the higher learning in america-第25节

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which　all　compete　for　the　acclamation　and　custom　of　those　to　whom



these　matters　appeal。



　　　　For　the　purposes　of　such　competition　the　effectual　prestige



of　the　university　as　a　whole；　as　well　as　the　detail　prestige　of



its　personnel；　is　largely　the　prestige　which　it　has　with　the



laity　rather　than　with　the　scholarly　classes。　And　it　is　safe　to



say　that　a　somewhat　more　meretricious　showing　of　magnitude　and



erudition　will　pass　scrutiny；　for　the　time　being；　with　the　laity



than　with　the　scholars。　Which　suggests　the　expediency　for　the



university；　as　a　going　concern　competing　for　the　traffic；　to　take



recourse　to　a　somewhat　more　tawdry　exhibition　of　quasi…scholarly



feats；　and　a　somewhat　livelier　parade　of　academic　splendour　and



magnitude；　than　might　otherwise　be　to　the　taste　of　such　a　body　of



scholars　and　scientists。　As　a　business　proposition；　the



meretricious　quality　inherent　in　any　given　line　of　publicity



should　not　consign　it　to　neglect；　so　long　as　it　is　found



effectual　for　the　end　in　view。



　　　　　Competitive　business　concerns　that　find　it　needful　to



commend　themselves　to　a　large　and　credulous　body　of　customers；



as；　e。　g。；　newspapers　or　department　stores；　also　find　it



expedient　somewhat　to　overstate　their　facilities　for　meeting　all



needs；　as　also　to　overstate　the　measure　of　success　which　they



actually　enjoy。　Indeed；　much　talent　and　ingenuity　is　spent　in



that　behalf；　as　well　as　a　very　appreciable　outlay　of　funds。　So



also　as　touches　the　case　of　the　competitive　seminaries　of



learning。　And　even　apart　from　the　exigencies　of　intercollegiate



rivalry；　taken　simply　as　a　question　of　sentiment　it　is　gratifying



to　any　university　directorate　to　know　and　to　make　known　that　the



stock　of　merchantable　knowledge　on　hand　is　abundant　and



comprehensive；　and　that　the　registration　and　graduation　lists



make　a　brave　numerical　showing；　particularly　in　case　the



directive　head　is　duly　imbued　with　a　businesslike　penchant　for



tests　of　accountancy　and　large　figures。　It　follows　directly　that



many　and　divers　bureaux　or　departments　are　to　be　erected；　which



will　then　announce　courses　of　instruction　covering　all　accessible



ramifications　of　the　field　of　learning；　including　subjects　which



the　corps　of　instructors　may　not　in　any　particular　degree　be　fit



to　undertake。　A　further　and　unavoidable　consequence　of　this



policy；　therefore；　is　perfunctory　work。



　　　　For　establishments　that　are　substantially　of　secondary　school



character；　including　colleges　and　undergraduate　departments；　such



a　result　may　not　be　of　extremely　serious　consequence；　since　much



of　the　instruction　in　these　schools　is　of　a　perfunctory　kind



anyway。　But　since　the　university　and　the　college　are；　in　point　of



formal　status　and　of　administrative　machinery；　divisions　of　the



same　establishment　and　subject　to　the　same　executive　control；　and



since；　under　competitive　business　principles；　the　collegiate



division　is　held　to　be　of　greater　importance；　and　requires　the



greater　share　of　attention；　it　comes　about　that　the　college　in



great　measure　sets　the　pace　for　the　whole；　and　that　the



undergraduate　scheme　of　credits；　detailed　accountancy；　and



mechanical　segmentation　of　the　work；　is　carried　over　into　the



university　work　proper。　Such　a　result　follows　more　consistently



and　decisively；　of　course；　in　those　establishments　where　the　line



of　demarkation　between　undergraduate　and　graduate　instruction　is



advisedly　blurred　or　disregarded。　It　is　not　altogether　unusual



latterly；　advisedly　to　efface　the　distinction　between　the



undergraduate　and　the　graduate　division　and　endeavour　to　make　a



gradual　transition　from　the　one　to　the　other。（5*）　This　is　done　in



the　less　conspicuous　fashion　of　scheduling　certain　courses　as



Graduate　and　Senior；　and　allowing　scholastic　credits　acquired　in



certain　courses　of　the　upper…class　undergraduate　curriculum　to



count　toward　the　complement　of　graduate　credits　required　of



candidates　for　advanced　degrees。　More　conspicuously　and　with



fuller　effect　the　same　end　is　sought　at　other　universities　by



classifying　the　two　later　years　of　the　undergraduate　curriculum



as　〃Senior　College〃；　with　the　avowed　intention　that　these　two



concluding　years　of　the　usual　four　are　scholastically　to　lie



between　the　stricter　undergraduate　domain；　now　reduced　to　the



freshman　and　sophomore　years；　on　the　one　hand；　and　the　graduate



division　as　such　on　the　other　hand。　This　〃Senior　College〃



division　so　comes　to　be　accounted　in　some　sort　a　halfway　graduate



school；　with　the　result　that　it　is　assimilated　to　the　graduate



work　in　the　fashion　of　its　accountancy　and　control；　or　rather；



the　essentially　undergraduate　methods　that　still　continue　to　rule



unabated　in　the　machinery　and　management　of　this　〃senior　college〃



are　carried　over　by　easy　sophistication　of　expediency　into　the



graduate　work；　which　so　takes　on　the　usual；　conventionally



perfunctory；　character　that　belongs　by　tradition　and　necessity　to



the　undergraduate　division；　whereby　in　effect　the　instruction



scheduled　as　〃graduate〃　is；　in　so　far；　taken　out　of　the　domain　of



the　higher　learning　and　thrown　back　into　the　hands　of　the



schoolmasters。　The　rest　of　the　current　undergraduate　standards



and　discipline　tends　strongly　to　follow　the　lead　so　given　and　to



work　over　by　insensible　precession　into　the　graduate　school；



until　in　the　consummate　end　the　free　pursuit　of　learning　should



no　longer　find　a　standing…place　in　the　university　except　by



subreption　and　dissimulation；　much　after　the　fashion　in　which；　in



the　days　of　ecclesiastical　control　and　scholastic　lore；　the



pursuit　of　disinterested　knowledge　was　constrained　to　a　shifty



simulation　of　interest　in　theological　speculations　and　a



disingenuous　formal　conformity　to　the　standards　and　methods　that



were　approved　for　indoctrination　in　divinity。



　　　　Perfunctory　work　and　mechanical　accountancy　may　be



sufficiently　detrimental　in　the　undergraduate　curriculum；　but　it



seems　altogether　and　increasingly　a　matter　of　course　in　that



section；　but　it　is　in　the　graduate　division　that　it　has　its



gravest　consequences。　Yet　even　in　undergraduate　work　it　remains



true；　as　it　does　in　all　education　in　a　degree；　that　the



instruction　can　be　carried　on　with　best　effect　only　on　the　ground



of　an　absorbing　interest　on　the　part　of　the　instructor；　and　he



can　do　the　work　of　a　teacher　as　it　should　be　done　only　so　long　as



he　continues　to　take　an　investigator's　interest　in　the　subject　in



which　he　is　called　on　to　teach。　He　must　be　actively　engaged　in　an



endeavour　to　extend　the　bounds　of　knowledge　at　the　point　where



his　work　as　teacher　falls。　He　must　be　a　specialist　offering



instruction　in　the　specialty　with　which　he　is　occupied；　and　the



instruction　offered　can　reach　its　best　efficiency　only　in　so　far



as　it　is　incidental　to　an　aggressive　campaign　of　inquiry　on　the



teacher's　part。



　　　　But　no　one　is　a　competent　specialist　in　many　lines；　nor　is



any　one　competent　to　carry　on　an　assorted　parcel　of　special



inquiries；　cut　to　a　standard　unit　of　time　and　volume。　One　line；



somewhat　narrowly　bounded　as　a　specialty；　measures　the　capacity



of　the　common　run　of　talented　scientists　and　scholars　for



first…class　work；　whatever　side…lines　of　subsidiary　interest　they



may　have　in　hand　and　may　carry　out　with　passably　creditable



results。　The　alternative　is　schoolmaster's　task…work；　or　if　the



pretense　of　advanced　learning　must　be　kept　up；　the　alternative



which　not　unusually　goes　into　effect　is　amateurish　pedantry；　with



the　charlatan　ever　in　the　near　background。　By　and　large；　if　the



number　of　distinct　lines　of　instruction　offered　by　a　given



departmental　corps　appreciably　exceeds　the　number　of　men　on　the



staff；　some　of　these　lines　or　courses　will　of　necessity　be



carried　in　a　perfunctory　fashion　and　can　only　give　mediocre



results；　at　the　best。　What　practically　happens　at　the　worst　is



better　left　under　the　cover　of　a　decent　reticence。



　　　　Even　those　preferred　lines　of　instruction　which　in　their　own



right　engage　the　serious　interest　of　the　instructors　can　get



nothing　better　than　superficial　attention　if　the　time　and　energy



of　the　instructors　are　dissipated　over　a　scattering　variety　of



courses。　Good　work；　that　is　to　say　sufficiently　good　work　to　be



worth　while；　requires　a　free　hand　and　a　free　margin　of　time　and



energy。　If　the　number　of　distinct　lines　of　instruction　is



relatively　large；　and　if；　as　happens；　they　are　distributed



scatteringly　among　the　members　of　the　staff；　with　a　relatively



large　as