintended；　scarcely



perceptible；　shifting　of　emphasis　between　the　several　cultural



factors　that　conjointly　go　to　make　up　the　working　scheme　of



things。



　　　　Along　with　this　shifting　of　matter…of…fact　knowledge　into　the



foreground　among　the　ideals　of　civilized　life；　there　has　also



gone　on　a　similarly　unpremeditated　change　in　the　attitude　of



those　persons　and　establishments　that　have　to　do　with　this



learning；　as　well　as　in　the　rating　accorded　them　by　the　community



at　large。　Again　it　is　a　matter　of　institutional　growth；　of



self…wrought　changes　in　the　scheme　of　use　and　wont；　and　here　as



in　other　cases　of　institutional　growth　and　displacement；　the



changes　have　gone　forward　for　the　most　part　blindly；　by　impulse；



without　much　foreknowledge　of　any　ulterior　consequences　to　which



such　a　sequence　of　change　might　be　said　to　tend。　It　is　only　after



the　new　growth　of　use　and　wont　has　taken　effect　in　an　altered



range　of　principles　and　standards；　that　its　direction　and



ulterior　consequences　can　be　appreciated　with　any　degree　of



confidence。　But　this　development　that　has　thrown　up



matter…of…fact　knowledge　into　its　place　of　paramount　value　for



modern　culture　has　in　a　peculiar　degree　been　unintended　and



unforeseen；　the　like　applies　to　the　case　of　the　schools　and　the



personnel　involved；　and　in　a　peculiar　degree　the　drift　and



bearing　of　these　changes　have　also　not　been　appreciated　while



they　have　been　going　forward；　doubtless　because　it　has　all　been　a



peculiarly　unprecedented　phenomenon　and　a　wholly　undesigned　drift



of　habituation。　History　records　nothing　that　is　fairly



comparable。　No　era　in　the　historic　past　has　set　a　pattern　for



guidance　in　this　matter；　and　the　experience　of　none　of　the



peoples　of　history　affords　a　clue　by　which　to　have　judged



beforehand　of　the　probable　course　and　outcome　of　this



specifically　modern　and　occidental　phase　of　culture。



　　　　Some　slight　beginnings　and　excursions　in　the　way　of　a



cultivation　of　matter…of…fact　learning　there　may　have　been；　now



and　again；　among　the　many　shifting　systems　of　esoteric　lore　that



have　claimed　attention　here　and　there