the higher learning in america-第7章

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



false　position；　which　unavoidably　leads　them　to　court　a　specious



appearance　of　scholarship；　and　so　to　invest　their　technological



discipline　with　a　degree　of　pedantry　and　sophistication；　whereby



it　is　hoped　to　give　these　schools　and　their　work　some　scientific



and　scholarly　prestige；　and　so　lift　it　to　that　dignity　that　is



pressed　to　attach　to　a　non…utilitarian　pursuit　of　learning。



Doubtless　this　pursuit　of　scholarly　prestige　is　commonly



successful；　to　the　extent　that　it　produces　the　desired　conviction



of　awe　in　the　vulgar；　who　do　not　know　the　difference；　but　all



this　make…believe　scholarship；　however　successfully　staged；　is



not　what　these　schools　are　designed　for；　or　at　least　it　is　not



what　is　expected　of　them；　nor　is　it　what　they　can　do　best　and



most　efficiently。



　　　　To　the　substantial　gain　of　both　parties；　though　with　some



lesion　of　the　vanity　of　both；　the　separation　between　the



university　and　the　professional　and　technical　schools　should　be



carried　through　and　made　absolute。　Only　on　such　conditions　can



either　the　one　or　the　other　do　its　own　work　in　a　workmanlike



manner。　Within　the　university　precincts　any　aim　or　interest　other



than　those　of　irresponsible　science　and　scholarship　　pursuit　of



matter…of…fact　knowledge　　are　to　be　rated　as　interlopers。







　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　IV







　　　　To　all　this　there　is　the　ready　objection　of　the　schoolmasters



and　utilitarians　that　such　a　project　is　fantastic　and



unpractical；　useless　and　undesirable；　that　such　has　not　been　the



mission　of　the　university　in　the　past；　nor　its　accepted　place　and



use　in　the　educational　system　of　today　and　yesterday；。　that　the



universities　of　Christendom　have　from　their　first　foundation　been



occupied　with　professional　training　and　useful　knowledge；　that



they　have　been　founded　for　utilitarian　purposes　and　their　work



has　been　guided　mainly　or　altogether　by　utilitarian



considerations；　　all　of　which　is　conceded　without　argument。　The



historical　argument　amounts　to　saying　that　the　universities　were



founded　before　modern　civilization　took　on　its　modern　character；



before　the　disinterested　pursuit　of　knowledge　had　come　to　take



the　first　place　among　the　ideals　of　civilized　mankind；　and　that



they　were　established　to　take　care　of　those　interests　which　were



then　accounted　of　first　importance；　and　that　this　intellectual



enterprise　in　pursuit　of　disinterested　knowledge　consequently　was



not　at　that　time　confided　to　the　care　of　any　special



establishment　or　freely　avowed　as　a　legitimate　interest　in　its



own　right。



　　　　It　is　true　that；　by　historical　accident；　the　university　at



large　has　grown　out　of　professional　training…schools；　primarily



schools　for　training　in　theology；　secondarily　in　law　and



medicine。　It　is　also　true；　in　like　wise　and　in　like　degree；　that



modern　science　and　scholarship　have　grown　out　of　the　technology



of　handicraft　and　the　theological　philosophy　of　the



schoolmen。（7*）　But　just　as　it　would　be　a　bootless　enterprise　to



cut　modern　science　back　into　handicraft　technology；　so　would　it



be　a　gratuitous　imbecility　to　prune　back　the　modern　university　to



that　inchoate　phase　of　its　life…history　and　make　it　again　a



corporation　for　the　training　of　theologians；　jurists　and　doctors



of　medicine。　The　historical　argument　does　not　enjoin　a　return　to



the　beginning　of　things；　but　rather　an　intelligent　appreciation



of　what　things　are　coming　to。



　　　　The　genesis　of　the　university　at　large；　taken　as　an



institution　of　civilized　life；　is　an　incident　of　the　transition



from　the　barbarian　culture　of　the　middle　ages　to　modern　times；



and　its　later　growth　and　acquirement　of　character　is　an　incident



of　the　further　growth　of　modern　civilization；　and　the　character



of　this　later　growth　of　the　university　reflects　the　bent　of



modern　civilization；　as　contrasted　with　the　barbarian　spirit　of



things　in　the　mediaeval　spiritual　world。



　　　　In　a　general　way；　the　place　of　the　university　in　the　culture



of　Christendom　is　still　substantially　the　same　as　it　has　been



from　the　beginning。　Ideally；　and　in　the　popular　apprehension；　it



is；　as　it　has　always　been；　a　corporation　for　the　cultivation　and



care　of　the　community's　highest　aspirations　and　ideals。　But　these



ideals　and　aspirations　have　changed　somewhat　with　the　changing



scheme　of　the　Western　civilization；　and　so　the　university　has



also　concomitantly　so　changed　in　character；　aims　and　ideals　as　to



leave　it　still　the　corporate　organ　of　the　community's　dominant



intellectual　interest。　At　the　same　time；　it　is　true；　these



changes　in　the　purpose　and　spirit　of　the　university　have　always



been；　and　are　always　being；　made　only　tardily；　reluctantly；



concessively；　against　the　protests　of　those　who　are　zealous　for



the　commonplaces　of　the　day　before　yesterday。　Such　is　the



character　of　institutional　growth　and　change；　and　in　its



adaptation　to　the　altered　requirements　of　an　altered　scheme　of



culture　the　university　has　in　this　matter　been　subject　to　the



conditions　of　institutional　growth　at　large。　An　institution　is；



after　all；　a　prevalent　habit　of　thought；　and　as　such　it　is



subject　to　the　conditions　and　limitations　that　surround　any



change　in　the　habitual　frame　of　mind　prevalent　in　the　community。



　　　　The　university　of　medieval　and　early　modern　times；　that　is　to



say　the　barbarian　university；　was　necessarily　given　over　to　the



pragmatic；　utilitarian　disciplines；　since　that　is　the　nature　of



barbarism；　and　the　barbarian　university　is　but　another；　somewhat



sublimated；　expression　of　the　same　barbarian　frame　of　mind。　The



barbarian　culture　is　pragmatic；　utilitarian；　worldly　wise；　and



its　learning　partakes　of　the　same　complexion。　The　barbarian；　late



or　early；　is　typically　an　unmitigated　pragmatist；　that　is　the



spiritual　trait　that　most　profoundly　marks　him　off　from　the



savage　on　the　one　hand　and　from　the　civilized　man　on　the　other



hand。　〃He　turns　a　keen；　untroubled　face　home　to　the　instant　need



of　things。〃



　　　　The　high　era　of　barbarism　in　Europe；　the　Dark　and　Middle



Ages；　is　marked　off　from　what　went　before　and　from　what　has



followed　in　the　cultural　sequence；　by　a　hard　and　fast　utilitarian



animus。　The　all…dominating　spiritual　trait　of　those　times　is　that



men　then　made　the　means　of　life　its　end。　It　is　perhaps　needless



to　call　to　mind　that　much　of　this　animus　still　survives　in　later



civilized　life；　especially　in　so　far　as　the　scheme　of　civilized



life　is　embodied　in　the　competitive　system。　In　that　earlier　time；



practical　sagacity　and　the　serviceability　of　any　knowledge



acquired；　its　bearing　on　individual　advantage；　spiritual　or



temporal；　was　the　ruling　consideration；　as　never　before　or　since。



The　best　of　men　in　that　world　were　not　ashamed　to　avow　that　a



boundless　solicitude　for　their　own　salvation　was　their　worthiest



motive　of　conduct；　and　it　is　plain　in　all　their　speculations　that



they　were　unable　to　accept　any　other　motive　or　sanction　as　final



in　any　bearing。　Saint　and　sinner　alike　knew　no　higher　rule　than



expediency；　for　this　world　and　the　next。　And；　for　that　matter；　so



it　still　stands　with　the　saint　and　the　sinner；　　who　make　up



much　of　the　commonplace　human　material　in　the　modern　community；



although　both　the　saint　and　the　sinner　in　the　modern　community



carry；　largely　by　shamefaced　subreption；　an　ever　increasing



side…line　of　other　and　more　genial　interests　that　have　no　merit



in　point　of　expediency　whether　for　this　world　or　the　next。



　　　　Under　the　rule　of　such　a　cultural　ideal　the　corporation　of



learning　could　not　well　take　any　avowed　stand　except　as　an



establishment　for　utilitarian　instruction；　the　practical



expediency　of　whose　work　was　the　sole　overt　test　of　its



competency。　And　such　it　still　should　continue　to　be　according　to



the　avowed　aspirations　of　the　staler　commonplace　elements　in　the



community　today。　By　subreption；　and　by　a　sophisticated



subsumption　under　some　ostensibly　practical　line　of　interest　and



inquiry；　it　is　true；　the　university　men　of　the　earlier　time　spent



much　of　their　best　endeavour　on　matters　of　disinterested



scholarship　that　had　no　bearing　on　any　human　want　more　to　the



point　than　an　idle　curiosity；　and　by　a　similar　turn　of　subreption



and　sophistication　the　later　spokesmen　of　the　barbarian　ideal



take　much　complacent　credit　for　the　〃triumphs　of　modern　science〃



that　have　nothing　but　an　ostensible　bearing　on　any　matter　of



practical　expediency；　and　they　look　to　the　universities　to



continue　this　work　of　the　idle　curiosity　under　some　plausible



pretext　of　practicality。



　　　　So　the　university　of　that　era　unavoidably　came　to　be



organized　as　a　more　or　less　comprehensive　federation　of



professional　schools　or　faculties　devoted　to　such　branches　of



practical　knowledge　as　the　ruling　utilitarian　interests　of　the



time　demanded。　Under　this　overshadowing　barbarian　tradition　the



universities　of　early　modern　times　started　out　as　an　avowed



contrivance　for　indoctrination　in　the　ways　and　means　of



salvation；　spiritual　and　temporal；　individual　and　collective；　



in　some　sort　a　school　of　engineering；　primarily　in　divinity；



secondarily　in　law　and　politics；　and　presently　in　medicine　and



also　in　the　other　professions　that　serve　a　recognized　utilitarian



interest。　After　that　fashion　of　a　university　that　answered　to



this　manner　of　ideals　and　aspirations　had　once　been　installed　and



gained　a　secure　footing；　its　pattern　acquired　a　degree　of



authenticity　and　prescription；　so　that　later　seminaries　of



learning　came　unquestioningly　to　be　organized　on　the　same　lines；



and　further　changes　of　academic　policy　and　practice；　such　as　are



demanded　by　the　later　growth　of　cultural　interests　and　ideals；



have　been　made　only　reluctantly　and　with　a　suspicious　reserve；



gradually　and　by　a　circuitous　sophistication；　so　that　much　of　the



non…utilitarian　scientific　and　scholarly　work　indispensable　to



the　university's　survival　under　modern　conditions　is　still



scheduled　under　the　faculties　of　law　or　medicine；　or　even　of



divinity。



　　　　But　the　human　propensity　for　inquiry　into　things；



irrespective　of　use　or　expediency；　insinuated　itself　among　the



expositors　of　worldly　wisdom　from　the　outset；　and　from　the　first



this　quest　of　idle　learning　has　sought　shelter　in　the　university



as　the　only　establishment　in　which　it　could　find　a　domi