the higher learning in america-第52章

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exigencies　of　its　own　powers　and　purposes；　with　such　regard　to



inter…collegiate　comity　and　courtesy　as　would　be　required　by　the



substantial　relations　then　subsisting　between　them；　by　virtue　of



their　common　employment　in　academic　work。







　　　　In　what　has　just　been　said；　it　is　not　forgotten　that　the



burden　of　their　own　affairs　would　be　thrown　back　on　the



initiative　and　collective　discretion　of　the　several　faculties；　so





soon　as　the　several　schools　had　once　escaped　from　the　trust…like



coalition　in　which　they　are　now　held。　As　has　abundantly　appeared



in　latterday　practice；　these　faculties　have　in　such　matters



proved　themselves　notable　chiefly　for　futile　disputation；　which



does　not　give　much　promise　of　competent　self…direction　on　their



part；　in　case　they　were　given　a　free　hand。　It　is　to　be　recalled；



however；　that　this　latterday　experience　of　confirmed　incompetence



has　been　gathered　under　the　overshadowing　presence　of　a



surreptitiously　and　irresponsibly　autocratic　executive；　vested



with　power　of　use　and　abuse；　and　served　by　a　corps　of　adroit



parliamentarians　and　lobbyists；　ever　at　hand　to　divert　the



faculty's　action　from　any　measure　that　might　promise　to　have　a



substantial　effect。　By　force　of　circumstances；　chief　of　which　is



the　executive　office；　the　faculties　have　become　deliberative



bodies　charged　with　power　to　talk。　Their　serious　attention　has



been　taken　up　with　schemes　for　weighing　imponderables　and



correlating　incommensurables；　with　such　a　degree　of



verisimilitude　as　would　keep　the　statistics　and　accountancy　of



the　collective　administration　in　countenance；　and　still　leave



some　play　in　the　joints　of　the　system　for　the　personal　relation



of　teacher　and　disciple。　It　is　a　nice　problem　in　self…deception；



chiefly　notable　for　an　endless　proliferation。



　　　　At　the　same　time　it　is　well　known　　too　well　known　to



command　particular　attention　　that　in　current　practice；　and　of



necessity；　the　actual　effective　organization　of　each　of　these



constituent　school　units　devolves　on　the　working　staff；　in　so　far



as　regards　the　effectual　work　to　be　done。　even　to　the　selection



of　its　working　members　and　the　apportionment　of　the　work。　It　is



all　done　〃by　authority〃　of　course；　and　must　all　be　arranged



discreetly；　with　an　ulterior　view　to　its　sanction　by　the



executive　and　its　due　articulation　with　the　scheme　of　publicity



at　large；　but　in　all　these　matters　the　executive　habitually　comes



into　bearing　only　as　a　（powerful）　extraneous　and　alien



interference；　　almost　wholly　inhibitory；　in　effect；　even　though



with　a　show　of　initiative　and　creative　guidance。　And　this



inhibitory　surveillance　is　exercised　chiefly　on　grounds　of



conciliatory　notoriety　towards　the　outside；　rather　than　on



grounds　that　touch　the　efficiency　of　the　staff　for　the　work　in



hand。　Such　efficiency　is　commonly　not　barred；　it　is　believed；　so



long　as　it　does　not　hinder　the　executive's　quest　of　the　greater



glory。　There　is；　in　effect；　an　inhibitory　veto　power　touching　the



work　and　its　ways　and　means。



　　　　But　even　when　taken　at　its　best；　and　when　relieved　of　the



inhibition　and　deflection　worked　by　the　executive；　such　an



academic　body　can　doubtless　be　counted　on　to　manage　its



collective　affairs　somewhat　clumsily　and　incompetently。　There　can



be　no　hope　of　trenchant　policy　and　efficient　control　at　their



hands；　and；　it　should　be　added；　there　need　be　no　great　fear　of



such　an　outcome。　The　result　should；　in　so　far；　be　nearly　clear



gain；　as　against　the　current　highly　efficient　management　by　an



executive。　Relatively　little　administration　or　control　would　be



needed　in　the　resulting　small…scale　units；　except　in　so　far　as



they　might　carry　over　into　the　new　r間ime　an　appreciable　burden



of　extra…scholastic　traffic　in　the　way　of　athletics；



fraternities；　student　activities；　and　the　like；　and　except　so　far



as　regards　those　schools　that　might　still　continue　to　be



〃gentlemen's　colleges；〃　devoted　to　the　cultivation　of　the



irregularities　of　adolescence　and　to　their　transfusion　with　a



conventional　elegance；　these　latter；　being　of　the　nature　of　penal



settlements；　would　necessarily　require　government　by　a　firm　hand。



That　work　of　intimately　personal　contact　and　guidance；　in　a



community　of　intellectual　enterprise；　that　makes　up　the　substance



of　efficient　teaching；　would；　it　might　fairly　be　hoped；　not　be



seriously　hindered　by　the　ill…co…ordinated　efforts　of　such　an



academic　assembly；　even　if　its　members　had　carried　over　a　good



share　of　the　mechanistic　frame　of　mind　induced　by　their



experience　under　the　r間ime　of　standardization　and　accountancy。



　　　　Indeed；　there　might　even　be　ground　to　hope　that；　on　the



dissolution　of　the　trust；　the　underlying　academic　units　would



return　to　that　ancient　footing　of　small…scale　parcelment　and



personal　communion　between　teacher　and　student　that　once　made　the



American　college；　with　all　its　handicap　of　poverty；　chauvinism



and　denominational　bias；　one　of　the　most　effective　agencies　of



scholarship　in　Christendom。



　　　　The　hope　　or　delusion　　would　be　that　the　staff　in　each　of



the　resulting　disconnected　units　might　be　left　to　conduct　its　own



affairs；　and　that　they　would　prove　incapable　of　much　concerted



action　or　detailed　control。　It　should　be　plain　that　no　other　and



extraneous　power；　such　as　the　executive　or　the　governing　boards；



is　as　competent　　or；　indeed；　competent　in　any　degree　　to　take



care　of　these　matters；　as　are　the　staff　who　have　the　work　to　do。



All　this　is　evident　to　any　one　who　is　at　all　conversant　with　the



run　of　academic　affairs　as　currently　conducted　on　the　grand



scale；　inasmuch　as　it　is　altogether　a　matter　of　course　and　of



common　notoriety　within　the　precincts；　that　this　is　precisely



what　these　constituent　schools　and　units　now　have　to　do；　each　and



several；　with　the　sole　qualification　that　they　now　have　to　take



care　of　these　matters　under　the　inhibitory　surveillance　of　the



executive　and　his　extraneous　interests；　and　under　the　exactions



of　a　super…imposed　scheme　of　mechanical　standardization　and



accountancy　that　accounts　for　nothing　but　its　superimposition。　At



the　same　time　the　working　force　of　the　staff　is　hampered　with　a



load　of　dead　timber　imported　into　its　body　to　administer　a



routine　of　control　and　accountancy　exacted　by　the　executive's



need　of　a　creditable　publicity　（15*）



　　　　This　highly　conjectural　tracing　of　consequences　to　follow



from　this　hypothetical　dissolution　of　the　trust；　may　as　well　be



pursued　into　a　point　or　two　of　detail；　as　touches　those　units　of



the　university　coalition　that　have　an　immediate　interest　in　point



of　scholarship；　　the　Collegiate　（〃Arts〃）　division　and　the



Graduate　School。　The　former　being　left　to　its　own　devices　and；　it



might　be　hoped；　being　purified　of　executive　megalomania；　it



should　seem　probable　that　something　of　a　reversion　would　take



effect；　in　the　direction　of　that　simpler　scheme　of　scholarship



that　prevailed　in　the　days　before　the　coming　of　electives。　It　was



in　the　introduction　of　electives；　and　presently　of　alternatives



and　highly　flexible　curricula；　that　the　move　first　set　in　which



carried　the　American　college　off　its　footing　as　a　school　of



probation　and　introduction　to　the　scholarly　life；　and　has　left　it



a　job…lot　of　ostensibly　conclusive　short…cuts　into　the　trades　and



professions。　It　need　not　follow　that　the　ancient　curriculum　would



be　re…established；　but　it　should　seem　reasonable　that　a　move



would　take　effect　in　the　direction　of　something　like　a　modern



equivalent。　The　Graduate　School；　on　the　other　hand；　having　lost



the　drag　of　the　collegiate　division　and　the　vocational　schools；



should　come　into　action　as　a　shelter　where　the　surviving　remnant



of　scholars　and　scientists　might　pursue　their　several　lines　of



adventure；　in　teaching　and　in　inquiry；　without　disturbance　to　or



from　the　worldly…wise　who　clamour　for　the　greater　glory。







　　　　Now；　all　this　speculation　as　to　what　might　happen　has；　of



course；　little　else　than　a　speculative　value。　It　is　not　intended；



seriously　and　as　a　practical　measure；　to　propose　the　abolition　of



the　president's　office；　or　of　the　governing　board；　nor　is　it



intended　to　intimate　that　the　captain　of　erudition　can　be



dispensed　with　in　fact。　He　is　too　dear　to　the　commercialized



popular　imagination；　and　he　fits　too　convincingly　into　the



businessmen's　preconceived　scheme　of　things；　to　permit　any　such



sanguine　hope　of　surcease　from　skilled　malpractice　and



malversation。　All　that　is　here　intended　to　he　said　is　nothing



more　than　the　obiter　dictum　that；　as　seen　from　the　point　of　view



of　the　higher　learning；　the　academic　executive　and　all　his　works



are　anathema；　and　should　be　discontinued　by　the　simple　expedient



of　wiping　him　off　the　slate；　and　that　the　governing　board；　in　so



far　as　it　presumes　to　exercise　any　other　than　vacantly



perfunctory　duties；　has　the　same　value　and　should　with　advantage



be　lost　in　the　same　shuffle。







NOTES：







1。　〃He　has　stifled　all　manly　independence　and　individuality



wherever　it　has　exhibited　itself　at　college。　All　noble　idealism；



and　all　the　graces　of　poetry　and　art　have　been　shrivelled　by　his



brutal　and　triumphant　power。　He　has　made　mechanical　efficiency



and　administrative　routine　the　goal　of　the　university's



endeavour。　The　nobler　ends　of　academic　life　will　never　be　served



so　long　as　this　spokesman　of　materialism　remains　in　power。〃



　　　　History　will　relate　that　one　of　the　eminent　captains；　through



an　incumbency　of　more　than　a　quarter　of　a　century；　in　a



university　of　eminent　wealth　and　volume；　has　followed　a　settled



policy　of　defeating　any　overt　move　looking　to　scientific　or



scholarly　inquiry　on　the　part　of　any　member　of　his　faculty。



Should　a　man　of　scholarly　proclivities　by　any　chance　sift　through



the　censorship　exercised　in　virtue　of　the　executive's　appointing



power；　as　might　happen；　since　the　captain　was　himself　not



qualified　to　pass　a　grounded　opinion　on　any　man's　qualifications



in　that　respect；　and　should　he　then　give　evidence　of　continuing



to　spend　time　and　thought　on　matters　of　that　nature；　his　burden



of　administrative　and　class…room　tasks　would　presently　be



increased　sufficiently　to　subdue　his　wayward　bent；　or；　in　an



incorrigible　case；　the　offender　against　the　rule　of　academic



sterility　would　eventually　be　retired　by　severance　of　his



connection　with　this　seat