the higher learning in america-第11节

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utilitarian　demands　of　an　unlearned　political　constituency；　have



in　the　long　run　taken　on　more　and　more　of　an　academic；



non…utilitarian　character；　and　have　been　gradually　falling　into



line　as　universities　claiming　a　place　among　the　seminaries　of　the



higher　learning。　The　long…term　drift　of　modern　cultural　ideals



leaves　these　schools　no　final　resting　place　short　of　the



university　type；　however　far　short　of　such　a　consummation　the



greater　number　of　them　may　still　be　found。







　　　　What　has　just　been　said　of　the　place　which　the　university



occupies　in　modern　civilization；　and　more　particularly　of　the



manner　in　which　it　is　to　fill　its　place；　may　seem　something　of　a



fancy　sketch。　It　is　assuredly　not　a　faithful　description　of　any



concrete　case；　by　all　means　not　of　any　given　American　university；



nor　does　it　faithfully　describe　the　line　of　policy　currently



pursued　by　the　directorate　of　any　such　establishment。　Yet　it　is



true　to　the　facts；　taken　in　a　generalized　way；　and　it　describes



the　type　to　which　the　American　schools　unavoidably　gravitate　by



force　of　the　community's　long…term　idealistic　impulsion；　in　so



far　as　their　drift　is　not　continually　corrected　and　offset　by



vigilant　authorities　who；　from　motives　of　their　own；　seek　to　turn



the　universities　to　account　in　one　way　and　another。　It　describes



an　institutional　ideal；　not　necessarily　an　ideal　nursed　by　any



given　individual；　but　the　ideal　logically　involved　in　the　scheme



of　modern　civilization；　and　logically　coming　out　of　the



historical　development　of　Western　civilization　hitherto；　and



visible　to　any　one　who　will　dispassionately　stand　aside　and　look



to　the　drift　of　latterday　events　in　so　far　as　they　bear　on　this



matter　of　the　higher　learning；　its　advancement　and　conservation。



　　　　Many　if　not　most　of　those　men　who　are　occupied　with　the



guidance　of　university　affairs　would　disown　such　a　projected



ideal；　as　being　too　narrow　and　too　unpractical　to　fit　into　the



modern　scheme　of　things；　which　is　above　all　else　a　culture　of



affairs；　that　it　does　not　set　forth　what　should　be　aimed　at　by



any　who　have　the　good　of　mankind　at　heart；　or　who　in　any　sensible



degree　appreciate　the　worth　of　real　work　as　contrasted　with　the



leisurely　intellectual　finesse　of　the　confirmed　scientist　and　man



of　letters。　These　and　the　like　objections　and　strictures　may　be



well　taken；　perhaps。　The　question　of　what；　in　any　ulterior　sense；



ought　to　be　sought　after　in　the　determination　of　academic　policy



and　the　conduct　of　academic　affairs　will；　however；　not　coincide



with　the　other　question；　as　to　what　actually　is　being



accomplished　in　these　premises；　on　the　one　hand；　nor　as　to　what



the　long…term　cultural　aspirations　of　civilized　men　are　setting



toward；　on　the　other　hand。



　　　　Now；　it　is　not　intended　here　to　argue　the　merits　of　the



current　cultural　ideals　as　contrasted　with　what；　in　some　ulterior



sense；　ought　to　be　aimed　at　if　the　drift　of　current　aspirations



and　impulse　should　conceivably　permit　a　different　ideal　to　be　put



into　effect。　It　is　intended　only　to　set　forth　what　place；　in



point　of　fact　and　for　better　or　worse；　the　higher　learning　and



the　university　hold　in　the　current　scheme　of　Western



civilization；　as　determined　by　that　body　of　instinctive



aspirations　and　proclivities　that　holds　this　civilization　to　its



course　as　it　runs　today；　and　further　to　show　how　and　how　far



certain　institutional　factors　comprised　in　this　modern　scheme　of



life　go　to　help　or　hinder　the　realization　of　this　ideal　which



men's　aspirations　and　proclivities　so　make　worth　while　to　them。



The　sketch　here　offered　in　characterization　of　the　university　and



its　work；　therefore；　endeavours　to　take　account　of　the



community's　consensus　of　impulses　and　desires　touching　the　animus



and　aims　that　should　move　the　seminaries　of　the　higher　learning；



at　the　same　time　that　it　excludes　those　subsidiary　or　alien



interests　in　whose　favour　no　such　consensus　is　found　to　prevail。



　　　　There　are　many　of　these　workday　interests；　extraneous　to　the



higher　learning；　each　and　several　of　which　may　be　abundantly　good



and　urgent　in　its　own　right；　but；　while　they　need　not　be　at　cross



purposes　with　the　higher　learning；　they　are　extraneous　to　that



disinterested　pursuit　of　knowledge　in　which　the　characteristic



intellectual　bent　of　modern　civilization　culminates。　These　others



are　patent；　insistent　and　palpable；　and　there　need　be　no



apprehension　of　their　going　by　default。　The　intellectual



predilection　　the　idle　curiosity　　abides　and　asserts　itself



when　other　pursuits　of　a　more　temporal　but　more　immediately



urgent　kind　leave　men　free　to　take　stock　of　the　ulterior　ends　and



values　of　life；　whereas　the　transient　interests；　preoccupation



with　the　ways　and　means　of　life；　are　urgent　and　immediate；　and



employ　men's　thought　and　energy　through　the　greater　share　of



their　life。　The　question　of　material　ways　and　means；　and　the



detail　requirements　of　the　day's　work；　are　for　ever　at　hand　and



for　ever　contest　the　claims　of　any　avowed　ulterior　end；　and　by



force　of　unremitting　habituation　the　current　competitive　system



of　acquisition　and　expenditure　induces　in　all　classes　such　a　bias



as　leads　them　to　overrate　ways　and　means　as　contrasted　with　the



ends　which　these　ways　and　means　are　in　some　sense　designed　to



serve。



　　　　So；　one　class　and　another；　biassed　by　the　habitual



preoccupation　of　the　class；　will　aim　to　divert　the　academic



equipment　to　some　particular　use　which　habit　has　led　them　to　rate



high；　or　to　include　in　the　academic　discipline　various　lines　of



inquiry　and　training　which　are　extraneous　to　the　higher　learning



but　which　the　class　in　question　may　specially　have　at　heart；　but



taking　them　one　with　another；　there　is　no　general　or　abiding



consensus　among　the　various　classes　of　the　community　in　favour　of



diverting　the　academic　establishment　to　any　other　specific　uses；



or　of　including　in　the　peculiar　work　of　the　university　anything



beyond　the　pursuit　of　knowledge　for　its　own　sake。



　　　　Now；　it　may　be　remarked　by　the　way；　that　civilized　mankind



should　have　come　so　to　set　their　heart　on　this　chase　after　a



fugitive　knowledge　of　inconsequential　facts　may　be　little　to　the



credit　of　the　race　or　of　that　scheme　of　culture　that　so　centres



about　this　cult　of　the　idle　curiosity。　And　it　is　perhaps　to　their



credit；　as　well　as　to　the　credit　of　the　community　whose　creatures



they　are；　that　the　spokesmen　of　some　tangible　ideal；　some



materially　expedient　aspiration；　embodying　more　of　worldly



wisdom；　are　for　ever　urging　upon　the　institutions　of　the　higher



leaning　one　or　another　course　of　action　of　a　more　palpably



expedient　kind。　But；　for　better　or　worse；　the　passage　of　time



brings　out　the　fact　that　these　sober　and　sensible　courses　of



policy　so　advocated　are　after　all　essentially　extraneous；　if　not



alien；　to　those　purposes　for　which　a　university　can　be



maintained；　on　the　ground　afforded　by　the　habits　of　thought



prevalent　in　the　modern　civilized　community。



　　　　One　and　another　of　these　〃practical〃　and　expedient　interests



have　transiently　come　to　the　front　in　academic　policy；　and　have



in　their　time　given　a　particular　bent　to　the　pursuit　of　knowledge



that　has　occupied　the　universities。　Of　these　extraneous　interests



the　two　most　notable　have；　as　already　indicated　above；　been　the



ecclesiastical　and　the　political。　But　in　the　long　run　these



various　interests　and　ideals　of　expediency　have；　all　and　several；



shown　themselves　to　be　only　factional　elements　in　the　scheme　of



culture；　and　have　lost　their　preferential　voice　in　the　shaping　of



academic　life。　The　place　in　men's　esteem　once　filled　by　church



and　state　is　now　held　by　pecuniary　traffic；　business　enterprise。



So　that　the　graver　issues　of　academic　policy　which　now　tax　the



discretion　of　the　directive　powers；　reduce　themselves　in　the　main



to　a　question　between　the　claims　of　science　and　scholarship　on



the　one　hand　and　those　of　business　principles　and　pecuniary　gain



on　the　other　hand。　In　one　shape　or　another　this　problem　of



adjustment；　reconciliation　or　compromise　between　the　needs　of　the



higher　learning　and　the　demands　of　business　enterprise　is　for



ever　present　in　the　deliberations　of　the　university　directorate。



This　question　gathers　in　its　net　all　those　perplexing　details　of



expediency　that　now　claim　the　attention　of　the　ruling　bodies。







　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　VI







　　　　Since　the　paragraphs　that　make　up　the　foregoing　chapter　were



written　the　American