the higher learning in america-第22节

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body　of　the　academic　personnel；　a　corps　of　trusted　advisors　and



agents；　whose　qualifications　for　their　peculiar　work　is　an



intelligent　sympathy　with　their　chief's　ideals　and　methods　and　an



unreserved　subservience　to　his　aims；　　unless　it　should　come　to



pass；　as　may　happen　in　case　its　members　are　men　of　force　and



ingenuity；　that　this　unofficial　cabinet　should　take　over　the



direction　of　affairs　and　work　out　their　own　aims　and　purposes



under　cover　of　the　chief's　ostensibly　autocratic　rule。



　　　　Among　these　aids　and　advisers　will　be　found　at　least　a



proportion　of　the　higher　administrative　officials；　and　among　the



number　it　is　fairly　indispensable　to　include　one　or　more　adroit



parliamentarians；　competent　to　procure　the　necessary　modicum　of



sanction　for　all　arbitrary　acts　of　the　executive；　from　a



distrustful　faculty　convened　as　a　deliberative　body。　These　men



must　be　at　least　partially　in　the　confidence　of　the　executive



head。　From　the　circumstances　of　the　case　it　also　follows　that



they　will　commonly　occupy　an　advanced　academic　rank；　and　so　will



take　a　high　（putative）　rank　as　scholars　and　scientists。　High



academic　rank　comes　of　necessity　to　these　men　who　serve　as



coadjutors　and　vehicles　of　the　executive　policy；　as　does　also　the



relatively　high　pay　that　goes　with　high　rank；　both　are　required



as　a　reward　of　merit　and　an　incitement　to　a　zealous



serviceability　on　the　one　hand；　and　to　keep　the　administration　in



countenance　on　the　other　hand　by　giving　the　requisite　dignity　to



its　agents。　They　will　be　selected　on　the　same　general　grounds　of



fitness　as　their　chief；　　administrative　facility；　plausibility；



proficiency　as　public　speakers　and　parliamentarians；　ready



versatility　of　convictions；　and　a　staunch　loyalty　to　their　bread。



Experience　teaches　that　scholarly　or　scientific　capacity　does　not



enter　in　any　appreciable　measure　among　the　qualifications　so



required　for　responsible　academic　office；　beyond　what　may



thriftily　serve　to　mask　the　conventional　decencies　of　the　case。



　　　　It　is；　further；　of　the　essence　of　this　scheme　of　academic



control　that　the　captain　of　erudition　should　freely　exercise　the



power　of　academic　life　and　death　over　the　members　of　his　staff；



to　reward　the　good　and　faithful　servant　and　to　abase　the



recalcitrant。　Otherwise　discipline　would　be　a　difficult　matter；



and　the　formally　requisite　〃advice　and　consent〃　could　be　procured



only　tardily　and　grudgingly。







　　　　Admitting　such　reservations　and　abatement　as　may　be　due；　it



is　to　be　said　that　the　existing　organization　of　academic　control



under　business　principles　falls　more　or　less　nearly　into　the　form



outlined　above。　The　perfected　type；　as　sketched　in　the　last



paragraphs；　has　doubtless　not　been　fully　achieved　in　practice



hitherto；　unless　it　be　in　one　or　another　of　the　newer



establishments　with　large　ambitions　and　endowment；　and　with　few



traditions　to　hamper　the　working　out　of　the　system。　The　incursion



of　business　principles　into　the　academic　community　is　also　of



relatively　recent　date；　and　should　not　yet　have　had　time　to



pervade　the　organization　throughout　and　with　full　effect；　so　that



the　r間ime　of　competitive　strategy　should　as　yet　be　neither　so



far　advanced　nor　so　secure　a　matter　of　course　as　may　fairly　be



expected　in　the　near　future。　Yet　the　rate　of　advance　along　this



line；　and　the　measure　of　present　achievement；　are　more



considerable　than　even　a　very　sanguine　advocate　of　business



principles　could　have　dared　to　look　for　a　couple　of　decades　ago。



　　　　In　so　far　as　these　matters　are　still　in　process　of　growth；



rather　than　at　their　full　fruition；　it　follows　that　any　analysis



of　the　effects　of　this　r間ime　must　be　in　some　degree　speculative；



and　must　at　times　deal　with　the　drift　of　things　as　much　as　with



accomplished　fact。　Yet　such　an　inquiry　must　approach　its　subject



as　an　episode　of　history；　and　must　deal　with　the　personal　figures



and　the　incidents　of　this　growth　objectively；　as　phenomena　thrown



up　to　view　by　the　play　of　circumstances　in　the　dispassionate　give



and　take　of　institutional　change。　Such　an　impersonal　attitude；　it



is　perhaps　needless　to　remark；　is　not　always　easy　to　maintain　in



dealing　with　facts　of　so　personal；　and　often　of　so　animated；　a



character。　Particularly　will　an　observer　who　has　seen　these



incidents　from　the　middle　and　in　the　making　find　it　difficult



uniformly　to　preserve　that　aloof　perspective　that　will　serve　the



ends　of　an　historical　appreciation。　The　difficulty　is　increased



and　complicated　by　the　necessity　of　employing　terms；　descriptions



and　incidents　that　have　been　habitually　employed　in　current



controversy；　often　with　a　marked　animus。　Men　have　taken　sides　on



these　matters；　and　so　are　engaged　in　controversy　on　the　merits　of



the　current　r間ime　and　on　the　question　of　possible　relief　and



remedy　for　what　are　considered　to　be　its　iniquities。　Under　the



shadow　of　this　controversy；　it　is　nearly　unavoidable　that　any



expression　or　citation　of　fact　that　will　bear　a　partisan



construction　will　habitually　be　so　construed。　The　vehicle



necessarily　employed　must　almost　unavoidably　infuse　the　analysis



with　an　unintended　colour　of　bias；　to　one　side　or　the　other　of



the　presumed　merits　of　the　case。　A　degree　of　patient　attention　is



therefore　due　at　points　where　the　facts　cited；　and　the



characterization　of　these　facts　and　their　bearing；　would　seem；　on



a　superficial　view；　to　bear　construction　as　controversial　matter。







　　　　In　this　episode　of　institutional　growth；　plainly；　the



executive　head　is　the　central　figure。　The　light　fails　on　him



rather　than　on　the　forces　that　move　him；　and　it　comes　as　a　matter



of　course　to　pass　opinions　on　the　resulting　incidents　and



consequences；　as　the　outcome　of　his　free　initiative　rather　than



of　the　circumstances　whose　creature　he　is。　No　doubt；　his



initiative；　if　any；　is　a　powerful　factor　in　the　case；　but　it　is



after　all　a　factor　of　transmission　and　commutation　rather　than　of



genesis　and　self…direction；　for　he　is　chosen　for　the　style　and



measure　of　initiative　with　which　he　is　endowed；　and　unless　he



shall　be　found　to　measure　up　to　expectations　in　kind　and　degree



in　this　matter　he　will　go　in　the　discard；　and　his　personal　ideals



and　initiative　will　count　as　little　more　than　a　transient



obstruction。　He　will　hold　his　place；　and　will　count　as　a　creative



force　in　his　world；　in　much　the　same　degree　in　which　he　responds



with　ready　flexibility　to　the　impact　of　those　forces　of　popular



sentiment　and　class　conviction　that　have　called　him　to　be　their



servant。　Only　so　can　he　be　a　〃strong　man〃；　only　in　so　far　as；　by



fortunate　bent　or　by　its　absence；　he　is　enabled　to　move



resistlessly　with　the　parallelogram　of　forces。



　　　　The　exigencies　of　a　businesslike　administration　demand　that



there　be　no　division　of　powers　between　the　academic　executive　and



the　academic　staff；　but　the　exigencies　of　the　higher　learning



require　that　the　scholars　and　scientists　must　be　left　quite　free



to　follow　their　own　bent　in　conducting　their　own　work。　In　the



nature　of　things　this　work　cannot　be　carried　on　effectually　under



coercive　rule。　Scientific　inquiry　can　not　be　pursued　under



direction　of　a　layman　in　the　person　of　a　superior　officer。　Also；



learning　is；　in　the　nature　of　things；　not　a　competitive　business



and　can　make　no　use　of　finesse；　diplomatic　equivocation　and



tactful　regard　for　popular　prejudices；　such　as　are　of　the　essence



of　the　case　in　competitive　business。　It　is；　also；　of　no　advantage



to　learning　to　engross　the　trade。　Tradition　and　present　necessity



alike　demand　that　the　body　of　scholars　and　scientists　who　make　up



the　university　must　be　vested　with　full　powers　of　self…direction；



without　ulterior　consideration。　A　university　can　remain　a



corporation　of　learning；　de　facto；　on　no　other　basis。



　　　　As　has　already　been　remarked；　business　methods　of　course　have



their　place　in　the　corporation's　fiscal　affairs　and　in　the



office…work　incident　to　the　care　of　its　material　equipment。　As



regards　these　items　the　university　is　a　business　concern；　and　no



discussion　of　these　topics　would　be　in　place　here。　These　things



concern　the　university　only　in　its　externals；　and　they　do　not



properly　fall　within　the　scope　of　academic　policy　or　academic



administration。　They　come　into　consideration　here　only　in　so　far



as　a　lively　regard　for　them　may；　as　it　sometimes　does；　divert　the



forces　of　the　establishment　from　its　ostensible　purpose。



　　　　Under　the　rule　imposed　by　those　businesslike　preconceptions