the higher learning in america-第6章

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the　university；　on　the　other　hand；　is　a　matter　of　personal



contact　and　co…operation　between　teacher　and　student；　and　is　not



measurable　in　statistical　units　or　amenable　to　mechanical　tests；



the　men　engaged　in　this　work　can　accordingly　offer　nothing　of　the



same　definite　character　in　place　of　the　rigid　routine　and



accountancy　advocated　by　the　schoolmasters；　and　the　outcome　in



nearly　all　cases　where　the　control　of　both　departments　vests　in



one　composite　corporate　body；　as　it　usually　does；　is　the　gradual



insinuation　of　undergraduate　methods　and　standards　in　the



graduate　school；　until　what　is　nominally　university　work　settles



down；　in　effect；　into　nothing　more　than　an　extension　of　the



undergraduate　curriculum。　This　effect　is　had　partly　by　reducing



such　of　the　graduate　courses　as　are　found　amenable　to　the



formalities　of　the　undergraduate　routine；　and　partly　by



dispensing　with　such　graduate　work　as　will　not　lend　itself；　even



ostensibly；　to　the　schoolmaster's　methods。







　　　　What　has　been　said　of　the　college　in　this　connection　holds



true　in　the　main　also　of　the　professional　and　technical　schools。



In　their　aims；　methods　and　achievements　these　schools　are；　in　the



nature　of　the　case；　foreign　to　the　higher　learning。　This　is；　of



course；　not　said　in　disparagement　of　their　work；　rather　the



contrary。　As　is　the　case　with　the　college；　so　these　schools　also



are　often　included　in　the　university　corporation　by　ties　of　an



external　and　factitious　kind；　frequently　by　terms　of　the　charter。



But　this　formal　inclusion　of　them　under　the　corporate　charter



does　not　set　aside　the　substantial　discrepancy　between　their



purpose；　work　and　animus　and　those　of　the　university　proper。　It



can　only　serve　to　trouble　the　single…mindedness　of　both。　It



leaves　both　the　pursuit　of　learning　and　the　work　of　preparation



for　the　professions　somewhat　at　loose　ends；　confused　with　the



bootless　illusion　that　they　are；　in　some　recondite　way；　parallel



variants　of　a　single　line　of　work。



　　　　In　aim　and　animus　the　technical　and　professional　schools　are



〃practical；〃　in　the　most　thorough　going　manner；　while　the　pursuit



of　knowledge　that　occupies　the　scientists　and　scholars　is　not



〃practical〃　in　the　slightest　degree。　The　divergent　lines　of



interest　to　be　taken　care　of　by　the　professional　schools　and　the



university；　respectively；　are　as　widely　out　of　touch　as　may　well



be　within　the　general　field　of　human　knowledge。　The　one　is



animated　wholly　by　considerations　of　material　expediency；　and　the



range　of　its　interest　and　efforts　is　strictly　limited　by



consideration　of　the　useful　effect　to　which　the　proficiency　that



it　gives　is　to　be　turned；　the　other　knows　nothing　of　expediency；



and　is　influenced　by　no　consideration　of　utility　or　disutility；



in　its　appreciation　of　the　knowledge　to　be　sought。　The　animus　of



the　one　is　worldly　wisdom；　of　the　other；　idle　curiosity。　The　two



are　incommensurably　at　variance　so　far　as　regards　their　purpose；



and　in　great　measure　also　as　regards　their　methods　of　work；　and



necessarily　so。



　　　　But　with　all　this　divergence　of　purpose　and　animus　there　is



after　all　a　broad　and　very　substantial　bond　of　community　between



the　technical　schools；　on　the　one　hand；　and　the　proper　work　of



the　university；　on　the　other　hand；　in　that　the　two　are；　in　great



measure；　occupied　with　the　same　general　range　of　materials　and



employ　somewhat　the　same　logical　methods　in　handling　these



materials。　But　the　relation　that　results　from　this　community　of



material　is　almost　wholly　external　and　mechanical。　Nor　does　it



set　up　any　presumption　that　the　two　should　expediently　be



included　in　the　same　corporate　establishment；　or　even　that　they



need　be　near　neighbors　or　need　maintain　peculiarly　close



relations　of　personnel。　The　technical　schools；　and　in　a　less



degree　the　professional　schools　not　properly　classed　as



technical；　depend　in　large　measure　on　results　worked　out　by　the



scientists；　who　properly　belong　in　the　universities。　But　the



material　so　made　use　of　for　technical　ends　are　taken　over　and



turned　to　account　without　afterthought。　The　technologist's　work



is　related　to　that　of　the　scientists　very　much　as　the　work　of　the



designer　is　related　to　that　of　the　inventor。　To　a　considerable



extent　the　scientists　similarly　depend　on　the　work　of　the



technical　men　for　information；　and　for　correction　and



verification　of　their　own　theoretical　work。　But　there　is；　on　this



account；　nothing　to　gain　by　associating　any　given　technical



school　with　any　given　university　establishment；　incorporation　in



any　given　university　does　not　in　any　degree　facilitate　the



utilization　of　the　results　of　the　sciences　by　the　technical　men；



nor　is　it　found　in　practice　to　further　the　work　of　the　sciences。



The　schools　in　question　do　not　in　any　peculiar　degree　draw　on　the



work　of　the　scientists　attached　to　their　particular　university；



nor　do　these　scientists；　on　the　other　hand；　have　any　special　use



for　the　work　of　their　associated　technical　schools。　In　either



case　the　source　drawn　on　is　the　general　literature　of　the



subject；　the　body　of　materials　available　at　large；　not　the　work



of　particular　men　attached　to　particular　schools。　The



generalizations　of　science　are　indispensable　to　the　technical



men；　but　what　they　draw　on　is　the　body　of　science　at　large；



regardless　of　what　any　given　university　establishment　may　have



had　to　do　with　the　work　out　of　which　the　particular　items　of



scientific　information　have　emerged。　Nor　is　this　scientific



material　useful　to　the　technologists　for　the　further　pursuit　of



science；　to　them　the　scientific　results　are　data；　raw　material　to



be　turned　to　practical　use；　not　means　by　which　to　carry



scientific　inquiry　out　to　further　results。



　　　　Similarly；　the　professions　and　the　technical　schools　afford



valuable　data　for　the　use　of　the　professed　scholars　and



scientists；　information　that　serves　as　material　of　Investigation；



or　that　will　at　least　be　useful　as　a　means　of　extending



correcting；　verifying　and　correlating　lines　of　inquiry　on　which



they　are　engaged。　But　the　further　bearing　of　these　facts　upon　the



affairs　of　life；　their　expediency　or　futility；　is　of　no　interest



or　consequence。　The　affairs　of　life；　except　the　affairs　of



learning；　do　not　touch　the　interest　of　the　university　man　as　a



scholar　or　scientist。　What　is　of　importance　to　him　in　all　these



matters　with　which　the　professions　and　technologists　are　busy　is



their　bearing　on　those　matters　of　fact　into　which　his　scientific



interest　leads　him　to　inquire。　The　tests　and　experiments　carried



out　at　these　technical　schools；　as　well　as　the　experience



gathered　by　the　members　of　their　staff；　will　occasionally　afford



him　material　for　further　inquiry　or　means　whereby　to　check



results　already　arrived　at；　but　for　such　material　he　does　not　by



preference　resort　to　any　one　of　the　technical　schools　as



contrasted　with　any　other；　and　it　is　quite　an　idle　question



whether　the　source　of　any　such　serviceable　information　is　a



school　attached　to　his　own　university。　The　investigator　finds　his



material　where　he　can；　which　comes　to　saying　that　he　draws　on　the



general　body　of　technical　knowledge；　with　no　afterthought　as　to



what　particular　technical　school　may　have　stood　in　some　relation



or　other　to　the　information　which　he　finds　useful。



　　　　Neither　to　the　man　engaged　in　university　work　nor　to　the



technical　schools　that　may　serve　him　as　occasional　sources　of



material　is　there　any　advantage　to　be　derived　from　their



inclusion　in　the　university　establishment。　Indeed；　it　is　a



detriment　to　both　parties；　as　has　already　been　remarked；　but　more



decidedly　to　the　university　men。　By　including　the　technical　and



professional　schools　in　the　university　corporation　the



technologists　and　professional　men　attached　to　these　schools　are



necessarily　included　among　the　academic　staff；　and　so　they　come



to　take　their　part　in　the　direction　of　academic　affairs　at　large。



In　what　they　so　do　toward　shaping　the　academic　policy　they　will



not　only　count　for　all　they　are　worth；　but　they　are　likely　to



count　for　something　more　than　their　due　share　in　this　respect；



for　they　are　to　some　extent　trained　to　the　conduct　of　affairs；



and　so　come　in　for　something　of　that　deference　that　is　currently



paid　to　men　of　affairs；　at　the　same　time　that　this　practical



training　gives　them　an　advantage　over　their　purely　academic



colleagues；　in　the　greater　assurance　and　adroitness　with　which



they　are　able　to　present　their　contentions。　By　virtue　of　this



same　training；　as　well　as　by　force　of　current　practical　interest；



the　technologist　and　the　professional　man　are；　like　other　men　of



affairs；　necessarily　and　habitually　impatient　of　any　scientific



or　scholarly　work　that　does　not　obviously　lend　itself　to　some



practical　use。　The　technologist　appreciates　what　is　mechanically



serviceable；　the　professional　man；　as；　for　instance；　the　lawyer；



appreciates　what　promises　pecuniary　gain；　and　the　two　unite　with



the　business…man　at　large　in　repudiating　whatever　does　not　look



directly　to　such　a　utilitarian　outcome。　So　that　as　members　of　the



academic　staff　these　men　are　likely　to　count　at　their　full　weight



toward　the　diversion　of　the　university's　forces　from



disinterested　science　and　scholarship　to　such　palpably



utilitarian　ends。







　　　　But　the　active　measures　so　taken　by　the　academic　authorities



at　the　instance　of　the　schoolmasters　and　〃practical〃　men　are　by



no　means　the　only　line　along　which　their　presence　in　the　academic



corporation　affects　the　case。　Intimate　association　with　these



〃utilitarians〃　unavoidably　has　its　corrupting　effect　on　the



scientists　and　scholars；　and　induces　in　them　also　something　of



the　same　bias　toward　〃practical〃　results　in　their　work；　so　that



they　no　longer　pursue　the　higher　learning　with　undivided



interest；　but　with　more　or　less　of　an　eye　to　the　utilitarian　main



chance；　whereby　the　advantages　of　specialization；　which　are　the



reason　for　these　schools；　are　lost；　and　the　pride　of　the　modern



community　is　wounded　in　its　most　sensitive　spot　　the　efficiency



of　its　specialists。



　　　　So　also；　on　the　other　hand；　the　formal　incorporation　of　these



technological　and　professional　men　in　the　academic　body；　with　its



professedly　single…minded　interest　in　learning；　has　its　effect　on



their　frame　of　mind。　They　are；　without　intending　it；　placed　in　a