the higher learning in america-第30节

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exploiting　the　system　in　that　sense。



　　　　Not　that　the　fellowships　have　altogether　lost　that　character



of　a　scholarly　stipendiary　with　which　they　started　out；　but　they



have；　under　businesslike　management；　acquired　a　use　not



originally　intended；　and　the　new；　competitive　use　of　them　is



unequivocally　their　main　use　today。　It　would　be　hazardous　to



guess　just　how　far　the　directorates　of　the　rival　universities



consciously　turn　the　fellowships　to　account　in　this　enterprising



way；　or　how　far；　on　the　other　hand；　they　are　able　to　let



self…deception　cover　the　policy　of　competitive　bargaining　in



which　they　are　engaged；　but　it　would　be　difficult　to　believe　that



their　right　hand　is　altogether　ignorant　of　what　their　left　hand



is　doing。　It　would　doubtless　also　be　found　that　both　the　practice



and　the　animus　back　of　it　differ　appreciably　from　one　school　to



another。　But　there　is　no　element　of　hazard　in　the　generalization



that；　by　and　large；　such　competitive　use　of　the　fellowships　is



today　their　chief　use；　and　that　such　is　the　fact　is　quite　openly



avowed　among　the　academic　staff　of　some　universities　at　least。



　　　　As　a　sequel　and　symptom　of　this　use　of　the　fellowship



stipends　in　bargaining　for　an　enlarged　enrolment　of　advanced



students；　it　has　become　a　moot　question　in　academic　policy



whether　a　larger　number　of　fellowships　with　smaller　stipends　will



give　a　more　advantageous　net　statistical　result　than　a　smaller



number　of　more　adequate　stipends。　An　administration　that　looks



chiefly　to　the　short…term　returns　　as　is　commonly　the　practice



in　latterday　business　enterprise　　will　sensibly　incline　to　make



the　stipends　small　and　numerous；　while　the　converse　will　be　true



where　regard　is　had　primarily　to　the　enrolment　of　carefully



selected　men　who　may　reflect　credit　on　the　institution　in　the



long　run。　Up…to…date　business　policy　will　apparently　commend　the



former　rather　than　the　latter　course；　for　business　practice；　in



its　later　phases；　is　eminently　guided　by　consideration　of



short…term　gains。　It　is　also　true　that　the　average　stipend



attached　to　the　fellowships　offered　today　is　very　appreciably



lower　than　was　the　practice　some　two　or　three　decades　ago；　at　the



same　time　that　the　cost　of　living　　which　these　stipends　were



originally　designed　to　cover　　has　increased　by　something　like



one　hundred　per　cent。　As　final　evidence　of　the　decay　of　scholarly



purpose　in　the　matter　of　fellowships；　and　as　a　climax　of



stultification；　it　is　to　be　added　that　stipends　originally



established　as　an　encouragement　to　disinterested　scholarship　are



latterly　being　used　to　induce　enrolment　in　the　professional



schools　attached　to　the　universities。（13*）







　　　　One　further　point　of　contact　and　contamination　is　necessary



to　be　brought　into　this　account　of　the　undergraduate



administration　and　its　bearing　on　advanced　work。　The　scholastic



accessories　spoken　of　above　　clubs；　fraternities；　devotional



organizations；　class　organizations；　spectacles　and　social



functions；　athletics；　and　〃student　activities〃　generally　　do



not　in　any　appreciable　degree　bear　directly　on　the　advanced　work；



in　as　much　as　they　find　no　ready　lodgement　among　the　university



students　proper。　But　they　count；　indirectly　and　effectually；



toward　lowering　the　scholarly　ideals　and　keeping　down　the　number



of　advanced　students；　chiefly　by　diverting　the　interest　and



energies　of　the　undergraduate　men　from　scholarly　pursuits　and



throwing　them　into　various　lines　of　business　and　sportsmanship。



　　　　The　subsidized　clubs　work；　in　these　premises；　to　much　the



same　effect　as　the　fraternities；　both　are；　in　effect；　designed　to



cultivate　expensive　habits　of　life。　The　same　is　true　in　a　higher



degree　of　athletic　sports。　The　full　round　of　sportsmanlike



events；　as　well　as　the　round　schedule　of　social　amenities　for



which　the　polite　side　of　undergraduate　life　（partly　subsidized）



is　designed　to　give　a　taste　and　training；　are　beyond　the　compass



of　men　devoted　to　scholarship。　In　effect　these　things　come　in　as



alternatives　to　the　pursuit　of　knowledge。　These　things　call　for　a



large　expenditure　of　time　and　means；　neither　of　which　can　be



adequately　met　by　the　scientist　or　scholar。　So　that　men　who　have



been　trained　to　the　round　of　things　that　so　go　to　make　up　the



conventional　scheme　of　undergraduate　interests　can　not　well　look



to　a　career　in　the　higher　learning　as　a　possible　outcome　of　their



residence　in　college。　On　the　other　hand；　young　men　habitually；



and　no　doubt　rightly；　expect　a　business　career　to　yield　an　income



somewhat　above　the　average　of　incomes　in　the　community；　and　more



particularly　in　excess　of　the　commonplace　incomes　of　academic



men；　such　an　income；　indeed；　as　may　afford　the　means　to　cover　the



conventional　routine　of　such　polite　expenditures。　So　that；　in　the



absence　of　an　independent　income；　some　sort　of　a　business　career



that　promises　well　in　the　pecuniary　respect　becomes　the　necessary



recourse　of　the　men　to　whom　these　amenities　of　expenditure　have



become　habitual　through　their　undergraduate　training。　With　like



effect　the　mental　discipline　exercised　by　these　sports　and　polite



events　greatly　favours　the　growth　of　tactful　equivocation　and　a



guarded　habit　of　mind；　such　as　makes　for　worldly　wisdom　and



success　in　business；　but　which　is　worse　than　useless　in　the



scholar　or　scientist。　And　further　and　perhaps　more　decisively；　an



undergraduate　who　does　his　whole　duty　in　the　way　of　sports；



fraternities；　clubs；　and　reputable　dissipation　at　large；　commonly



comes　through　his　undergraduate　course　with　a　scanty　and



superficial　preparation　for　scholarly　or　scientific　pursuits；　if



any。　So　that　even　in　case　he　should　still　chance　to　harbour　a



penchant　for　the　pursuit　of　learning　he　will　be　unfit　by　lack　of



training。







NOTES：







1。　Cf。　George　T。　Ladd；　〃The　Need　of　Administrative　Changes　in　the



American　University；〃　reprinted　in　University　Control；　by　J。



McKeen　Cattell；　especially　pp。　352…353。







2。　Cf。　George　T。　Ladd；　as　above；　pp。　351…352。







3。　Apart　from　the　executive's　need　of　satisfying　the　prejudices



of　the　laity　in　this　matter；　there　is　no　ground　for　this



competition　between　the　universities；　either　in　the　pecuniary



circumstances　of　the　several　establishments　or　in　the　work　they



are　to　take　care　of。　So　much　is　admitted　on　all　hands。　But　the



fact　remains　that　no　other　one　motive　has　as　much　to　do　with



shaping　academic　policy　as　this　same　competition　for　traffic。　The



cause　of　it　appears　to　be　very　little　if　anything　else　than　that



the　habits　of　thought　induced　by　experience　in　business　are



uncritically　carried　over　into　academic　affairs。



　　　　Critics　of　the　present　r間ime　are　inclined　to　admit　that　the



colleges　of　the　land　are　in　great　part　so　placed　as　to　be　thrown



into　competition　by　force　of　circumstances；　both　as　to　the



acquisition　of　funds　and　as　to　the　enrolment　of　students。　The



point　may　be　conceded；　though　with　doubt　and　reservation；　as



applies　to　the　colleges；　for　the　universities　there　is　no　visible



ground　of　such　rivalry；　apart　from　unreflecting　prejudice　on　the



part　of　the　laity；　and　an　ambition　for　popular　acclaim　on　the



part　of　the　university　directorate。







4。　An　incumbent　of　executive　office；　recently　appointed；　in　one



of　the　greater　universities　was　at　pains　a　few　years　ago　to　speak



his　mind　on　this　head；　to　the　effect　that　the　members　of　the



academic　staff　are　employees　in　the　pay　of　the　university　and



under　the　orders　of　its　president；　and　as　such　they　are　bound　to



avoid　all　criticism　of　him　and　his　administration　so　long　as　they



continue　on　the　pay…roll；　and　that　if　any　member　of　the　staff　has



any　fault　to　find　with　the　conduct　of　affairs　he　must　first　sever



his　connection　with　the　university；　before　speaking　his　mind。



These　expressions　were　occasioned　by　the　underhand　dismissal　of　a



scholar　of　high　standing　and　long　service；　who　had　incurred　the



displeasure　of　the　president　then　in　charge；　by　overt　criticism



of　the　administration。　As　to　its　general　features　the　case　might



well　have　been　the　one　referred　to　by　Professor　Ladd　（University



Control；　as　above；　p。　359）；　though　the　circumstances　of　the



dismissal　offer　several　details　of　a　more　discreditable　character



than　Professor　Ladd　appears　to　have　been　aware　of。







5。　The　strategic　reason　for　this　is　the　desire　to　retain　for



graduate　registration　any　student　who　might　otherwise　prefer　to



look　for　graduate　instruction　elsewhere。　The　plan　ha