the higher learning in america-第47章

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as　bootless　as　it　is　uncalled　for。　But　the　faculties；　as　is　well



enough　understood；　need　of　course　entertain　no　respect　for　their



executive　head　as　a　citizen　of　the　republic　of　learning；　so　long



as　they　at　all　adequately　appreciate　his　discretionary　power　of



use　and　abuse；　as　touches　them　and　their　fortunes　and　all　the



ways；　means　and　opportunities　of　academic　work。　By　tradition；　and



in　the　genial　legendary　lore　that　colours　the　proceedings　of　the



faculty…meeting；　he　is　still　the　senior　member　of　an　assemblage



of　scholarly　gentlemen；　but　in　point　of　executive　fact　he　is



their　employer；　who　does　business　with　and　by　them　on　a



commercial　footing。　To　the　faculty；　the　presidential　office　is　a



business　proposition；　and　its　incumbent　is　chiefly　an　object　of



circumspection；　to　whom　they　owe　a　〃hired…man's　loyalty。〃



　　　　It　is　toward　the　outside；　in　the　face　of　the　laity　out　of



doors；　that　the　high　fence　　〃the　eight…fold　fence〃　　of



scholarly　pretension　is　to　be　kept　up。　Hence　the　indicated　means



of　its　up…keep　are　such　as　will　presumably　hold　the　（transient）



respect　and　affection　of　this　laity；quasi…scholarly　homiletical



discourse；　frequent；　voluminous；　edifying　and　optimistic；



ritualistic　solemnities；　diverting　and　vacant；　spectacular



affectations　of　（counterfeit）　scholastic　usage　in　the　way　of



droll　vestments；　bizarre　and　archaic；　parade　of　（make…believe）



gentility；　encouragement　and　（surreptitious）　subvention　of



athletic　contests；　promulgation　of　（presumably　ingenuous）



statistics　touching　the　volume　and　character　of　the　work　done。



　　　　It　is　only　by　keeping　up　these　manifestations　toward　the



outside；　and　making　them　good　in　the　esteem　of　the　unlearned；



that　the　presidential　office　can　be　made　to　serve　the　ends　of　the



board　of　control　and　the　ambitions　of　the　incumbent；　and　this



large　apparatus　and　traffic　of　make…believe；　therefore；　is　the



first　and　most　unremitting　object　of　executive　solicitude。　It　is



the　〃place　whereon　to　stand〃　while　moving　the　academic　universe。



The　uses　to　be　made　of　the　standing…place　so　achieved　have



already　been　set　out　in　some　detail　in　earlier　chapters。　They



centre　about　three　main　considerations：　Visible　magnitude；



bureaucratic　organization；　and　vocational　training。







　　　　As　already　noted　in　earlier　passages；　the　boards　of　control



are　bodies　of　businessmen　in　whose　apprehension　the　methods



successfully　employed　in　competitive　business　are　suitable　for



all　purposes　of　administration；　from　which　follows　that　the



academic　head　who　is　to　serve　as　their　general　manager　is　vested；



in　effect；　with　such　discretionary　powers　as　currently　devolve　on



the　discretionary　officials　of　business　corporations；　from　which



follows；　among　other　things；　that　the　members　of　the　faculty　come



to　take　rank　as　employees　of　the　concern；　hired　by　and



responsible　to　the　academic　head。



　　　　The　first　executive　duty　of　the　incumbent　of　office；



therefore；　is　to　keep　his　faculty　under　control；　so　as　to　be　able



unhampered　to　carry　out　the　policy　of　magnitude　and



secularization　with　a　view　to　which　the　governing　board　has



invested　him　with　his　powers。　This　work　of　putting　the　faculty　in



its　place　has　by　this　time　been　carried　out　with　sufficient



effect；　so　that　its　〃advice　and　consent〃　may　in　all　cases　be



taken　as　a　matter　of　course；　and　should　a　remnant　of　initiative



and　scholarly　aspiration　show　itself　in　any　given　concrete　case



in　such　a　way　as　to　traverse　the　lines　of　policy　pursued　by　the



executive；　he　can　readily　correct　the　difficulty　by　exercise　of　a



virtually　plenary　power　of　appointment；　preferment　and　removal；



backed　as　this　power　is　by　a　nearly　indefeasible　black…list。　So



well　is　the　academic　black…list　understood；　indeed；　and　so



sensitive　and　trustworthy　is　the　fearsome　loyalty　of　the　common



run　among　academic　men；　that　very　few　among　them　will　venture



openly　to　say　a　good　word　for　any　one　of　their　colleagues　who　may



have　fallen　under　the　displeasure　of　some　incumbent　of　executive



office。　This　work　of　intimidation　and　subornation　may　fairly　be



said　to　have　acquired　the　force　of　an　institution；　and　to　need　no



current　surveillance　or　effort。（6*）



　　　　The　subservience　of　the　faculty；　or　of　a　working　majority；



may　safely　be　counted　on。　But　the　forms　of　advisement　and



responsibility　are　still　necessary　to　be　observed；　the　president



is　still；　by　tradition；　the　senior　member　of　the　faculty；　and　its



confidential　spokesman。　From　which　follows　a　certain；　at　least



pro　forma；　disingenuousness　in　the　executive's　coercive　control



of　academic　policy；　whereby　the　ostensible　discretion　and



responsibility　comes　to　rest　on　the　faculty；　while　the　control



remains　with　the　executive。　But；　after　all；　this　particular　run



of　ambiguity　and　evasions　has　reached　such　settled　forms　and　is



so　well　understood　that　it　no　longer　implies　an　appreciable



strain　on　the　executive's　veracity　or　on　his　diplomatic　skill。　It



belongs　under　the　category　of　legal　fiction；　rather　than　that　of



effectual　prevarication。



　　　　So　also　as　regards　the　businesslike；　or　bureaucratic；



organization　and　control　of　the　administrative　machinery；　and　its



utilization　for　vocational　ends　and　statistical　showing。　All　that



has　been　worked　out　in　its　general　features；　and　calls；　in　any



concrete　case；　for　nothing　much　beyond　an　adaptation　of　general



practices　to　the　detail　requirements　of　the　special　case。　It



devolves；　properly；　on　the　clerical　force；　and　especially　on



those　chiefs　of　clerical　bureau　called　〃deans；〃　together　with　the



many　committees…for…the…sifting…of…sawdust　into　which　the　faculty



of　a　well…administered　university　is　organized。　These　committees



being；　in　effect　if　not　in　intention；　designed　chiefly　to　keep



the　faculty　talking　while　the　bureaucratic　machine　goes　on　its



way　under　the　guidance　of　the　executive　and　his　personal



counsellors　and　lieutenants。　These　matters；　then；　are　also　well



understood；　standardized；　and　accepted；　and　no　longer　require　a



vigilant　personal　surveillance　from　the　side　of　the　executive。



　　　　As　is　well　and　seemly　for　any　head　of　a　great　concern；　these



matters　of　routine　and　current　circumlocution　are　presently



delegated　to　the　oversight　of　trusted　subalterns；　in　a　manner



analogous　to　the　delegation　of　the　somewhat　parallel　duties　of



the　caretakers　of　the　material　equipment。　Both　of　these



hierarchical　corps　of　subordinates　are　in　a　somewhat　similar



case；　in　that　their　duties　are　of　a　mechanically　standardized



nature；　and　in　that　it　is　incumbent　on　both　alike　to　deal　in　a



dispassionate；　not　to　say　impersonal；　way　each　with　the



particular　segment　of　apparatus　and　process　entrusted　to　his



care；　as　is　right　and　good　for　any　official　entrusted　with　given



details　of　bureaucratic　routine。



　　　　The　exacting　duties　that　remain　personally　incumbent　on　the



academic　executive；　and　claiming　his　ordinary　and　continued



attention；　therefore；　are　those　of　his　own　official　prestige　on



the　one　hand；　and　the　selection；　preferment；　rejection　and



proscription　of　members　of　the　academic　staff。　These　two　lines　of



executive　duty　are　closely　correlated；　not　only　in　that　the　staff



is　necessarily　to　be　selected　with　a　view　to　their　furthering　the



prestige　of　their　chief　and　his　university；　but　also　in　that　the



executive's　experience　in　the　course　of　this　enterprise　in



publicity　goes　far　to　shape　his　ideals　of　scholarly　endeavour　and



to　establish　his　standards　of　expediency　and　efficiency　in　the



affairs　of　learning。



　　　　By　usage；　guided；　no　doubt；　by　a　shrewd　sense　of　expediency



in　the　choice　of　means；　it　has；　in　the　typical　case；　come　to　be



the　settled　policy　of　these　incumbents　of　executive　office　to



seek　the　competitively　requisite　measure　of　public　prestige



chiefly　by　way　of　public　oratory。　Now　and　again　his　academic



rank；　backed　by　the　slow…dying　tradition　that　his　office　should



be　filled　by　a　man　of　scholarly　capacity；　will　bring　the



incumbent　before　some　scientific　body　or　other；　where　he　commonly



avoids　offence。　But；　as　has　been　remarked　above；　it　is　the　laity



that　is　to　be　impressed　and　kept　propitiously　in　mind　of　the



executive　and　his　establishment；　and　it　is　therefore　the　laity



that　is　to　be　conciliated　with　presidential　addresses；　it　is　also



to　the　laity　that　the　typical　academic　executive　is　competent　to



speak　without　stultification。　Hence　the　many　edifying　addresses



before　popular　audiences；　at　commencements；　inaugurations；



dedications；　club　meetings；　church　festivals；　and　the　like。　So



that　an　executive　who　aspires　to　do　his　whole　duty　in　these



premises　will　become　in　some　sort　an　itinerant　dispensary　of



salutary　verbiage；　and　university　presidents　have　so　come　to　be



conventionally　indispensable　for　the　effusion　of　graceful　speech



at　all　gatherings　of　the　well…to…do　for　convivial　deliberation　on



the　state　of　mankind　at　large。（7*）



　　　Throughout　this　elocutionary　enterprise　there　runs　the



rigorous　prescription　that　the　speaker　must　avoid　offence；　that



his　utterances　must　be　of　a　salutary　order；　since　the　purpose　of



it　all　is　such　conciliation　of　goodwill　as　will　procure　at　least



the　passive　good　offices　of　those　who　are　reached　by　the



presidential　run　of　language。　But；　by　and　large；　it　is　only



platitudes　and　racy　anecdotes　that　may　be　counted　on　to　estrange



none　of　the　audiences　before　which　it　is　worth　while　for　the



captains　of　erudition　to　make　their　plea　for　sanity　and　renown。



Hence　the　peculiarly；　not　to　say　exuberantly；　inane　character　of



this　branch　of　oratory；　coupled　with　an　indefatigable　optimism



and　good…nature。　This　outcome　is　due　neither　to　a　lack　of



application　nor　of　reflection　on　the　part　of　the　speakers；　it　is；



indeed；　a　finished　product　of　the　homiletical　art　and　makes　up



something　of　a　class　of　its　own　among　the　artistic　achievements



of　the　race。　At　the　same　time　it　is　a　means　to　an　end。（8*）







　　　　However；　the　clay　sticks　to　the　sculptor's　thumb；　as　the



meal…dust　powders　the　miller's　hair　and　the　cobbler　carries



sensible　traces　of　the　pitch　that　goes　into　his　day's　work；　and



as　the　able…bodied　seaman　〃walks　with　a　rolling　gait。〃　So　also



the　university　executive；　who　by　pressure　of　competitive



enterprise　comes　to　be　all　things　to　all　audiences；　will　come



also　to　take　on　the　colour　of　his　own　philandropic



pronouncements