the higher learning in america-第58节

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nature；　and　in　that　it　is　incumbent　on　both　alike　to　deal　in　a



dispassionate；　not　to　say　impersonal；　way　each　with　the



particular　segment　of　apparatus　and　process　entrusted　to　his



care；　as　is　right　and　good　for　any　official　entrusted　with　given



details　of　bureaucratic　routine。



　　　　The　exacting　duties　that　remain　personally　incumbent　on　the



academic　executive；　and　claiming　his　ordinary　and　continued



attention；　therefore；　are　those　of　his　own　official　prestige　on



the　one　hand；　and　the　selection；　preferment；　rejection　and



proscription　of　members　of　the　academic　staff。　These　two　lines　of



executive　duty　are　closely　correlated；　not　only　in　that　the　staff



is　necessarily　to　be　selected　with　a　view　to　their　furthering　the



prestige　of　their　chief　and　his　university；　but　also　in　that　the



executive's　experience　in　the　course　of　this　enterprise　in



publicity　goes　far　to　shape　his　ideals　of　scholarly　endeavour　and



to　establish　his　standards　of　expediency　and　efficiency　in　the



affairs　of　learning。



　　　　By　usage；　guided；　no　doubt；　by　a　shrewd　sense　of　expediency



in　the　choice　of　means；　it　has；　in　the　typical　case；　come　to　be



the　settled　policy　of　these　incumbents　of　executive　office　to



seek　the　competitively　requisite　measure　of　public　prestige



chiefly　by　way　of　public　oratory。　Now　and　again　his　academic



rank；　backed　by　the　slow…dying　tradition　that　his　office　should



be　filled　by　a　man　of　scholarly　capacity；　will　bring　the



incumbent　before　some　scientific　body　or　other；　where　he　commonly



avoids　offence。　But；　as　has　been　remarked　above；　it　is　the　laity



that　is　to　be　impressed　and　kept　propitiously　in　mind　of　the



executive　and　his　establishment；　and　it　is　therefore　the　laity



that　is　to　be　conciliated　with　presidential　addresses；　it　is　also



to　the　laity　that　the　typical　academic　executive　is　competent　to



speak　without　stultification。　Hence　the　many　edifying　addresses



before　popular　audiences；　at　commencements；　inaugurations；



dedications；　club　meetings；　church　festivals；　and　the　like。　So



that　an　executive　who　aspires　to　do　his　whole　duty　in　these



premises　will　become　in　some　sort　an　itinerant　dispensary　of



salutary　verbiage；　and　university　presidents　have　so　come　to　be



conventionally　indispensable　for　the　effusion　of　graceful　speech



at　all　gatherings　of　the　well…to…do　for　convivial　deliberation　on



the　state　of　mankind　at　large。（7*）



　　　Throughout　this　elocutionary　enterprise　there　runs　the



rigorous　prescription　that　the　speaker　must　avoid　offence；　that



his　utterances　must　be　of　a　salutary　order；　since　the　purpose　of



it　all　is　such　conciliation　of　goodwill　as　will　procure　at　least



the　passive　good　offices　of　those　who　are　reached　by　the



presidential　run　of　language。　But；　by　and　large；　it　is　only



platitudes　and　racy　anecdotes　that　may　be　counted　on　to　estrange



none　of　the　audiences　before　which　it　is　worth　while　for　the



captains　of　erudition　to　make　their　plea　for　sanity　and　renown。



Hence　the　peculiarly；　not　to　say　exuberantly；　inane　character　of



this　branch　of　oratory；　coupled　with　an　indefatigable　optimism



and　good…nature。　This　outcome　is　due　neither　to　a　lack　of



application　nor　of　reflection　on　the　part　of　the　speakers；　it　is；



indeed；　a　finished　product　of　the　homiletical　art　and　makes　up



something　of　a　class　of　its　own　among　the　artistic　achievements



of　the　race。　At　the　same　time　it　is　a　means　to　an　end。（8*）







　　　　However；　the　clay　sticks　to　the　sculptor's　thumb；　as　the



meal…dust　powders　the　miller's　hair　and　the　cobbler　carries



sensible　traces　of　the　pitch　that　goes　into　his　day's　work；　and



as　the　able…bodied　seaman　〃walks　with　a　rolling　gait。〃　So　also



the　university　executive；　who　by　pressure　of　competitive



enterprise　comes　to　be　all　things　to　all　audiences；　will　come



also　to　take　on　the　colour　of　his　own　philandropic



pronouncements；　to　believe；　more　or　less　conveniently；　in　his　own



blameless　utterances。　They　necessarily　commit　him　to　a　pro　forma



observance　of　their　tenor；　they　may；　of　course；　be　desired　as



perfunctory　conciliation；　simply；　but　in　carrying　conviction　to



the　audience　the　speaker's　eloquence　unavoidably　bends　his　own



convictions　in　some　degree。　And　not　only　does　the　temper　of　the



audience　sympathetically　affect　that　of　the　speaker；　as　does　also



his　familiar　contact　with　the　same　range　of　persons；　such　as　goes



with　and　takes　a　chief　place　in　this　itinerant　edification；　but



there　is　also　the　opportunity　which　all　this　wide…ranging



itinerary　of　public　addresses　affords　for　feeling　out　the　state



of　popular　sentiment；　as　to　what　ends　the　university　is　expected



to　serve　and　how　it　is　expected　best　to　serve　them。　Particularly



do　the　solemn　amenities　of　social　intercourse　associated　with



this　promulgation　of　lay　sermons　lend　themselves　felicitously　to



such　a　purpose；　and　this　contact　with　the　public　and　its



spokesmen　doubtless　exercises　a　powerful　control　over　the



policies　pursued　by　these　academic　executives；　in　that　it　affords



them　the　readiest；　and　at　the　same　time　the　most　habitual；



indication　as　to　what　line　of　policy　and　what　details　of　conduct



will　meet　with　popular　approval；　and　what　will　not。



　　　　Since；　then；　it　is　necessarily　the　endeavour　of　the



competitive　executives　to　meet　the　desires　of　their　public　as



best　they　can；　consistently　with　the　demands　of　magnitude　and



閏lat　imposed　by　their　position　as　chiefs　of　these　competitive



concerns；　it　becomes　a　question　of　some　moment　what　the　character



of　this　select　public　opinion　may　be；　to　which　their



peregrinations　expose　them；　and　how　far　and　with　what　limitations



the　public　opinion　that　so　habitually　impinges　on　their



sensibilities　and　shapes　their　canons　of　procedure　may　be　taken



as　reflecting　the　sentiments　of　the　public　at　large；　or　of　any



given　class　of　the　population。



　　　　The　public　that　so　contributes　to　the　habitual　bent　of　the



academic　executives　is　necessarily　a　select　fraction　of　the



laity；　of　course；　　self…selected　by　virtue　of　membership　in　the



various　clubs；　churches　and　other　like　organizations　under　whose



auspices　the　edification　and　amenities　in　question　are　commonly



brought　into　bearing；　or　by　virtue　of　voluntary　attendance　at



these　occasions　of　quasi…culture　and　gentility。　It　is　somewhat



exclusive　fragment　of　the　public；　pecuniarily　of　a　middling



grade；　as　is　indeed　also　its　case　in　other　than　the　pecuniary



respect。　Apart　from　the　（very　consequential）　convivial　gatherings



where　businessmen　will　now　and　again　come　together　and　lend　a



genial　ear　to　these　executive　spokesmen　of　philandropism；　it　will



be　found　that　at　the　audiences；　and　at　their　attendant



solemnities　of　hospitality；　the　assembly　is　made　up　of　very　much



the　same　elements　as　make　up　the　effective　constituency　of　the



moderately　well…to…do　churches。（9*）　Neither　the　small　minority　of



the　wholly　idle　rich；　nor　the　great　majority　who　work　with　their



hands；　are　present　in　appreciable　force；　particularly　not　the



latter；　who　are　busy　elsewhere；　nor　do　the　learned　class　come　in



evidence　in　this　connection；　　except；　of　course；　the　〃scholars



by　appointment；〃　within　whose　official　competency　lie　precisely



such　occasions　of　public　evidence。



　　　　Doubtless；　the　largest；　tone…giving　and　effective；



constituent　in　this　self…selected　public　on　whose　temper　the



university　president　typically　leans；　and　from　whose　bent　his



canons　of　circumspection　are　drawn；　is　the　class　of　moderately



well…to…do　and　serious…minded　women　who　have　outlived　the



distractions　of　maternity；　and　so　have　come　to　turn　their



parental　solicitude　to　the　common　good；　conceived　as　a



sterilization　of　the　proprieties。　The　controlling　ideals　of



efficiency　and　expediency　in　the　affairs　of　the　higher　learning



accordingly；　in　so　far　as　they　are　not　a　precipitate　of



competitive　business　principles　simply；　will　be　chiefly　of　this



derivation。　Not　that　the　captains　of　erudition　need　intimately



harbour　precisely　those　notions　of　scholarship　which　this



constituency　would　enjoin　upon　them；　and　for　which　they　dutifully



speak　in　their　conciliatory　sermons　before　these　audiences；　but



just　as　happens　in　all　competitive　retail　business　that　has　to



deal　with　a　large　and　critical　constituency；　so　here；　　the



captains　find　themselves　constrained　in　their　management　of　the



affairs　of　learning　to　walk　blamelessly　in　the　sight　of　this



quasi…public　spirited　wing　of　the　laity　that　has　by　force　of



circumstances　come　to　constitute　the　public；　as　se