the higher learning in america-第62节

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pursuit　of　knowledge；　and　to　replace　them　with　a　second…best；　is



due；　as　has　also　appeared　from　the　above　analysis；　to　the　course



of　policy　（necessarily）　pursued　by　the　executive　officers　placed



in　control　of　academic　affairs；　and　the　character　of　the　policy



so　pursued　follows　unavoidably　from　the　dependence　of　the



executive　on　a　businesslike　governing　board；　backed　by　a



businesslike　popular　clamour；　on　the　one　hand；　and　from　his　being



（necessarily）　vested；　in　effect；　with　arbitrary　power　of　use　and



abuse　within　the　academic　community；　on　the　other　hand。　It



follows；　therefore；　also　that　no　remedy　or　corrective　can　be



contrived　that　will　have　anything　more　than　a　transient



palliative　effect；　so　long　as　these　conditions　that　create　the



difficulty　are　allowed　to　remain　in　force。



　　　　All　of　which　points　unambiguously　to　the　only　line　of



remedial　measures　that　can　be　worth　serious　consideration；　and　at



the　same　time　it　carries　the　broad　implication　that　in　the



present　state　of　popular　sentiment；　touching　these　matters　of



control　and　administration；　any　effort　that　looks　to　reinstate



the　universities　as　effectual　seminaries　of　learning　will



necessarily　be　nugatory；　inasmuch　as　the　popular　sentiment　runs



plainly　to　the　effect　that　magnitude；　arbitrary　control；　and



businesslike　administration　is　the　only　sane　rule　to　be　followed



in　any　human　enterprise。　So　that；　while　the　measures　called　for



are　simple；　obvious；　and　effectual；　they　are　also　sure　to　be



impracticable；　and　for　none　but　extraneous　reasons。



　　　　While　it　still　remains　true　that　the　long…term　common　sense



judgment　of　civilized　mankind　places　knowledge　above　business



traffic；　as　an　end　to　be　sought；　yet　workday　habituation　under



the　stress　of　competitive　business　has　induced　a　frame　of　mind



that　will　tolerate　no　other　method　of　procedure；　and　no　rule　of



life　that　does　not　approve　itself　as　a　faithful　travesty　of



competitive　enterprise。　And　since　the　quest　of　learning　can　not



be　carried　on　by　the　methods　or　with　the　apparatus　and　incidents



of　competitive　business；　it　follows　that　the　only　remedial



measures　that　hold　any　promise　of　rehabilitation　for　the　higher



learning　in　the　universities　can　not　be　attempted　in　the　present



state　of　public　sentiment。



　　　　All　that　is　required　is　the　abolition　of　the　academic



executive　and　of　the　governing　board。　Anything　short　of　this



heroic　remedy　is　bound　to　fail；　because　the　evils　sought　to　be



remedied　are　inherent　in　these　organs；　and　intrinsic　to　their



functioning。



　　　　Even　granting　the　possibility　of　making　such　a　move；　in　the



face　of　popular　prejudice；　it　will　doubtless　seem　suicidal；　on



first　thought；　to　take　so　radical　a　departure；　in　that　it　would



be　held　to　cripple　the　whole　academic　organization　and　subvert



the　scheme　of　things　academic；　for　good　and　all：　　which；　by　the



way；　is　precisely　what　would　have　to　be　aimed　at；　since　it　is　the



present　scheme　and　organization　that　unavoidably　work　the



mischief；　and　since；　also　（as　touches　the　interest　of　the　higher



learning）；　they　work　nothing　but　mischief。



　　　　It　should　be　plain；　on　reflection；　to　any　one　familiar　with



academic　matters　that　neither　of　these　official　bodies　serves　any



useful　purpose　in　the　university；　in　so　far　as　bears　in　any　way



on　the　pursuit　of　knowledge。　They　may　conceivably　both　be　useful



for　some　other　purpose；　foreign　or　alien　to　the　quest　of



learning；　but　within　the　lines　of　the　university's　legitimate



interest　both　are　wholly　detrimental；　and　very　wastefully　so。



They　are　needless；　except　to　take　care　of　needs　and　emergencies



to　which　their　own　presence　gratuitously　gives　rise。　In　so　far　as



these　needs　and　difficulties　that　require　executive　surveillance



are　not　simply　and　flagrantly　factitious；　　as；　e。g。；　the



onerous　duties　of　publicity　　they　are　altogether　such　needs　as



arise　out　of　an　excessive　size　and　a　gratuitously　complex



administrative　organization；　both　of　which　characteristics　of　the



American　university　are　created　by　the　governing　boards　and　their



executive　officers；　for　no　better　purpose　than　a　vainglorious



self…complacency；　and　with　no　better　justification　than　an



uncritical　prepossession　to　the　effect　that　large　size；　complex



organization；　and　authoritative　control　necessarily　make　for



efficiency；　whereas；　in　point　of　fact；　in　the　affairs　of　learning



these　things　unavoidably　make　for　defeat。



　　　　Objection　to　any　such　measure　of　abolition　is　not　to　be



grounded　in　their　impracticability　or　their　inefficiency；　



supposing　only　that　they　could　be　carried　out　in　the　face　of　the



prejudices　of　the　ignorant　and　of　the　selfishly　interested



parties；　the　obstacles　to　any　such　move　lie　simply　in　the　popular



prejudice　which　puts　implicit　faith　in　large；　complicated；　and



formidable　organizations；　and　in　that　appetite　for　popular



prestige　that　animates　the　class　of　persons　from　which　the　boards



and　executives　are　drawn。



　　　　This　unreasoning　faith　in　large　and　difficult　combinations



has　been　induced　in　the　modern　community　by　its　experience　with



the　large…scale　organization　of　the　mechanical　industries；　and



still　more　particularly　by　the　convincing　pecuniary　efficiency　of



large　capital；　authoritative　control；　and　devious　methods；　in



modern　business　enterprise；　and　of　this　popular　prejudice　the



boards　of　control　and　their　executive　officers　have　at　least



their　full　share；　　indeed　they　owe　their　place　and　power　in



great　part　to　their　being　animated　with　something　more　than　an



equitable　share　of　this　popular　prepossession。　It　is　undeniable；



indeed　it　is　a　matter　of　course；　that　so　long　as　the　university



continues　to　be　made　up；　as　is　now　customary；　of　an　aggregation



of　divers　and　sundry　schools；　colleges；　divisions；　etc。；　each　and



several　of　which　are　engaged　in　a　more　or　less　overt　rivalry；　due



to　their　being　so　aggregated　into　a　meaningless　coalition；　　so



long　will　something　formidable　in　the　way　of　a　centralized　and



arbitrary　government　be　indispensable　to　the　conduct　of　the



university's　affairs；　but　it　is　likewise　patent　that　none　of　the



several　constituent　schools；　colleges；　etc。；　are　any　the　better



off；　in　respect　of　their　work；　for　being　so　aggregated　in　such　an



arbitrary　collective　organization。　The　duties　of　the　executive　



aside　from　the　calls　of　publicity　and　self…aggrandizement　　are



in　the　main　administrative　duties　that　have　to　do　with　the



interstitial　adjustments　of　the　composite　establishment。　These



resolve　themselves　into　a　co…ordinated　standardization　of　the



several　constituent　schools　and　divisions；　on　a　mechanically



specified　routine　and　scale；　which　commonly　does　violence　to　the



efficient　working　of　all　these　diverse　and　incommensurable



elements；　with　no　gain　at　any　point；　excepting　a　gain　in　the



facility　of　control　control　for　control's　sake；　at　the　best。　Much



of　the　official　apparatus　and　routine　office…work　is　taken　up



with　this　futile　control。　Beyond　this；　and　requisite　to　the　due



working　of　this　control　and　standardization；　there　is　the　control



of　the　personnel　and　the　checking…up　of　their　task　work；　together



with　the　disciplining　of　such　as　do　not　sufficiently　conform　to



the　resulting　schedule　of　uniformity　and　mediocrity。



　　　　These　duties　are；　all　and　several；　created　by　the　imposition



of　a　central　control；　and　in　the　absence　of　such　control　the　need



of　them　would　not　arise。　They　are　essentially　extraneous　to　the



work　on　which　each　and　several　of　the　constituent　schools　are



engaged；　and　their　only　substantial　effect　on　that　work　is　to



force　it　into　certain　extraneous　formalities　of　routine　and



accountancy；　such　as　to　divert　and　retard　the　work　in　hand。　So



also　the　control　exercised　more　at　large　by　the　governing　board；



except　in　so　far　as　it　is　the　mere　mischief…making　interference



of　ignorant　outsiders；　it　is　likewise　directed　to　the　keeping　of



a　balance　between　units　that　need　no　balancing　as　against　one



another；　except　for　the　need　which　so　is　gratuitously　induced　by



drawing　these　units　into　an　incongruous　coalition　under　the



control　of　such　a　board；　whose　duties　of　office　in　this　way　arise



wholly　out　of　the　creation　of　their　office。



　　　　The　great　and　conspicuous　effect　of　abolishing　the　academic



executive　and　the　governing　board　would　be；　of　course；　that　the



university　organization　as　now　known　would　incontinently　fall　to



pieces。　The　several　constituent　schools　would　fall　apart；　since



nothing　holds　them　together　exc