the higher learning in america-第10节

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ideals　in　men's　esteem；　and　barring　a　reactionary　episode　here



and　there；　the　university　has　progressively　come　to　take　its



place　as　a　seat　of　the　higher　learning；　a　corporation　for　the



pursuit　of　knowledge；　and　barring　accidental　reversions；　it　has



increasingly　asserted　itself　as　an　imperative　necessity；　more　and



more　consistently；　that　the　spirit　of　disinterested　inquiry　must



have　free　play　in　these　seminaries　of　the　higher　learning；



without　afterthought　as　to　the　practical　or　utilitarian



consequences　which　this　free　inquiry　may　conceivably　have　for　the



professional　training　or　for　the　social；　civil　or　religious



temper　of　the　students　or　the　rest　of　the　community。　Nothing　is



felt　to　be　so　irremediably　vicious　in　academic　policy　as　a



coercive　bias；　religious；　political；　conventional　or



professional；　in　so　far　as　it　touches　that　quest　of　knowledge



that　constitutes　the　main　interest　of　the　university。



　　　　Professional　training　and　technological　work　at　large　have　of



course　not　lost　ground；　either　in　the　volume　and　the　rigour　of



their　requirements　or　in　the　application　bestowed　in　their



pursuit；　but　as　within　the　circle　of　academic　interests；　these



utilitarian　disciplines　have　lost　their　preferential　place　and



have　been　pushed　to　one　side；　so　that　the　professional　and



technical　schools　are　now　in　fact　rated　as　adjuncts　rather　than



as　integral　constituents　of　the　university　corporation。　Such　is



the　unmistakable　sense　of　this　matter　among　academic　men。　At　the



same　time　these　vocational　schools　have；　one　with　another；



progressively　taken　on　more　of　a　distinctive；　independent　and



close…knit　structure；　an　individual　corporate　existence；



autonomous　and　academically　self…sufficient；　even　in　those　cases



where　they　most　tenaciously　hold　to　their　formal　connection　with



the　university　corporation。　They　have　reached　a　mature　phase　of



organization；　developed　a　type　of　personnel　and　control　peculiar



to　themselves　and　their　special　needs；　and　have　in　effect　come



out　from　under　the　tutelage　of　the　comprehensive　academic



organization　of　which　they　once　in　their　early　days　were　the



substantial　core。　These　schools　have　more　in　common　among



themselves　as　a　class　than　their　class　have　with　the　academic



aims　and　methods　that　characterize　the　university　proper。　They



are　in　fact　ready　and　competent　to　go　on　their　own　recognizances；



　indeed　they　commonly　resent　any　effective　interference　or



surveillance　from　the　side　of　the　academic　corporation　of　which



they　nominally　continue　to　be　members；　and　insist　on　going　their



own　way　and　arranging　their　own　affairs　as　they　know　best。　Their



connection　with　the　university　is　superficial　and　formal　at　the



best；　so　far　as　regards　any　substantial　control　of　their　affairs



and　policy　by　the　university　authorities　at　large；　it　is　only　in



their　interference　with　academic　policy；　and　in　injecting　their



own　peculiar　bias　into　university　affairs；　that　they　count



substantially　as　corporate　members　of　the　academic　body。　And　in



these　respects；　what　is　said　of　the　professional　and　technical



schools　holds　true　also　of　the　undergraduate　departments。



　　　　It　is　quite　feasible　to　have　a　university　without



professional　schools　and　without　an　undergraduate　department；　but



it　is　not　possible　to　have　one　without　due　provision　for　that



non…utilitarian　higher　learning　about　which　as　a　nucleus　these



utilitarian　disciplines　cluster。　And　this　in　spite　of　the



solicitous　endeavours　of　the　professional　schools　to　make　good



their　footing　as　the　substantial　core　of　the　corporation。







　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　V







　　　　As　intimated　above；　there　are　two　main　reasons　for　the



continued　and　tenacious　connection　between　these　schools　and　the



universities：　（a）　ancient　tradition；　fortified　by　the　solicitous



ambition　of　the　university　directorate　to　make　a　brave　show　of



magnitude；　and　（b）　the　anxiety　of　these　schools　to　secure　some



degree　of　scholarly　authentication　through　such　a　formal



connection　with　a　seat　of　learning。　These　two　motives　have　now



and　again　pushed　matters　fairly　to　an　extreme　in　the　reactionary



direction。　So；　for　instance；　the　chances　of　intrigue　and



extra…academic　clamour　have　latterly　thrown　up　certain　men　of



untempered　〃practicality〃　as　directive　heads　of　certain



universities；　and　some　of　these　have　gone　so　far　as　to　avow　a



reactionary　intention　to　make　the　modern　university　a　cluster　of



professional　schools　or　faculties；　after　the　ancient　barbarian



fashion。（9*）　But　such　a　policy　of　return　to　the　lost　crudities　is



unworkable　in　the　long　run　under　modern　conditions。　It　may　serve



excellently　as　a　transient　expedient　in　a　campaign　of　popularity；



and　such　appears　to　have　been　its　chief　purpose　where　a　move　of



this　kind　has　been　advocated；　but　it　runs　on　superficial　grounds



and　can　afford　neither　hope　nor　fear　of　a　permanent　diversion　in



the　direction　so　spoken　for。



　　　　In　the　modern　community；　under　the　strain　of　the　price　system



and　the　necessities　of　competitive　earning　and　spending；　many　men



and　women　are　driven　by　an　habitual　bias　in　favour　of　a　higher



〃practical〃　efficiency　in　all　matters　of　education；　that　is　to



say；　a　more　single…minded　devotion　to　the　needs　of　earning　and



spending。　There　is；　indeed；　much　of　this　spirit　abroad　in　the



community；　and　any　candidate　for　popular　favour　and　prestige　may



find　his　own　advantage　in　conciliating　popular　sentiment　of　this



kind。　But　there　is　at　the　same　time　equally　prevalent　through　the



community　a　long…term　bias　of　another　kind；　such　as　will　not



enduringly　tolerate　the　sordid　effects　of　pursuing　an　educational



policy　that　looks　mainly　to　the　main　chance；　and　unreservedly



makes　the　means　of　life　its　chief　end。　By　virtue　of　this



long…term　idealistic　drift；　any　seminary　of　learning　that　plays



fast　and　loose　in　this　way　with　the　cultural　interests　entrusted



to　its　keeping　loses　caste　and　falls　out　of　the　running。　The



universities　that　are　subjected　in　this　fashion　to　an



experimental　reversion　to　vocationalism；　it　appears；　will



unavoidably　return　presently　to　something　of　the　non…professional



type；　on　pain　of　falling　into　hopeless　discredit。　There　have　been



some　striking　instances；　but　current　not　ions　of　delicacy　will



scarcely　admit　a　citation　of　nam　es　and　dates。　And　while　the



long…term　drift　of　the　modern　idealistic　bias　may　not　permit　the



universities　permanently　to　be　diverted　to　the　service　of　Mammon



in　this　fashion；　yet　the　unremitting　endeavours　of　〃educators〃



seeking　prestige　for　worldly　wisdom　results　at　the　best　in　a



fluctuating　state　of　compromise；　in　which　the　ill　effects　of　such



bids　for　popularity　are　continually　being　outworn　by　the　drift　of



academic　usage。



　　　　The　point　is　illustrated　by　the　American　state　universities



as　a　class；　although　the　illustration　is　by　no　means　uniformly



convincing。　The　greater　number　of　these　state　schools　are　not；　or



are　not　yet；　universities　except　in　name。　These　establishments



have　been　founded；　commonly；　with　a　professed　utilitarian



purpose；　and　have　started　out　with　professional　training　as　their



chief　avowed　aim。　The　purpose　made　most　of　in　their　establishment



has　commonly　been　to　train　young　men　for　proficiency　in　some



gainful　occupation；　along　with　this　have　gone　many



half…articulate　professions　of　solicitude　for　cultural　interests



to　be　taken　care　of　by　the　same　means。　They　have　been　installed



by　politicians　looking　for　popular　acclaim；　rather　than　by　men　of



scholarly　or　scientific　insight；　and　their　management　has　not



infrequently　been　entrusted　to　political　masters　of　intrigue；



with　scant　academic　qualifications；　their　foundations　has　been



the　work　of　practical　politicians　with　a　view　to　conciliate　the



good　will　of　a　lay　constituency　clamouring　for　things　tangibly



〃useful〃　　that　is　to　say；　pecuniarily　gainful。　So　these　experts



in　short…term　political　prestige　have　made　provision　for　schools



of　a　〃practical〃　character；　but　they　have　named　these



establishments　〃universities〃　because　the　name　carries　an　air　of



scholarly　repute；　of　a　higher；　more　substantial　kind　than　any



naked　avowal　of　material　practicality　would　give。　Yet；　in　those



instances　where　the　passage　of　time　has　allowed　the　readjustment



to　take　place；　these　quasi…〃universities；〃　installed　by　men　of



affairs；　of　a　crass　〃practicality；〃　and　in　response　to　the



utilitarian　demands　of　an　unlearned　political　constituency；　have



in　the　long　run　taken　on　mor