the higher learning in america-第29节

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science　and　scholarship；　the　training　given　by　a　college　of



moderate　size　commonly　affords　a　better　preparation　than　is　had



in　the　very　large　undergraduate　schools　of　the　great



universities。　This　holds　true；　in　a　general　way；　in　spite　of　the



fact　that　the　smaller　schools　are　handicapped　by　an　inadequate



equipment；　are　working　against　the　side…draft　of　a　religious



bias；　with　a　corps　of　under…paid　and　over…worked　teachers　in



great　part　selected　on　denominational　grounds；　and　are



under…rated　by　all　concerned。　The　proposition；　however；　taken　in



a　general　way　and　allowing　for　exceptions；　is　too　manifestly　true



to　admit　of　much　question；　particularly　in　respect　of　preparation



for　the　sciences　proper；　as　contrasted　with　the　professions。



　　　　The　causes　of　this　relative　inefficiency　that　seems　to　attach



unavoidably　to　the　excessively　large　undergraduate　establishments



can　not　be　gone　into　here；　in　part　they　are　obvious；　in　part



quite　obscure。　But　in　any　case　the　matter　can　not　be　gone　into



here；　except　so　far　as　it　has　an　immediate　bearing　on　the



advanced　work　of　the　university；　through　the　inclusion　of　these



collegiate　schools　in　the　university　corporation　and　under　the



same　government。　As　has　already　been　remarked；　by　force　of　the



competitive　need　of　a　large　statistical　showing　and　a　wide　sweep



of　popular　prestige　and　notoriety；　and　by　reason　of　other



incentives　of　a　nature　more　intimate　to　the　person　of　the



executive；　it　is　in　effect　a　matter　of　course　that　the



undergraduate　school　and　its　growth　becomes　the　chief　object　of



solicitude　and　management　with　a　businesslike　executive；　and　that



so　its　shaping　of　the　foundations　of　the　establishment　as　a　whole



acts　irresistibly　to　fashion　the　rest　of　the　university



administration　and　instruction　in　the　image　of　the　undergraduate



policy。　Under　the　same　compulsion　it　follows　also　that　whatever



elements　in　the　advanced　work　of　the　university　will　not　lend



themselves　to　the　scheme　of　accountancy；　statistics；



standardization　and　coercive　control　enforced　in　and　through　the



undergraduate　division；　will　tend　to　be　lost　by　disuse　and



neglect；　as　being　selectively　unfit　to　survive　under　that　system。



　　　　The　advanced　work　falls　under　the　same　stress　of　competition



in　magnitude　and　visible　success；　and　the　same　scheme　of　enforced



statistical　credits　will　gradually　insinuate　itself　into　the　work



for　the　advanced　degrees；　so　that　these　as　well　as　the　lower



degrees　will　come　to　be　conferred　on　the　piece…work　plan。



Throughout　the　American　universities　there　is　apparent　such　a



movement　in　the　direction　of　a　closer　and　more　mechanical



specification　of　the　terms　on　which　the　higher　degrees　are　to　be



conferred；　　a　specification　in　terms　of　stipulated　courses　of



class…room　work　and　aggregate　quantity　of　standard　credits　and



length　of　residence。　So　that　his　need　of　conformity　to　the



standard　credit　requirements　will　therefore　constrain　the



candidate　for　an　advanced　degree　to　make　the　substantial　pursuit



of　knowledge　subordinate　to　the　present　pursuit　of　credits；　to　be



attended　to；　if　at　all；　in　the　scant　interstitial　intervals



allowed　by　a　strictly　drawn　accountancy。　The　effect　of　it　all　on



their　animus；　and　on　the　effective　prosecution　of　the　higher



learnings　by　the　instructors；　should　be　sufficiently　plain；　but



in　case　of　doubt　any　curious　person　may　easily　assure　himself　of



it　by　looking　over　the　current　state　of　things　as　they　run　in　any



one　of　the　universities　that　grant　degrees。



　　　　Nothing　but　continued　workday　familiarity　with　this　system　of



academic　grading　and　credit；　as　it　takes　effect　in　the　conduct



and　control　of　instruction；　and　as　its　further　elaboration



continues　to　employ　the　talents　and　deliberation　of　college　men；



can　enable　any　observer　to　appreciate　the　extraordinary　lengths



to　which　this　matter　is　carried　in　practice；　and　the　pervasive



way　in　which　it　resistlessly　bends　more　and　more　of　current



instruction　to　its　mechanical　tests　and　progressively　sterilizes



all　personal　initiative　and　ambition　that　comes　within　its　sweep。



And　nothing　but　the　same　continued　contact　with　the　relevant



facts　could　persuade　any　outsider　that　all　this　skilfully　devised



death　of　the　spirit　is　brought　about　by　well…advised　efforts　of



improvement　on　the　part　of　men　who　are　intimately　conversant　with



the　facts；　and　who　are　moved　by　a　disinterested　solicitude　for



the　best　academic　good　of　the　students　under　their　charge。　Yet



such；　unmistakably；　are　the　facts　of　the　case。



　　　　While　the　initial　move　in　this　sterilization　of　the　academic



intellect　is　necessarily　taken　by　the　statistically…minded



superior　officers　of　the　corporation　of　learning；　the　detail　of



schedules　and　administrative　routine　involved　is　largely　left　in



the　discretion　of　the　faculty。　Indeed；　it　is　work　of　this



character　that　occupies　nearly　the　whole　of　the　attention　of　the



faculty　as　a　deliberative　body；　as　well　as　of　its　many　and



various　committees。　In　these　matters　of　administrative　routine



and　punctilio　the　faculty；　collectively　and　severally；　can



exercise　a　degree　of　initiative　and　discretion。　And　these　duties



are　taken　as　seriously　as　well　may　be；　and　the　matters　that　so



come　within　the　faculty's　discretion　are　handled　in　the　most



unambiguous　spirit　of　responsible　deliberation。　Each　added　move



of　elaboration　is　taken　only　after　the　deliberative　body　has



assured　itself　that　it　embodies　a　needed　enhancement　of　the



efficiency　of　the　system　of　control。　But　each　improvement　and



amplification　also　unavoidably　brings　the　need　of　further



specification　and　apparatus；　desired　to　take　care　of　further



refinements　of　doubt　and　detail　that　arise　out　of　the　last



previous　extensions　of　the　mechanism。　The　remedy　sought　in　all



such　conjunctures　is　to　bring　in　further　specifications　and



definitions；　with　the　effect　of　continually　making　two



specifications　grow　where　one　grew　before；　each　of　which　in　its



turn　will　necessarily　have　to　be　hedged　about　on　both　sides　by



like　specifications；　with　like　effect；（12*）　with　the　consequence



that　the　grading　and　credit　system　is　subject　to　a　ceaseless



proliferation　of　ever　more　meticulous　detail。　The　underlying



difficulty　appears　to　be　not　that　the　collective　wisdom　of　the



faculty　is　bent　on　its　own　stultification；　as　an　unsympathetic



outsider　might　hastily　conclude；　but　that　there　is　in　all　the



deliberations　of　such　a　body　a　total　disregard　of　common　sense。



It　is；　presumably；　not　that　the　constituent　members　are　quite



devoid　of　that　quality；　but　rather　that　no　point　in　their



elaboration　of　apparatus　can　feasibly　be　reached；　beyond　which　a



working　majority　can　be　brought　conscientiously　to　agree　that



dependence　may　safely　be　placed　on　common　sense　rather　than　on



further　and　more　meticulous　and　rigorous　specification。







　　　　It　is　at　this　point　that　the　American　system　of　fellowships



falls　into　the　scheme　of　university　policy；　and　here　again　the



effect　of　business　principles　and　undergraduate　machinery　is　to



be　seen　at　work。　At　its　inception　the　purpose　of　these



fellowships　was　to　encourage　the　best　talent　among　the　students



to　pursue　disinterested　advanced　study　farther　and　with　greater



singleness　of　purpose　and　it　is　quite　plain　that　at　that　stage　of



its　growth　the　system　was　conceived　to　have　no　bearing　on



intercollegiate　competition　or　the　statistics　of　registration。



This　was　something　over　thirty　years　ago。　A　fellowship　was　an



honourable　distinction；　at　the　same　time　it　was　designed　to



afford　such　a　stipend　as　would　enable　the　incumbent　to　devote　his



undivided　energies　to　scholastic　work　of　a　kind　that　would　yield



no　pecuniary　return。　Ostensibly；　such　is　still　the　sole　purpose



of　the　fellowships；　the　traditional　decencies　require　（voluble



and　reiterated）　professions　to　that　effect。　But　in　point　of



practical　effect；　and　progressively；　concomitant　with　the



incursion　of　business　principles　into　university　policy；　the



exigencies　of　competitive　academic　enterprise　have　turned　the



fellowships　to　account　in　their　own　employ。　So　that；　in　effect；



today　the　rival　universities　use　the　fellowships　to　bid　against



one　another　for　fellows　to　come　into　residence；　to　swell　the



statistics　of　graduate　registration　and　increase　the　number　of



candidates　for　advanced　degrees。　And　the　eligible　students　have



learned　so　to　regard　the　matter；　and　are　quite　callously



exploiting　the　system　in　that　sense。



　　　　Not　that　the　f