the higher learning in america-第42章

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to　preclude　substantially　all　close　or　cordial　personal　relations



between　the　teachers　and　each　of　these　immature　pupils　under



their　charge；　as；　again；　is　commonly　the　case　with　these　American



undergraduate　establishments。　Such　a　system　of　authoritative



control；　standardization；　gradation；　accountancy；　classification；



credits　and　penalties；　will　necessarily　be　drawn　on　stricter



lines　the　more　the　school　takes　on　the　character　of　a　house　of



correction　or　a　penal　settlement；　in　which　the　irresponsible



inmates　are　to　be　held　to　a　round　of　distasteful　tasks　and



restrained　from　（conventionally）　excessive　irregularities　of



conduct。　At　the　same　time　this　recourse　to　such　coercive　control



and　standardization　of　tasks　has　unavoidably　given　the　schools



something　of　the　character　of　a　penal　settlement。



　　　　As　intimated　above；　the　ideal　of　efficiency　by　force　of　which



a　large…scale　centralized　organization　commends　itself　in　these



premises　is　that　pattern　of　shrewd　management　whereby　a　large



business　concern　makes　money。　The　underlying　business…like



presumption　accordingly　appears　to　be　that　learning　is　a



merchantable　commodity；　to　be　Produced　on　a　piece…rate　plan；



rated；　bought　and　sold　by　standard　units；　measured；　counted　and



reduced　to　staple　equivalence　by　impersonal；　mechanical　tests。　In



all　its　bearings　the　work　is　hereby　reduced　to　a　mechanistic；



statistical　consistency；　with　numerical　standards　and　units；



which　conduces　to　perfunctory　and　mediocre　wOrk　throughout；　and



acts　to　deter　both　students　and　teachers　from　a　free　pursuit　of



knowledge；　as　contrasted　with　the　pursuit　of　academic　credits。　So



far　as　this　mechanistic　system　goes　freely　into　effect　it　leads



to　a　substitution　of　salesmanlike　proficiency　　a　balancing　of



bargains　in　staple　credits　　in　the　place　of　scientific　capacity



and　addiction　to　study。



　　　　The　salesmanlike　abilities　and　the　men　of　affairs　that　so　are



drawn　into　the　academic　personnel　are；　presumably；　somewhat　under



grade　in　their　kind；　since　the　pecuniary　inducement　offered　by



the　schools　is　rather　low　as　compared　with　the　remuneration　for



office　work　of　a　similar　character　in　the　common　run　of　business



occupations；　and　since　businesslike　employees　of　this　kind　may



fairly　be　presumed　to　go　unreservedly　to　the　highest　bidder。　Yet



these　more　unscholarly　members　of　the　staff　will　necessarily　be



assigned　the　more　responsible　and　discretionary　positions　in　the



academic　organization；　since　under　such　a　scheme　of



standardization；　accountancy　and　control；　the　school　becomes



primarily　a　bureaucratic　organization；　and　the　first　and



unremitting　duties　of　the　staff　are　those　of　official　management



and　accountancy。　The　further　qualifications　requisite　in　the



members　of　the　academic　staff　will　be　such　as　make　for



vendibility；　　volubility；　tactful　effrontery；　conspicuous



conformity　to　the　popular　taste　in　all　matters　of　opinion；　usage



and　conventions。



　　　　The　need　of　such　a　businesslike　organization　asserts　itself



in　somewhat　the　same　degree　in　which　the　academic　policy　is



guided　by　considerations　of　magnitude　and　statistical　renown；　and



this　in　turn　is　somewhat　closely　correlated　with　the　extent　of



discretionary　power　exercised　by　the　captain　of　erudition　placed



in　control。　At　the　same　time；　by　provocation　of　the　facilities



which　it　offers　for　making　an　impressive　demonstration；　such



bureaucratic　organization　will　lead　the　university　management　to



bend　its　energies　with　somewhat　more　singleness　to　the　parade　of



magnitude　and　statistical　gains。　It　also；　and　in　the　same



connection；　provokes　to　a　persistent　and　detailed　surveillance



and　direction　of　the　work　and　manner　of　life　of　the　academic



staff；　and　so　it　acts　to　shut　off　initiative　of　any　kind　in　the



work　done。（1*）



　　　　Intimately　bound　up　with　this　bureaucratic　officialism　and



accountancy；　and　working　consistently　to　a　similar　outcome；　is



the　predilection　for　〃practical　efficiency〃　that　is　to　say；　for



pecuniary　success　　prevalent　in　the　American　community。（2*）



This　predilection　is　a　matter　of　settled　habit；　due；　no　doubt；　to



the　fact　that　preoccupation　with　business　interests　characterizes



this　community　in　an　exceptional　degree；　and　that　pecuniary



habits　of　thought　consequently　rule　popular　thinking　in　a



peculiarly　uncritical　and　prescriptive　fashion。　This　pecuniary



animus　falls　in　with　and　reinforces　the　movement　for　academic



accountancy；　and　combines　with　it　to　further　a　so…called



〃practical〃　bias　in　all　the　work　of　the　schools。



　　　　It　appears；　then；　that　the　intrusion　of　business　principles



in　the　universities　goes　to　weaken　and　retard　the　pursuit　of



learning；　and　therefore　to　defeat　the　ends　for　which　a　university



is　maintained。　This　result　follows；　primarily；　from　the



substitution　of　impersonal；　mechanical　relations；　standards　and



tests；　in　the　place　of　personal　conference；　guidance　and



association　between　teachers　and　students；　as　also　from　the



imposition　of　a　mechanically　standardized　routine　upon　the



members　of　the　staff；　whereby　any　disinterested　preoccupation



with　scholarly　or　scientific　inquiry　is　thrown　into　the



background　and　falls　into　abeyance。　Few　if　any　who　are　competent



to　speak　in　these　premises　will　question　that　such　has　been　the



outcome。　To　offset　against　this　work　of　mutilation　and



retardation　there　are　certain　gains　in　expedition；　and　in　the



volume　of　traffic　that　can　be　carried　by　any　given　equipment　and



corps　of　employees。　Particularly　will　there　be　a　gain　in　the



statistical　showing；　both　as　regards　the　volume　of　instruction



offered；　and　probably　also　as　regards　the　enrolment；　since



accountancy　creates　statistics　and　its　absence　does　not。



　　　　Such　increased　enrolment　as　may　be　due　to　businesslike



management　and　methods　is　an　increase　of　undergraduate　enrolment。



The　net　effect　as　regards　the　graduate　enrolment　　apart　from



any　vocational　instruction　that　may　euphemistically　be　scheduled



as　〃graduate〃　　is　in　all　probability　rather　a　decrease　than　an



increase。　Through　indoctrination　with　utilitarian　（pecuniary）



ideals　of　earning　and　spending；　as　well　as　by　engendering



spendthrift　and　sportsmanlike　habits；　such　a　businesslike



management　diverts　the　undergraduate　students　from　going　in　for



the　disinterested　pursuit　of　knowledge；　and　so　from　entering　on



what　is　properly　university　work；　as　witness　the　relatively



slight　proportion　of　graduate　students　outside　of　the



professional　schools　　who　come　up　from　the　excessively　large



undergraduate　departments　of　the　more　expansive　universities；　as



contrasted　with　the　number　of　those　who　come　into　university　work



from　the　smaller　and　less　businesslike　colleges。



　　　　The　ulterior　consequences　that　follow　from　such　businesslike



standardization　and　bureaucratic　efficiency　are　evident　in　the



current　state　of　the　public　schools；　especially　as　seen　in　the



larger　towns；　where　the　principles　of　business　management　have



had　time　and　scope　to　work　out　in　a　fair　degree　of　consistency。



The　resulting　abomination　of　desolation　is　sufficiently



notorious。　And　there　appears　to　be　no　reason　why　a　similarly



stale　routine　of　futility　should　not　overtake　the　universities；



and　give　similarly　foolish　results；　as　fast　as　the　system　of



standardization；　accountancy　and　piece…work　goes　consistently



into　effect；　　except　only　for　the　continued　enforced　employment



of　a　modicum　of　impracticable　scholars　and　scientists　on　the



academic　staff；　whose　unbusinesslike　scholarly　proclivities　and



inability　to　keep　the　miner's…inch　of　scholastic　credit　always　in



mind；　must　in　some　measure　always　defeat　the　perfect　working　of



standardization　and　accountancy。



　　　　As　might　be　expected；　this　r間ime　of　graduated　sterility　has



already　made　fair　headway　in　the　undergraduate　work；　especially



in　the　larger　undergraduate　schools；　and　this　in　spite　of　any



efforts　On　the　part　of　the　administration　to　hedge　against　such



an　outcome　by　recourse　to　an　intricate　system　of　electives　and　a



wide　diversification　of　the　standard　units　of　erudition　so



offered。



　　　　In　the　graduate　work　the　like　effect　is　only　less　visible；



because　the　measures　leading　to　it　have　come　into　bearing　more



recently；　and　hitherto　less　unreservedly。　But　the　like　results



should　follow　here　also；　just　so　fast　and　so　far　as　the　same



range　of　business　principles　come　to　be　worked　into　the　texture



of　the　university　organization　in　the　same　efficacious　manner　as



they　have　already　taken　effect　in　the　public　schools。　And；　pushed



on　as　it　is　by　the　progressive　substitution　of　men　imbued　with



the　tastes　and　habits　of　practical　affairs；　in　the　place　of



unpractical　scholarly　ideals；　the　movement　toward　a　perfunctory



routine　of　mediocrity　should　logically　be　expected　to　go　forward



at　a　progressively　accelerated　rate。　The　visible　drift　of　things



in　this　respect　in　the　academic　pursuit　of　the　social　sciences；



so…called；　is　an　argument　as　to　what　may　be　hoped　for　in　the



domain　of　academic　science　at　large。　It　is　only　that　the



executive　is　actuated　by　a　sharper　solicitude　to　keep　the



academic　establishment　blameless　of　anything　like　innovation　or



iconoclasm　at　this　point；　which　reinforces　the　drift　toward　a



mechanistic　routine　and　a　curtailment　of　inquiry　in　this　field；



it　is　not　that　these　sciences　that　deal　with　the　phenomena　of



human　life　lend　themselves　more　readily　to　mechanical　description



and　enumeration　than　the　material　sciences　do；　nor　is　their



subject　matter　intrinsically　more　inert　or　less　provocative　of



questions。







　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　II







　　　　Throughout　the　above　summary　review；　as　also　through　the



foregoing　inquiry；　the　argument　continually　returns　to　or　turns



about　two　main　interests；　　notoriety　and　the　academic



executive。　These　two　might　be　called　the　two　foci　about　which



swings　the　orbit　of　the　university　world。　These　conjugate　foci



lie　on　a　reasonably　short　axis；　indeed；　they　tend　to　coincide；　so



that　the　orbit　comes　near　the　perfection　of　a　circle；　having



virtually　but　a　single　centre；　which　may　perhaps　indifferently　be



spoken　of　as　the　university's　president　or　as　its　renown；



according　as　one　may　incline　to　conceive　these　matters　in　terms



of　tangible　fact　or　of　intangible。



　　　　The　system　of　standardization　and　accountancy　has　this　re