the higher learning in america-第14节

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for　at　the　bands　of　these　men　in　whose　discretion　rest　the



fortunes　of　the　American　universities。　There　should　be　at　least　a



fighting　chance　that；　with　something　larger；　manlier；　more



substantial；　to　occupy　their　attention　and　to　shape　the　day's



work　for　them；　these　seminaries　of　learning　may；　under　instant



pressure；　turn　their　best　efforts　to　their　ostensible　purpose；



〃the　increase　and　diffusion　of　knowledge　among　men；〃　and　to



forego　their　habitual　preoccupation　with　petty　intrigue　and



bombastic　publicity；　until　the　return　of　idler　days。







NOTES：







1。　An　inquiry　of　this　kind　has　been　attempted　elsewhere：　Cf。　The



Instinct　of　Workmanship。　chapter　vii；　pp。　321…340；　〃The　Place　of



Science　in　Modern　Civilization〃；　American　Journal　of　Sociology。



Vol。　XI　（March；　1906）；　pp。　585…609；　〃The　Evolution　of　the



Scientific　Point　of　View；〃　University　of　California　Chronicle



（1908）；　Vol。　X；　No。　4；　pp。　395…416。







2。　Cf。　The　Instinct　of　Workmanship　and　the　State　of　the



Industrial　Arts；　ch。i　and　pp。　30…45；　52…62；　84…89。







3。　In　the　crude　surmises　of　the　pioneers　in　pragmatism　this



proposition　was　implicitly　denied；　in　their　later　and　more



advisedly　formulated　positions　the　expositors　of　pragmatism　have



made　peace　with　it。







4。　The　essential　function　of　the　university　is　to　bring　together；



for　the　transmission　of　experience　and　impulse；　the　sages　of　the



passing　and　the　picked　youths　of　the　coming　generation。　By　the



extent　and　fulness　with　which　they　establish　these　social



contacts；　and　thus　transmit　the　wave　of　cumulative　experience　and



idealist　impulse　　the　real　sources　of　moral　and　intellectual



progress　　the　universities　are　to　be　judged。　　Victor



Branford；　Interpretations　and　Forecasts；　ch。　VI。　〃The　Present　as



a　Transition。〃　p　288。







5。　Cf。；　Geo。　T。　Ladd；　University　Control；　p。　349。







6。　Cf。；　e。g。；　J。　McKeen　Cattell；　University　Control；　Part　III；



ch。　V。；　〃Concerning　the　American　University。〃　〃The　university　is



those　who　teach　and　those　who　learn　and　the　work　they　do。〃　〃The



university　is　its　men　and　their　work。　But　certain　externals　are



necessary　or　at　least　usual　　buildings　and　equipment；　a



president　and　trustees。〃



　　　　〃The　papers　by　other　writers　associated　with　Mr　Cattell　in



this　volume　run　to　the　same　effect　whenever　they　touch　the　same



topic；　and；　indeed；　it　would　be　difficult　to　find　a　deliberate



expression　to　the　contrary　among　men　entitled　to　speak　in　these



premises。



　　　　It　may　be　in　place　to　add　here　that　the　volume　referred　to；



on　University　Control；　has　been　had　in　mind　throughout　the



following　analysis　and　has　served　as　ground　and　material　for　much



of　the　argument。







7。　Cf。　The　Instinct　of　Workmanship；　ch。　vi；　vii。







8。　With　the　current　reactionary　trend　of　things　political　and



civil　toward　mediaeval…barbarian　policies　and　habits　of　thought



in　the　Fatherland；　something　of　a　correlative　change　has　also



latterly　come　in　evidence　in　the　German　universities；　so　that



what　is　substantially　〃cameralistic　science〃　　training　and



information　for　prospective　civil　servants　and　police　magistrates



is　in　some　appreciable　measure　displacing　disinterested　inquiry



in　the　field　of　economics　and　political　theory。　This　is



peculiarly　true　of　those　corporations　of　learning　that　come



closely　in　touch　with　the　Cultus　Ministerium。







9。　Cf。　〃Some　Considerations　On　the　Function　of　the　State



University。〃　（Inaugural　Address　of　Edmund　Janes　James；　Ph。D。；



LL。D。）；　Science；　November　17；　1905。











CHAPTER　II







The　Governing　Boards







　　　　In　the　working　theory　of　the　modern　civilized　community；　



that　is　to　say　in　the　current　common…sense　apprehension　of　what



is　right　and　good；　as　it　works　out　in　the　long　run；　　the



university　is　a　corporation　of　learning；　disinterested　and



dispassionate。　To　its　keeping　is　entrusted　the　community's　joint



interest　in　esoteric　knowledge。　It　is　given　over　to　the



single…minded　pursuit　of　science　and　scholarship；　without



afterthought　and　without　a　view　to　interests　subsidiary　or



extraneous　to　the　higher　learning。　It　is；　indeed；　the　one　great



institution　of　modern　times　that　works　to　no　ulterior　end　and　is



controlled　by　no　consideration　of　expediency　beyond　its　own　work。



Typically；　normally；　in　point　of　popular　theory；　the　university



is　moved　by　no　consideration　other　than　〃the　increase　and



diffusion　of　knowledge　among　men。〃　This　is　so　because　this



profitless　quest　of　knowledge　has　come　to　be　the　highest　and



ulterior　aim　of　modern　culture。



　　　　Such　has　been　the　case；　increasingly；　for　some　generations



past；　but　it　is　not　until　quite　recently　that　such　a　statement



would　hold　true　unequivocally　and　with　an　unqualified　generality。



That　the　case　stands　so　today　is　due　to　the　failure　of



theoretical　interests　of　a　different　kind；　directly　and



immediately　it　is　due　to　the　fact　that　in　the　immediate　present



the　cult　of　knowledge　has；　by　default；　taken　over　that　primacy



among　human　interests　which　an　eschatologically　thrifty　religious



sentiment　once　held　in　the　esteem　of　Christendom。　So　long　as　the



fear　of　God　still　continued　to　move　the　generality　of　civilized



men　in　sufficient　measure；　their　theoretical　knowledge　was



organized　for　〃the　glory　of　God　and　the　good　of　man；〃　　the



latter　phrase　being　taken　in　the　eschatological　sense；　and　so



long　the　resulting　scheme　of　learning　was　laid　out　and　cultivated



with　an　eye　to　the　main　chance　in　a　hereafter　given　over；　in　the



main　and　for　its　major　effect；　to　pains　and　penalties。　With　the



latterday　dissipation　of　this　fear　of　God；　the　scheme　of



knowledge　handed　down　out　of　a　devout　past　and　further　amplified



in　the　（theoretically）　Godless　present；　has；　by　atrophy　of



disuse；　lost　its　ulterior　view　to　such　spiritual　expediency；　and



has　come　to　stand　over　as　an　output　of　intellectual　enterprise



working　under　the　impulsion　and　guidance　of　an　idle　curiosity



simply。　All　this　may　not　be　much　to　the　credit　of　civilized



mankind；　but　dispassionate　reflection　will　not　leave　the　fact　in



doubt。　And　the　outcome　for　the　university；　considered　as　an



institution　of　this　modern　culture；　is　such　as　this　conjuncture



of　circumstances　will　require。



　　　　But　while　such　is　the　dispassionate　working　theory；　the



long…term　drift　of　modern　common　sense　as　touches　the　work　of　the



university；　it　is　also　a　matter　of　course　that　this　ideally



single…minded　course　of　action　has　never　been　realized　in　any



concrete　case。　While　it　holds　true；　by　and　large；　that　modern



Christendom　has　outlived　the　fear　of　God；　　that　is　to　say　of



〃the　Pope；　the　Turk；　and　the　Devil；〃　　it　does　not　therefore



follow　that　men　take　a　less　instant　interest　in　the　affairs　of



life；　or　carry　on　the　traffic　of　their　lives　with　a　less　alert



eye　to　the　main　chance；　than　they　once　did　under　the　habitual



shadow　of　that　barbarian　fear。　The　difference　is；　for　the　purpose



in　hand；　that　the　same　solicitous　attention　that　once　converged



on　such　an　avoidance　of　ulterior　consequences　now　centres　on



questions　of　present　ways　and　means。　Worldly　wisdom　has　not



fallen　into　decay　or　abeyance；　but　it　has　become　a　wisdom　of　ways



and　means　that　lead　to　nothing　beyond　further　ways　and　means。



Expediency　and　practical　considerations　have　come　to　mean



considerations　of　a　pecuniary　kind；　good；　on　the　whole；　for



pecuniary　purposes　only；　that　is　to　say；　gain　and　expenditure　for



the　sake　of　further　gain　and　expenditure；　with　nothing　that　will



stand　scrutiny　as　a　final　term　to　this　traffic　in　ways　and　means；



　except　only　this　cult　of　the　idle　curiosity　to　which　the　seats



of　learning　are；　in　theory；　dedicate。　But　unremitting　habituation



to　the　competitive　pursuit　of　ways　and　means　has　determined　that



〃practical〃　interests　of　this　complexion　rule　workday　life　in　the



modern　community　throughout；　and　they　are　therefore　so　intimately



and　ubiquitously　bound　up　with　current　habits　of　thought；　and



have　so　strong　and　immediate　a　hold　on　current　workday　sentiment；



that；　hitherto；　in　no　case　have　the　seats　of　learning　been　able



to　pursue　their　quest　of　knowledge　with　anything　like　that



single…mindedness　which　academic　men　are　moved　to　profess　in



their　moments　of　academic　elation。



　　　　Some　one　vital　interest　of　this　practical　sort；　some　variant



of　the　quest　of　gain；　is　always　at　hand　and　strenuously　effective



in　the　community's　life；　and　therefore　dominates　their　everyday



hab