the higher learning in america-第8节

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inclusion　in　the　university　establishment。　Indeed；　it　is　a



detriment　to　both　parties；　as　has　already　been　remarked；　but　more



decidedly　to　the　university　men。　By　including　the　technical　and



professional　schools　in　the　university　corporation　the



technologists　and　professional　men　attached　to　these　schools　are



necessarily　included　among　the　academic　staff；　and　so　they　come



to　take　their　part　in　the　direction　of　academic　affairs　at　large。



In　what　they　so　do　toward　shaping　the　academic　policy　they　will



not　only　count　for　all　they　are　worth；　but　they　are　likely　to



count　for　something　more　than　their　due　share　in　this　respect；



for　they　are　to　some　extent　trained　to　the　conduct　of　affairs；



and　so　come　in　for　something　of　that　deference　that　is　currently



paid　to　men　of　affairs；　at　the　same　time　that　this　practical



training　gives　them　an　advantage　over　their　purely　academic



colleagues；　in　the　greater　assurance　and　adroitness　with　which



they　are　able　to　present　their　contentions。　By　virtue　of　this



same　training；　as　well　as　by　force　of　current　practical　interest；



the　technologist　and　the　professional　man　are；　like　other　men　of



affairs；　necessarily　and　habitually　impatient　of　any　scientific



or　scholarly　work　that　does　not　obviously　lend　itself　to　some



practical　use。　The　technologist　appreciates　what　is　mechanically



serviceable；　the　professional　man；　as；　for　instance；　the　lawyer；



appreciates　what　promises　pecuniary　gain；　and　the　two　unite　with



the　business…man　at　large　in　repudiating　whatever　does　not　look



directly　to　such　a　utilitarian　outcome。　So　that　as　members　of　the



academic　staff　these　men　are　likely　to　count　at　their　full　weight



toward　the　diversion　of　the　university's　forces　from



disinterested　science　and　scholarship　to　such　palpably



utilitarian　ends。







　　　　But　the　active　measures　so　taken　by　the　academic　authorities



at　the　instance　of　the　schoolmasters　and　〃practical〃　men　are　by



no　means　the　only　line　along　which　their　presence　in　the　academic



corporation　affects　the　case。　Intimate　association　with　these



〃utilitarians〃　unavoidably　has　its　corrupting　effect　on　the



scientists　and　scholars；　and　induces　in　them　also　something　of



the　same　bias　toward　〃practical〃　results　in　their　work；　so　that



they　no　longer　pursue　the　higher　learning　with　undivided



interest；　but　with　more　or　less　of　an　eye　to　the　utilitarian　main



chance；　whereby　the　advantages　of　specialization；　which　are　the



reason　for　these　schools；　are　lost；　and　the　pride　of　the　modern



community　is　wounded　in　its　most　sensitive　spot　　the　efficiency



of　its　specialists。



　　　　So　also；　on　the　other　hand；　the　formal　incorporation　of　these



technological　and　professional　men　in　the　academic　body；　with　its



professedly　single…minded　interest　in　learning；　has　its　effect　on



their　frame　of　mind。　They　are；　without　intending　it；　placed　in　a



false　position；　which　unavoidably　leads　them　to　court　a　specious



appearance　of　scholarship；　and　so　to　invest　their　technological



discipline　with　a　degree　of　pedantry　and　sophistication；　whereby



it　is　hoped　to　give　these　schools　and　their　work　some　scientific



and　scholarly　prestige；　and　so　lift　it　to　that　dignity　that　is



pressed　to　attach　to　a　non…utilitarian　pursuit　of　learning。



Doubtless　this　pursuit　of　scholarly　prestige　is　commonly



successful；　to　the　extent　that　it　produces　the　desired　conviction



of　awe　in　the　vulgar；　who　do　not　know　the　difference；　but　all



this　make…believe　scholarship；　however　successfully　staged；　is



not　what　these　schools　are　designed　for；　or　at　least　it　is　not



what　is　expected　of　them；　nor　is　it　what　they　can　do　best　and



most　efficiently。



　　　　To　the　substantial　gain　of　both　parties；　though　with　some



lesion　of　the　vanity　of　both；　the　separation　between　the



university　and　the　professional　and　technical　schools　should　be



carried　through　and　made　absolute。　Only　on　such　conditions　can



either　the　one　or　the　other　do　its　own　work　in　a　workmanlike



manner。　Within　the　university　precincts　any　aim　or　interest　other



than　those　of　irresponsible　science　and　scholarship　　pursuit　of



matter…of…fact　knowledge　　are　to　be　rated　as　interlopers。







　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　IV







　　　　To　all　this　there　is　the　ready　objection　of　the　schoolmasters



and　utilitarians　that　such　a　project　is　fantastic　and



unpractical；　useless　and　undesirable；　that　such　has　not　been　the



mission　of　the　university　in　the　past；　nor　its　accepted　place　and



use　in　the　educational　system　of　today　and　yesterday；。　that　the



universities　of　Christendom　have　from　their　first　foundation　been



occupied　with　professional　training　and　useful　knowledge；　that



they　have　been　founded　for　utilitarian　purposes　and　their　work



has　been　guided　mainly　or　altogether　by　utilitarian



considerations；　　all　of　which　is　conceded　without　argument。　The



historical　argument　amounts　to　saying　that　the　universities　were



founded　before　modern　civilization　took　on　its　modern　character；



before　the　disinterested　pursuit　of　knowledge　had　come　to　take



the　first　place　among　the　ideals　of　civilized　mankind；　and　that



they　were　established　to　take　care　of　those　interests　which　were



then　accounted　of　first　importance；　and　that　this　intellectual



enterprise　in　pursuit　of　disinterested　knowledge　consequently　was



not　at　that　time　confided　to　the　care　of　any　special



establishment　or　freely　avowed　as　a　legitimate　interest　in　its



own　right。



　　　　It　is　true　that；　by　historical　accident；　the　university　at



large　has　grown　out　of　professional　training…schools；　primarily



schools　for　training　in　theology；　secondarily　in　law　and



medicine。　It　is　also　true；　in　like　wise　and　in　like　degree；　that



modern　science　and　scholarship　have　grown　out　of　the　technology



of　handicraft　and　the　theological　philosophy　of　the



schoolmen。（7*）　But　just　as　it　would　be　a　bootless　enterprise　to



cut　modern　science　back　into　handicraft　technology；　so　would　it



be　a　gratuitous　imbecility　to　prune　back　the　modern　university　to



that　inchoate　phase　of　its　life…history　and　make　it　again　a



corporation　for　the　training　of　theologians；　jurists　and　doctors



of　medicine。　The　historical　argument　does　not　enjoin　a　return　to



the　beginning　of　things；　but　rather　an　intelligent　appreciation



of　what　things　are　coming　to。



　　　　The　genesis　of　the　university　at　large；　taken　as　an



institution　of　civilized　life；　is　an　incident　of　the　transition



from　the　barbarian　culture　of　the　middle　ages　to　modern　times；



and　its　later　growth　and　acquirement　of　character　is　an　incident



of　the　further　growth　of　modern　civilization；　and　the　character



of　this　later　growth　of　the　university　reflects　the　bent　of



modern　civilization；　as　contrasted　with　the　barbarian　spirit　of



things　in　the　mediaeval　spiritual　world。



　　　　In　a　general　way；　the　place　of　the　university　in　the　culture



of　Christendom　is　still　substantially　the　same　as　it　has　been



from　the　beginning。　Ideally；　and　in　the　popular　apprehension；　it



is；　as　it　has　always　been；　a　corporation　for　the　cultivation　and



care　of　the　community's　highest　aspirations　and　ideals。　But　these



ideals　and　aspirations　have　changed　somewhat　with　the　changing



scheme　of　the　Western　civilization；　and　so　the　university　has



also　concomitantly　so　changed　in　character；　aims　and　ideals　as　to



leave　it　still　the　corporate　organ　of　the　community's　dominant



intellectual　interest。　At　the　same　time；　it　is　true；　these



changes　in　the　purpose　and　spirit　of　the　university　have　always



been；　and　are　always　being；　made　only　tardily；　reluctantly；



concessively；　against　the　protests　of　those　who　are　zealous　for



the　commonplaces　of　the　day　before　yesterday。　Such　is　the



character　of　institutional　growth　and　change；　and　in　its



adaptation　to　the　altered　requirements　of　an　altered　scheme　of



culture　the　university　has　in　this　matter　been　subject　to　the



conditions　of　institutional　growth　at　large。　An　institution　is；



after　all；　a　prevalent　habit　of　thought；　and　as　such　it　is



subject　to　the　conditions　and　limitations　that　surround　any



change　in　the　habitual　frame　of　mind　prevalent　in　the　community。



　　　　The　university　of　medieval　and　early　modern　times；　that　is　to



say　the　barbarian　university；　was　necessarily　given　over　to　the



pragmatic；　utilitarian　disciplines；　since　that　is　the　nature　of



barbarism；　and　the　barbarian　university　is　but　another；　somewhat



sublimated；　expression　of　the　same　barbarian　frame　of　mind。　The



barbarian　culture　is　pragmatic；　utilitarian；　worldly　wise