the higher learning in america-第37章

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to　the　untutored　probationers　of　the　undergraduate　schools；　whose



entrance　on　a　career　of　scholarship　is　yet　a　matter　of



speculative　probability　at　the　best。



　　　　Those　who　have　spoken　for　an　extensive　range　of　electives



have　in　a　very　appreciable　measure　made　use　of　that　expedient　as



a　means　of　displacing　what　they　have　regarded　as　obsolete　or



dispensable　items　in　the　traditional　college　curriculum。　In　so



advocating　a　wider　range　and　freedom　of　choice；　they　have　spoken



for　the　new　courses　of　instruction　as　being　equally　competent



with　the　old　in　point　of　discipline　and　cultural　value；　and　they



have　commonly　not　omitted　to　claim　　somewhat　in　the　way　of　an



obiter　dictum；　perhaps　　that　these　newer　and　more　vital　topics；



whose　claims　they　advocate；　have　also　the　peculiar　merit　of



conducing　in　a　special　degree　to　good　citizenship　and　the



material　welfare　of　the　community。　Such　a　line　of　argument　has



found　immediate　response　among　those　pragmatic　spirits　within



whose　horizon　〃value〃　is　synonymous　with　〃pecuniary　value；〃　and



to　whom　good　citizenship　means　proficiency　in　competitive



business。　So　it　has　come　about　that；　while　the　initial　purpose　of



the　elective　system　appears　to　have　been　the　sharpening　of　the



students'　scholarly　interests　and　the　cultivation　of　a　more



liberal　scholarship；　it　has　by　force　of　circumstances　served　to



propagate　a　movement　at　cross　purposes　with　all　scholarly



aspiration。



　　　　All　this　advocacy　of　the　practical　in　education　has　fallen　in



with　the　aspirations　of　such　young　men　as　are　eager　to　find



gratuitous　help　toward　a　gainful　career；　as　well　as　with　the



desires　of　parents　who　are　anxious　to　see　their　sons　equipped　for



material　success；　and　not　least　has　it　appealed　to　the



sensibilities　of　those　substantial　citizens　who　are　already



established　in　business　and　feel　the　need　of　a　free　supply　of



trained　subordinates　at　reasonable　wages。　The　last　mentioned　is



the　more　substantial　of　these　incentives　to　gratuitous　vocational



training；　coming　in；　as　it　does；　with　the　endorsement　of　the



community's　most　respected　and　most　influential　men。　Whether　it



is　training　in　any　of　the　various　lines　of　engineering；　in



commerce；　in　journalism；　or　in　the　mechanic　and　manual　trades；



the　output　of　trained　men　from　these　vocational　schools　goes；　in



the　main；　to　supply　trained　employees　for　concerns　already



profitably　established　in　such　lines　of　business　as　find　use　for



this　class　of　men；　and　through　the　gratuitous；　or　half



gratuitous；　opportunities　offered　by　these　schools；　this　needed



supply　of　trained　employees　comes　to　the　business　concerns　in



question　at　a　rate　of　wages　lower　than　what　they　would　have　to



pay　in　the　absence　of　such　gratuitous　instruction。



　　　　Not　that　these　substantial　citizens；　whose　word　counts　for　so



much　in　commendation　of　practical　education；　need　be　greatly



moved　by　selfish　consideration　of　this　increased　ease　in



procuring　skilled　labour　for　use　in　their　own　pursuit　of　gain；



but　the　increased　and　cheaper　supply　of　such　skilled　workmen　is



〃good　for　business；〃　and；　in　the　common　sense　estimation　of　these



conservative　businessmen；　what　is　good　for　business　is　good；



without　reservation。　What　is　good　for　business　is　felt　to　be



serviceable　for　the　common　good；　and　no　closer　scrutiny　is



commonly　given　to　that　matter。　While　any　closer　scrutiny　would



doubtless　throw　serious　doubt　on　this　general　proposition；　such



scrutiny　can　not　but　be　distasteful　to　the　successful



businessmen；　since　it　would　unavoidably　also　throw　a　shadow　of



doubt　on　the　meritoriousness　of　that　business　traffic　in　which



they　have　achieved　their　success　and　to　which　they　owe　their



preferential　standing　in　the　community。



　　　　In　this　high　rating　of　things　practical　the　captains　of



industry　are　also　substantially　at　one　with　the　current



common…sense　award　of　the　vulgar；　so　that　their　advocacy　of



practical　education　carries　the　weight　of　a　self…evident



principle。　It　is　true；　in　the　long　run　and　on　sober　reflection



the　award　of　civilized　common　sense　runs　to　the　effect　that



knowledge　is　more　to　be　desired　than　things　of　price；　but　at　the



same　time　the　superficial　and　transient　workday　sense　of　daily



needs　　the　〃snap　judgment〃　of　the　vulgar　　driven　by　the　hard



usage　of　competitive　bread…winning；　says　that　a　gainful



occupation　is　the　first　requisite　of　human　life；　and　accepting　it



without　much　question　as　the　first　requisite；　the　vulgar　allow　it



uncritically　to　stand　as　the　chief　or　sole　and　that　is　worth　an



effort。　And　in　so　doing　they　are　not　so　far　out　of　their



bearings；　for　to　the　common　man；　under　the　competitive　system；



there　is　but　a　scant　margin　of　energy　or　interest　left　over　and



disposable　for　other　ends　after　the　instant　needs　of



bread…winning　have　been　met。



　　　　Proficiency　and　single…mindedness　in　the　pursuit　of　private



gain　is　something　that　can　readily　be　appreciated　by　all　men　who



have　had　the　usual　training　given　by　the　modern　system　of



competitive　gain　and　competitive　spending。　Nothing　is　so



instantly　recognized　as　being　of　great　urgency；　always　and



everywhere；　under　this　modern；　pecuniary　scheme　of　things。　So



that；　without　reflection　and　as　a　matter　of　course；　the　first　and



gravest　question　of　any　general　bearing　in　any　connection　has



come　to　be　that　classic　of　worldly　wisdom：　What　profiteth　it　a



man？　and　the　answer　is；　just　as　uncritically；　sought　in　terms　of



pecuniary　gain。　And　the　men　to　whom　has　been　entrusted　the



custody　of　that　cultural　heritage　of　mankind　that　can　not　be



bought　with　a　price；　make　haste　to　play　up　to　this　snap　judgment



of　the　vulgar；　and　so　keep　them　from　calling　to　mind；　on　second



thought；　what　it　is　that　they；　after　all；　value　more　highly　than



the　means　of　competitive　spending。



　　　　Concomitant　with　this　growing　insistence　on　vocational



training　in　the　schools；　and　with　this　restless　endeavour　of　the



academic　authorities　to　gratify　the　demand；　there　has　also　come



an　increasing　habitual　inclination　of　the　same　uncritical



character　among　academic　men　to　value　all　academic　work　in　terms



of　livelihood　or　of　earning　capacity。（3*）　The　question　has　been



asked；　more　and　more　urgently　and　openly；　What　is　the　use　of　all



this　knowledge？（4*）　Pushed　by　this　popular　prejudice；　and



themselves　also　drifting　under　compulsion　of　the　same　prevalent



bias；　even　the　seasoned　scholars　and　scientists　　Matthew



Arnold's　〃Remnant〃　　have　taken　to　heart　this　question　of　the



use　of　the　higher　learning　in　the　pursuit　of　gain。　Of　course　it



has　no　such　use；　and　the　many　shrewdly　devised　solutions　of　the



conundrum　have　necessarily　run　out　in　a　string　of　sophistical



dialectics。　The　place　of　disinterested　knowledge　in　modern



civilization　is　neither　that　of　a　means　to　private　gain；　nor　that



of　an　intermediate　step　in　〃the　roundabout　process　of　the



production　of　goods。〃



　　　　As　a　motto　for　the　scholars'　craft；　Scientia　pecuniae



ancillans　is　nowise　more　seemly　than　the　Schoolmen's　Philosophia



theologiae　ancillans。（5*）　Yet　such　inroads　have　pecuniary　habits



of　valuation　made　even　within　the　precincts　of　the　corporation　of



learning；　that　university　men；　　and　even　the　scholarly　ones



among　them；　　are　no　more　than　half　ashamed　of　such　a　parcel　of



fatuity。　And　relatively　few　among　university　executives　have　not；



within　the　past　few　years；　taken　occasion　to　plead　the　merits　of



academic　training　as　a　business　proposition。　The　man　of　the　world



　that　is　to　say；　of　the　business　world　puts　the　question；　What



is　the　use　of　this　learning？　and　the　men　who　speak　for　learning；



and　even　the　scholars　occupied　with　the　〃humanities；〃　are　at



pains　to　find　some　colourable　answer　that　shall　satisfy　the



worldly…wise　that　this　learning　for　which　they　speak　is　in　some



way　useful　for　pecuniary　gain。（6*）



　　　　If　he　were　not　himself　infected　with　the　pragmatism　of　the



market…place；　the　scholar's　answer　would　have　to　be。　Get　thee



behind　me！







　　　　Benjamin　Franklin　　high…bred　pragmatist　that　he　was　　once



put　away　such　a　question　with　the　rejoinder：　What　is　the　use　of　a



baby？　To　civilized　men　　with　the　equivocal　exception　of　the



warlike　politicians　　this　latter　question　seems　foolish；



criminally　foolish。　But　there　once　was　a　time；　in　the　high　days



of　barbarism；　when　thoughtful　men　were　ready　to　canvass　that



question　with　as　naive　a　gravity　as　this　other　question；　of　the



use　of　learning；　is　canvassed　by　the　substantial　citizens　of　the



present　day。　At　the　period　covered　by　that　chapter　in　ancient



history；　a　child　was；　in　a　way；　an　article　of　equipment　for　the



up…keep　of　the　family　and　its　prestige；　and　more　remotely　for　the



support　of　the　sovereign　and　his　prestige。　So　that　a　male　child



would　be　rated　as　indubitably　worth　while　if　he　gave　promise　of



growing　into　a　robust　and　contentious　man。　If　the　infant　were　a



girl；　or　if　he　gave　no　promise　of　becoming　an　effective　disturber



of　the　peace；　the　use　or　expediency　of　rearing　the　child　would



become　a　matter　for　deliberation；　and　not　infrequently　the



finding　of　those　old…time　utilitarians　was　adverse；　and　the



investment　was　cancelled。　The　habit　of　so　deliberating　on　the



pragmatic　advisability　of　child…life　has　been　lost；　latterly；　or



at　any　rate　such　of　the　latterday　utilitarians　as　may　still



entertain　a　question　of　this　kind　in　any　concrete　case　are



ashamed　to　have　it　spoken　of　nakedly。　Witness　the　lame　but



irrepressible　sentimental　protest　against　the　Malthusian　doctrine



of　population。



　　　　It　is　true；　in　out…of…the…way　corners　and　on　the　lower　levels



　and　on　the　higher　levels　of　imperial　politics　where　men　have



not　learned　to　shrink　from　shameful　devices；　the　question　of



children　and　of　the　birth…rate　is　still　sometimes　debated　as　a



question　of　the　presumptive　use　of　offspring　for　some　ulterior



end。　And　there　may　still　be　found　those　who　are　touched　by　the



reflection　that　a　child　born　may　become　a　valuable　asset　as　a



support　for　the　parents'　old　age。　Such　a　pecuniary　rating　of　the



parental　relation；　which　values　children　as　a　speculative　means



of　gain；　may　still　be　met　with。　But　wherever　modern　civilization



has　made　its　way　at　all　effectually；　such　a　provident　rating　of



offspring　is　not　met　with　in　good　company。　Latterday　common　sense



does　not　countenance　it。



　　　　Not　that　a　question