the higher learning in america-第44节

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effect；　a　compromise　between　the　scholar's　ideals　and　those　of



business；　in　such　a　way　that　the　ideals　of　scholarship　are



yielding　ground；　in　an　uncertain　and　varying　degree；　before　the



pressure　of　businesslike　exigencies。







NOTES：







1。　Cf。　also　J。　J。　Chapman；　paper　on　〃Professional　Ethics；〃　in



University　Control；　as　above；　for　an　estimate　of　the　inefficiency



of　academic　opinion　as　a　corrective　of　the　executive　power　on　his



head。







2。　〃The　lambs　play　always；　they　know　no　better；　They　are　only　one



times　one。〃







3。　〃He　was　a　trusted　and　efficient　employee　of　an　institution



made　possible　and　maintained　by　men　of　great　wealth；　men　who　not



only　live　on　the　interest　of　their　money；　but　who　expend　millions



in　the　endowment　of　colleges　and　universities　in　which



enthusiastic　young　educators。。。　find　lucrative　and　honourable



employment。〃　　Editorial　on　the　dismissal　of　Dr。　Nearing；　in　the



Minneapolis　Journal；　August　II；　1915。







CHAPTER　VII







Vocational　Training







　　　　In　this　latterday　academic　enterprise；　that　looks　so　shrewdly



to　practical　expediency；　〃vocational　training〃　has；　quite　as　a



matter　of　course；　become　a　conspicuous　feature。　The　adjective　is



a　new　one；　installed　expressly　to　designate　this　line　of



endeavour；　in　the　jargon　of　the　educators；　and　it　carries　a　note



of　euphemism。　〃Vocational　training〃　is　training　for　proficiency



in　some　gainful　occupation；　and　it　has　no　connection　with　the



higher　learning；　beyond　that　juxtaposition　given　it　by　the



inclusion　of　vocational　schools　in　the　same　corporation　with　the



university；　and　its　spokesmen　in　the　university　establishments



accordingly　take　an　apologetically　aggressive　attitude　in



advocating　its　claims。　Educational　enterprise　of　this　kind　has；



somewhat　incontinently；　extended　the　scope　of　the　corporation　of



learning　by　creating；　〃annexing；〃　or　〃affiliating〃　many



establishments　that　properly　lie　outside　the　academic　field　and



deal　with　matters　foreign　to　the　academic　interest；　　fitting



schools；　high…schools；　technological；　manual　and　other　training



schools　for　mechanical；　engineering　and　other　industrial



pursuits；　professional　schools　of　divers　kinds；　music　schools；



art　schools；　summer　schools；　schools　of　〃domestic　science；〃



〃domestic　economy；〃　〃home　economics〃；　（in　short；　housekeeping）；



schools　for　the　special　training　of　secondary…school　teachers；



and　even　schools　that　are　avowedly　of　primary　grade；　while　a



variety　of　〃university　extension〃　bureaux　have　also　been



installed；　to　comfort　and　edify　the　unlearned　with　lyceum



lectures；　to　dispense　erudition　by　mail…order；　and　to　maintain



some　putative　contact　with　amateur　scholars　and　dilettanti　beyond



the　pale。



　　　　On　its　face；　this　enterprise　in　assorted　education　simulates



the　precedents　given　by　the　larger　modern　business　coalitions；



which　frequently　bring　under　one　general　business　management　a



considerable　number　and　variety　of　industrial　plants。　Doubtless　a



boyish　imitation　of　such　business　enterprise　has　had　its　share　in



the　propagation　of　these　educational　excursions。　It　all　has　an



histrionic　air；　such　as　would　suggest　that　its　use；　at　least　in



good　part；　might　be　to　serve　as　an　outlet　for　the　ambition　and



energies　of　an　executive　gifted　with　a　penchant　for　large　and



difficult　undertakings；　and　with　scant　insight　into　the　needs　and



opportunities　of　a　corporation　of　the　higher　learning；　and　who



might　therefore　be　carried　off　his　scholastic　footing　by　the



glamour　of　the　exploits　of　the　trustmakers。　No　doubt；　the



histrionic　proclivities　of　the　executive；　backed　by　a　similar



sensibility　to　dramatic　effect　on　the　part　of　their　staff　and　of



the　governing　boards；　must　be　held　accountable　for　much　of　this



headlong　propensity　to　do　many　other　things　half…way　rather　than



do　the　work　well　that　is　already　in　hand。　But　this　visible



histrionic　sensibility；　and　the　glamour　of　great　deeds；　will　by



no　means　wholly　account　for　current　university　enterprise　along



this　line；　not　even　when　there　is　added　the　urgent　competitive



need　of　a　show　of　magnitude；　such　as　besets　all　the　universities；



nor　do　these　several　lines　of　motivation　account　for　the



particular　direction　so　taken　by　these　excursions　in　partes



infidelium。　At　the　same　time；　reasons　of　scholarship　or　science



plainly　have　no　part　in　the　movement。



　　　　Apart　from　such　executive　weakness　for　spectacular　magnitude；



and　the　competitive　need　of　formidable　statistics；　the　prime



mover　in　the　case　is　presumably　the　current　unreflecting



propensity　to　make　much　of　all　things　that　bear　the　signature　of



the　〃practical。〃　These　various　projections　of　university



enterprise　uniformly　make　some　plausible　claim　of　that　nature。



Any　extension　of　the　corporation's　activity　can　be　more　readily



effected；　is　accepted　more　as　an　expedient　matter　of　course；　if



it　promises　to　have　such　a　〃practical〃　value。　〃Practical〃　in　this



connection　means　useful　for　private　gain；　it　need　imply　nothing



in　the　way　of　serviceability　to　the　common　good。



　　　　The　same　spirit　shows　itself　also　in　a　ceaseless　revision　of



the　schedule　of　instruction　offered　by　the　collegiate　or



undergraduate　division　as　such；　where　it　leads　to　a



multiplication　of　courses　desired　to　give　or　to　lead　up　to



vocational　training。　So　that　practical　instruction；　in　the　sense



indicated；　is　continually　thrown　more　into　the　foreground　in　the



courses　offered；　as　well　as　in　the　solicitude　of　the　various



administrative　boards；　bureaux　and　committees　that　have　to　do



with　the　organization　and　management　of　the　academic　machinery。



　　　　As　has　already　been　remarked；　these　directive　boards；



committees；　and　chiefs　of　bureau　are　chosen；　in　great　part；　for



their　businesslike　efficiency；　because　they　are　good　office…men；



with　〃executive　ability〃；　and　the　animus　of　these　academic



businessmen；　by　so　much；　becomes　the　guiding　spirit　of　the



corporation　of　learning；　and　through　their　control　it　acts



intimately　and　pervasively　to　order　the　scope　and　method　of



academic　instruction。　This　permeation　of　the　university's



everyday　activity　by　the　principles　of　competitive　business　is



less　visible　to　outsiders　than　the　various　lines　of　extraneous



enterprise　already　spoken　of；　but　it　touches　the　work　within　the



university　proper　even　more　radically　and　insistently；　although；



it　is　true；　it　affects　the　collegiate　（undergraduate）　instruction



more　immediately　than　what　is　fairly　to　be　classed　as　university



work。　The　consequences　are　plain。　Business　proficiency　is　put　in



the　place　of　learning。　It　is　said　by　advocates　of　this　move　that



learning　is　hereby　given　a　more　practical　bent；　which　is



substantially　a　contradiction　in　terms。　It　is　a　case　not　of



assimilation；　but　of　displacement　and　substitution；　garnished



with　circumlocution　of　a　more　or　less　ingenuous　kind。







　　　　Historically；　in　point　of　derivation　and　early　growth；　this



movement　for　vocational　training　is　closely　related　to　the



American　system　of　〃electives〃　in　college　instruction；　if　it　may



not　rather　be　said　to　be　a　direct　outgrowth　of　that　pedagogical



expedient。（1*）　It　dates　back　approximately　to　the　same　period　for



its　beginnings；　and　much　of　the　arguments　adduced　in　its　favour



are　substantially　the　same　as　have　been　found　convincing　for　the



system　of　electives。　Under　the　elective　system　a　considerable　and



increasing　freedom　has　been　allowed　the　student　in　the　choice　of



what　he　will　include　in　his　curriculum；　so　that　the　colleges　have



in　this　way　come　to　refer　the　choice　of　topics　in　good　part　to



the　guidance　of　the　student's　own　interest。　To　meet　the　resulting



range　and　diversity　of　demands；　an　increasing　variety　of　courses



has　been　offered；　at　the　same　time　that　a　narrower　specialization



has　also　taken　effect　in　much　of　the　instruction　offered。　Among



the　other　leadings　of　interest　among　students；　and　affecting



their　choice　of　electives；　has　also　been　the　laudable　practical



interest　that　these　young　men　take　in　their　own　prospective



material　success。（2*）　So　that　this　　academically　speaking；



extraneous　　interest　has　come　to　mingle　and　take　rank　with　the



scholarly　interests　proper　in　shaping　the　schedule　of



instruction。　A　decisive　voice　in　the　ordering　of　the　affairs　of



the　higher　learning　has　so　been　given　to　the　novices；　or　rather



to　the　untutored　probationers　of　the　undergraduate　schools；　whose



entrance　on　a　career　of　scholarship　is　yet　a　matte