the higher learning in america-第37节

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be　set　down　to　mere　boyish　exuberance　of　make…believe；　it　must　be



sought　among　considerations　germane　to　that　business　enterprise



that　rules　academic　policy。　However　attractive　such　a　derivation



might　seem；　this　whole　traffic　in　pageantry　and　ceremonial



amenities　can　not　be　traced　back　to　ecclesiastical　ground；　except



in　point　of　remote　pedigree；　it　has　grown　greater　since　the



businessmen　took　over　academic　policy　out　of　the　hands　of　the



clergy。　Nor　can　it　be　placed　to　the　account　of　courtly；



diplomatic；　or　military　antecedents　or　guidance；　these　fields　of



activity；　while　they　are　good　breeding　ground　for　pomp　and



circumstance；　do　not　overlap；　or　even　seriously　touch；　the



frontiers　of　the　republic　of　learning。　On　the　other　hand；　in



seeking　grounds　or　motives　for　it　all；　it　is　also　not　easy　to



find　any　close　analogy　in　the　field　of　business　enterprise　of　the



larger　sort；　that　has　to　do　with　the　conduct　of　industry。　There



is　little　of　this　manner　of　expensive　public　ceremonial　and



solemn　festivities　to　be　seen；　e。g。；　among　business　concerns



occupied　with　railroading　or　banking；　in　cottonspinning；　or



sugar…refining；　or　in　farming；　shipping；　coal；　steel；　or　oil。　In



this　field　phenomena　of　this　general　class　are　of　rare



occurrence；　sporadic　at　the　best；　and　when　they　occur　they　will



commonly　come　in　connection　with　competitive　sales　of　products；



services　or　securities；　particularly　the　latter。　Nearer　business



analogues　will　be　found　in　retail　merchandising；　and　in



enterprises　of　popular　amusement；　such　as　concert　halls；　beer



gardens；　or　itinerant　shows。　The　street　parades　of　the　latter；



e。g。；　show　a　seductive；　though；　it　is　believed；　misleading



analogy　to　the　ceremonial　pageants　that　round　off　the　academic



year。



　　　　Phenomena　that　come　into　view　in　the　later　and　maturer　growth



of　the　retail　trade；　as　seen；　e。　g。；　in　the　larger　and　more



reputable　department　stores；　are　perhaps　nearer　the　point。　There



are　formal　〃openings〃　to　inaugurate　the　special　trade　of　each　of



the　four　seasons；　desired　to　put　the　patrons　of　the　house　on　a



footing　of　good…humoured　familiarity　with　the　plant　and　its



resources；　with　the　customs　of　the　house；　the　personnel　and　the



stock　of　wares　in　hand；　and　before　all　to　arrest　the　attention



and　enlist　the　interest　of　those　classes　that　may　be　induced　to



buy。　There　are　also　occasional　gatherings　of　a　more　ceremonial



character；　by　special　invitation　of　select　customers　to　a



promised　exhibition　of　peculiarly　rare　and　curious　articles　of



trade。　This　will　then　be　illuminated　with　shrewdly　conceived



harangues　setting　forth　the　alleged　history；　adventures　and



merits；　past　and　future；　of　the　particular　branch　of　the　trade；



and　of　the　particular　house　at　whose　expense　the　event　is



achieved。　In　addition　to　these　seasonal　and　occasional　set　pieces



of　mercantile　ceremony；　there　will　also　run　along　in　the　day'　s



work　an　unremitting　display　of　meritorious　acts　of　commission　and



omission。　Like　their　analogues　in　academic　life　these　ceremonials



of　trade　are　expensive；　edifying；　enticing；　and　surrounded　with　a



solicitous　regard　for　publicity；　and　it　will　be　seen　that　they



are；　all　and　several；　expedients　of　advertising。







　　　　To　return　to　the　academic　personnel　and　their　implication　in



these　recurrent　spectacles　and　amenities　of　university　life。　As



was　remarked　above；　apart　from　outside　resources　the　livelihood



that　comes　to　a　university　man　is；　commonly；　somewhat　meagre。　The



tenure　is　uncertain　and　the　salaries；　at　an　average；　are　not



large。　Indeed；　they　are　notably　low　in　comparison　with　the　high



conventional　standard　of　living　which　is　by　custom　incumbent　on



university　men。　University　men　are　conventionally　required　to



live　on　a　scale　of　expenditure　comparable　with　that　in　vogue



among　the　well…to…do　businessmen；　while　their　university　incomes



compare　more　nearly　with　the　lower　grades　of　clerks　and　salesmen。



The　rate　of　pay　varies　quite　materially；　as　is　well　known。　For



the　higher　grades　of　the　staff；　whose　scale　of　pay　is　likely　to



be　publicly　divulged；　it　is；　perhaps；　adequate　to　the　average



demands　made　on　university　incomes　by　polite　usage；　but　the　large



majority　of　university　men　belong　on　the　lower　levels　of　grade



and　pay；　and　on　these　lower　levels　the　pay　is；　perhaps；　lower



than　any　outsider　appreciates。（3*）



　　　　With　men　circumstanced　as　the　common　run　of　university　men



are；　the　temptation　to　parsimony　is　ever　present；　while　on　the



other　hand；　as　has　already　been　noted；　the　prestige　of　the



university　　and　of　the　academic　head　　demands　of　all　its



members　a　conspicuously　expensive　manner　of　living。　Both　of　these



needs　may；　of　course；　be　met　in　some　poor　measure　by　saving　in



the　obscurer　items　of　domestic　expense；　such　as　food；　clothing；



heating；　lighting；　floor…space；　books；　and　the　like；　and　making



all　available　funds　count　toward　the　collective　end　of　reputable



publicity；　by　throwing　the　stress　on　such　expenditures　as　come



under　the　public　eye；　as　dress　and　equipage；　bric…a…brac；



amusements；　public　entertainments；　etc。　It　may　seem　that　it



should　also　be　possible　to　cut　down　the　proportion　of　obscure



expenditures　for　creature　comforts　by　limiting　the　number　of



births　in　the　family；　or　by　foregoing　marriage。　But；　by　and



large；　there　is　reason　to　believe　that　this　expedient　has　been



exhausted。　As　men　have　latterly　been　at　pains　to　show；　the



current　average　of　children　in　academic　households　is　not　high；



whereas　the　percentage　of　celibates　is。　There　appears；　indeed；　to



be　little　room　for　additional　economy　on　this　head；　or　in　the



matter　of　household　thrift；　beyond　what　is　embodied　in　the　family



budgets　already　in　force　in　academic　circles。



　　　　So　also；　the　tenure　of　office　is　somewhat　precarious；　more　so



than　the　documents　would　seem　to　indicate。　This　applies　with



greater　force　to　the　lower　grades　than　to　the　higher。　Latterly；



under　the　rule　of　business　principles；　since　the　prestige　value



of　a　conspicuous　consumption　has　come　to　a　greater　currency　in



academic　policy；　a　member　of　the　staff　may　render　his　tenure　more



secure；　and　may　perhaps　assure　his　due　preferment；　by　a　sedulous



attention　to　the　academic　social　amenities；　and　to　the　more



conspicuous　items　of　his　expense　account；　and　he　will　then　do



well　in　the　same　connection　also　to　turn　his　best　attention　in



the　day's　work　to　administrative　duties　and　schoolmasterly



discipline；　rather　than　to　the　increase　of　knowledge。　Whereas　he



may　make　his　chance　of　preferment　less　assured；　and　may　even



jeopardize　his　tenure；　by　a　conspicuously　parsimonious　manner　of



life；　or　by　too　pronounced　an　addiction　to　scientific　or



scholarly　pursuits；　to　the　neglect　of　those　polite　exhibitions　of



decorum　that　conduce　to　the　maintenance　of　the　university's



prestige　in　the　eyes　of　the　（pecuniarily）　cultured　laity。



　　　　A　variety　of　other　untoward　circumstances；　of　a　similarly



extra…scholastic　bearing；　may　affect　the　fortunes　of　academic　men



to　a　like　effect；　as；　e。g。；　unearned　newspaper　notoriety　that　may



be　turned　to　account　in　ridicule；　unconventional　religious；　or



irreligious　convictions　　so　far　as　they　become　known；　an



undesirable　political　affiliation；　an　impecunious　marriage；　or



such　domestic　infelicities　as　might　become　subject　of　remark。



None　of　these　untoward　circumstances　need　touch　the



serviceability　of　the　incumbent　for　any　of　the　avowed；　or



avowable；　purposes　of　the　seminary　of　learning；　and　where　action



has　to　be　taken　by　the　directorate　on　provocation　of　such



circumstances　it　is　commonly　done　with　the　（unofficial）　admission



that　such　action　is　taken　not　on　the　substantial　merits　of　the



case　but　on　compulsion　of　appearances　and　the　exigencies　of



advertising。　That　some　such　effect　should　be　had　follows　from　the



nature　of　things；　so　far　as　business　principles　rule。



　　　　In　the　degree；　then；　in　which　these　and　the　like　motives　of



expediency　are　decisive；　there　results　a　husbanding　of　time；



energy　and　means　in　the　less　conspicuous　expenditures　and　duties；



in　order　to　a　freer　application　to　more　conspicuous　uses；　and　a



meticulous　cultivation　of　the　bourgeois　virtues。　The　workday



duties　of　instruction；　and　more　particularly　of　inquiry；　are；　in



the　nature　of　the　case；　less　conspicuously　in　evidence　than　the



duties　of　the　drawing…room；　the　ceremonial　procession；　the　formal



dinner；　or　the　grandstand　on　some　red…letter　day　of



intercollegiate　athletics。（4*）　For　the　purp