the higher learning in america-第59节

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circumstances　come　to　constitute　the　public；　as　seen　in　the



perspective　of　the　itinerant　philandropist。



　　　　The　executive　and　all　his　works　and　words　must　avoid　blame



from　any　source　from　which　criticism　might　conceivably　affect　the



traffic　with　which　he　is　occupied；such　is　the　first　of　those



politic　principles　that　govern　the　conduct　of　competitive



business。　The　university　must　accordingly　be　managed　with　a　first



view　to　a　creditable　rating　in　those　extraneous　respects；



touching　which　that　select　laity　that　make　up　the　executive's



effective　public　are　competent　to　hold　convictions。　The　resulting



canons　of　management　will　be　chiefly　of　the　nature　of　tabus；



since　blame　is　best　avoided　by　a　code　of　avoidance。　and　since　the



forum　in　which　these　tabus　are　audited　is　a　forum　in　which　the



matronly　negations　of　piety；　propriety　and　genteel　usage　take



precedence　of　work；　whether　scholarly　or　otherwise；　a　misdirected



cowardice　not　infrequently　comes　to　rule　the　counsels　of　the



captains　of　erudition；　　misdirected　not　only　in　the　more



obvious　sense　that　its　guidance　is　disserviceable　to　the　higher



learning；　but　also　（what　is　more　to　the　immediate　point）　in　the



sense　that　it　discredits　the　executive　and　his　tactics　in　the



esteem　of　that　workday　public　that　does　not　habitually　give



tongue　over　the　cups　at　five…o'clock。（10*）



　　　　It　is　perhaps　unnecessary；　as　it　would　assuredly　be



ungraceful；　to　pursue　this　quasi…personal　inquiry　into　the



circumstances　that　so　determine　that　habitual　attitude　of　the



executive。　The　difficulties　of　such　an　ambiguous　position　should



be　sufficiently　evident；　and　the　character　of　the　demands　which



this　position　makes　on　the　incumbent　should　be　similarly　evident；



so　far　as　regards　conduciveness　to　clean　and　honest　living　within



the　premises　of　this　executive　office。　It　may；　however；　not　be



out　of　place　to　call　to　mind　one　or　two　significant；　and　perhaps



extenuating；　traits　among　those　conventions　that　go　to　make　up



the　situation。　Unlike　what　occurs　in　the　conduct　of　ordinary



business　and　in　the　professions；　there　has　hitherto　been　worked



out　no　code　of　professional　ethics　for　the　guidance　of　men



employed　in　this　vocation；　　with　the　sole　exception　of　that



mandatory　inter…presidential　courtesy　that　binds　all　members　of



the　craft　to　a　strict　enforcement　of　the　academic　black…list；　



all　of　which　leaves　an　exceptionally　broad　field　for　casuistry。



So　that；　unlike　what　happens　in　the　business　community　at　large；



no　standardization　has　here　determined　the　limits　of　legitimate



prevarication；　nor　can　such　a　standardization　and　limit　be　worked



out　so　long　as　the　executive　is　required；　in　effect；　to　function



as　the　discretionary　employer　of　his　academic　staff　and　hold　them



to　account　as　agents　for　whom　he　is　responsible；　at　the　same　time



that　he　must；　in　appearance；　be　their　confidential　spokesman　and



their　colleague　in　the　corporation　of　learning。　And　it　is



impossible　to　forego　either　of　these　requirements；　since　the



discretionary　power　of　use　and　abuse　is　indispensable　to　the



businesslike　conduct　of　the　enterprise；　while　the　appearance　of



scholarly　co…partnery　with　the　staff　is　indispensable　to　that



prestige　on　which　rests　the　continued　exercise　of　this　power。　And



so　also　it　has　similarly　proved　unavoidable　（perhaps　as　an　issue



of　human　infirmity）　that　the　executive　be　guided　in　effect　by　a



meretricious　subservience　to　extra…scholastic　conventions；　all



the　while　that　he　must　profess　an　unbiassed　pursuit　of　〃the



increase　and　diffusion　of　knowledge　among　men。〃







　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　IV







　　　　With　all　due　endeavour　to　avoid　the　appearance　of　a　study　in



total　depravity；　the　foregoing　analysis　has　come；　after　all；　to



converge　on　the　growth　and　derivation　of　those　peculiar



ambiguities　and　obliquities　that　give　character　to　the　typical



academic　executive。　Not　that　all　academic　executives；　without



exception；　are　（in　the　historical　present）　to　be　found　fully



abreast　of　that　mature　phase　of　the　type　that　would　so　be



reflected　by　the　exigencies　of　their　office　as　outlined　above。



Nor　need　it　be　believed　or　argued　that　no　man　may　enter　on　these



duties　of　office　but　such　as　are　specially　fitted；　by　native　gift



and　previous　training；　for　just　such　an　enterprise　in



meretricious　notoriety　as　these　official　duties　enjoin。　The



exceptions　to　such　a　rule　are　not　altogether　rare；　and　the



incumbent　may　well　have　entered　on　the　duties　of　office　with



preconceptions　and　aims　somewhat　at　variance　with　what　its



discipline　inculcates。　But；　it　should　be　called　to　mind；　the



training　that　makes　a　typical　executive　comes　with　the　most



felicitous　and　indefeasible　effect　not　in　the　predisposing



discipline　of　candidature　but　in　the　workday　conduct　of　office。



And　so　consistent　and　unremitting　is　this　drift　of　the　duties　of



office；　overt　and　covert；　that；　humanly　speaking；　any　one　who



submits　to　its　discipline　through　an　appreciable　period　of　years



must　unavoidably　come　to　conform　to　type。　Men　of　unmanageably



refractory　temperament；　such　as　can　not　by　habituation　be　indued



with　the　requisite　deviation　and　self…sufficiency；　will　of



necessity　presently　be　thrown　out；　as　being　incompetent　for　this



vocation。　Instances　of　such　rejection　after　trial　will　come　to



mind；　but　such　instances　are；　after　all；　not　so　frequent　or　so



striking　as　to　throw　doubt　on　the　general　rule。　The　discipline　of



executive　office　will　commonly　shape　the　incumbent　to　its　uses。



It　should　seem　beyond　reason　to　expect　that　a　decade　of　exposure



to　the　exigencies　of　this　high　office　will　leave　the　incumbent



still　amenable　to　the　dictates　of　commonplace　tolerance　and



common　honesty。



　　　　As　intimated　above；　men　with　ingrained　scholarly　ideals　and　a



consistent　aim　to　serve　the　ends　of　learning　will　still



occasionally　be　drawn　into　the　executive　office　by　force　of



circumstances　　particularly　by　force　of　the　slow…dying



preconception　that　the　preferences　of　the　academic　staff　should



count　for　something　in　the　choice　of　their　senior　member；　and



this　will　happen　in　spite　of　the　ubiquitous　candidature　of



aspirants　who　have　prepared　themselves　for　this　enterprise　by



sedulous　training　in　all　the　arts　of　popularity　and　by　a　well



organized　backing　of　influential　〃friends。〃　The　like　happened



more　frequently　a　quarter　of　a　century　ago；　at　the　time　when　the



current　situation　was　taking　shape　under　the　incipient　incursion



of　business　principles　into　university　policy。　But　it　does　not



appear　that　those　incumbents　who　so　enter　on　these　duties；　will



fare　notably　otherwise　in　the　end　than　do　the　others　whose



previous　training　has　already　bent　them　to　the　typical　policy　of



deviation；　from　the　outset。



　　　　An　illustrative　instance　or　two　may　well　be　to　the　point。　And



the　same　illustrations　will　perhaps　also　serve　to　enforce　the



view　that　anything　like　an　effectual　university　　a　seminary　of



the　higher　learning；　as　distinct　from　an　assemblage　of　vocational



schools　　is　not　a　practicable　proposition　in　America　under



current　conditions。　Such　seems　to　be　the　conclusion　vouched　for



by　the　two　most　notable　attempts　of　the　kind　during　the　past



quarter…century。　The　two　instances　in　question　should　appear　to



afford　clear　experimental　evidence　to　that　effect；　though　it　is



always　possible　to　allege　that　personal　or　local　conditions　may



so　far　have　affected　these　experimental　instances　as　still　to



leave　the　case　in　doubt。



　　　　In　these　two　instances；　in　the　Middle　West　and　in　the　Far



West；　the　matter　has　been　tried　out　under　conditions　as



favourable　to　the　cause　of　learning　as　the　American　community　may



hope　to　offer；　barring　only　the　possible　inhibition　due　to　an



untoward　local　colour　of　sentiment。　Each　of　these　two　great



establishments　has　been　favoured　with　an　endowment　of　such



magnitude　as　would　be　adequate　to　the　foundation　of　an　effectual



university；　sufficient　to　the　single…minded　pursuit　of　the　higher



learning；　with　all　the　〃modern　appliances〃　requisite　to



scientific　and　scholarly　work；　if　only　their　resources　had　been



husbanded　with　a　single　mind　to　that　end；　and　in　either　case　the



terms　of　the　endowment　have　been　sufficiently　tolerant　to　admit



such　pursuit　of　knowledge　without　arri鑢e　pens閑。　The　directive



hands；　too；　under　whose　discretionary　control　each　of　these



establishments　entered　on　its　adventures　and　attained　its



distinctive　character；　were　men　who；　at　one　point　or　a