the higher learning in america-第21章

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Graduate　and　Senior；　and　allowing　scholastic　credits　acquired　in



certain　courses　of　the　upper…class　undergraduate　curriculum　to



count　toward　the　complement　of　graduate　credits　required　of



candidates　for　advanced　degrees。　More　conspicuously　and　with



fuller　effect　the　same　end　is　sought　at　other　universities　by



classifying　the　two　later　years　of　the　undergraduate　curriculum



as　〃Senior　College〃；　with　the　avowed　intention　that　these　two



concluding　years　of　the　usual　four　are　scholastically　to　lie



between　the　stricter　undergraduate　domain；　now　reduced　to　the



freshman　and　sophomore　years；　on　the　one　hand；　and　the　graduate



division　as　such　on　the　other　hand。　This　〃Senior　College〃



division　so　comes　to　be　accounted　in　some　sort　a　halfway　graduate



school；　with　the　result　that　it　is　assimilated　to　the　graduate



work　in　the　fashion　of　its　accountancy　and　control；　or　rather；



the　essentially　undergraduate　methods　that　still　continue　to　rule



unabated　in　the　machinery　and　management　of　this　〃senior　college〃



are　carried　over　by　easy　sophistication　of　expediency　into　the



graduate　work；　which　so　takes　on　the　usual；　conventionally



perfunctory；　character　that　belongs　by　tradition　and　necessity　to



the　undergraduate　division；　whereby　in　effect　the　instruction



scheduled　as　〃graduate〃　is；　in　so　far；　taken　out　of　the　domain　of



the　higher　learning　and　thrown　back　into　the　hands　of　the



schoolmasters。　The　rest　of　the　current　undergraduate　standards



and　discipline　tends　strongly　to　follow　the　lead　so　given　and　to



work　over　by　insensible　precession　into　the　graduate　school；



until　in　the　consummate　end　the　free　pursuit　of　learning　should



no　longer　find　a　standing…place　in　the　university　except　by



subreption　and　dissimulation；　much　after　the　fashion　in　which；　in



the　days　of　ecclesiastical　control　and　scholastic　lore；　the



pursuit　of　disinterested　knowledge　was　constrained　to　a　shifty



simulation　of　interest　in　theological　speculations　and　a



disingenuous　formal　conformity　to　the　standards　and　methods　that



were　approved　for　indoctrination　in　divinity。



　　　　Perfunctory　work　and　mechanical　accountancy　may　be



sufficiently　detrimental　in　the　undergraduate　curriculum；　but　it



seems　altogether　and　increasingly　a　matter　of　course　in　that



section；　but　it　is　in　the　graduate　division　that　it　has　its



gravest　consequences。　Yet　even　in　undergraduate　work　it　remains



true；　as　it　does　in　all　education　in　a　degree；　that　the



instruction　can　be　carried　on　with　best　effect　only　on　the　ground



of　an　absorbing　interest　on　the　part　of　the　instructor；　and　he



can　do　the　work　of　a　teacher　as　it　should　be　done　only　so　long　as



he　continues　to　take　an　investigator's　interest　in　the　subject　in



which　he　is　called　on　to　teach。　He　must　be　actively　engaged　in　an



endeavour　to　extend　the　bounds　of　knowledge　at　the　point　where



his　work　as　teacher　falls。　He　must　be　a　specialist　offering



instruction　in　the　specialty　with　which　he　is　occupied；　and　the



instruction　offered　can　reach　its　best　efficiency　only　in　so　far



as　it　is　incidental　to　an　aggressive　campaign　of　inquiry　on　the



teacher's　part。



　　　　But　no　one　is　a　competent　specialist　in　many　lines；　nor　is



any　one　competent　to　carry　on　an　assorted　parcel　of　special



inquiries；　cut　to　a　standard　unit　of　time　and　volume。　One　line；



somewhat　narrowly　bounded　as　a　specialty；　measures　the　capacity



of　the　common　run　of　talented　scientists　and　scholars　for



first…class　work；　whatever　side…lines　of　subsidiary　interest　they



may　have　in　hand　and　may　carry　out　with　passably　creditable



results。　The　alternative　is　schoolmaster's　task…work；　or　if　the



pretense　of　advanced　learning　must　be　kept　up；　the　alternative



which　not　unusually　goes　into　effect　is　amateurish　pedantry；　with



the　charlatan　ever　in　the　near　background。　By　and　large；　if　the



number　of　distinct　lines　of　instruction　offered　by　a　given



departmental　corps　appreciably　exceeds　the　number　of　men　on　the



staff；　some　of　these　lines　or　courses　will　of　necessity　be



carried　in　a　perfunctory　fashion　and　can　only　give　mediocre



results；　at　the　best。　What　practically　happens　at　the　worst　is



better　left　under　the　cover　of　a　decent　reticence。



　　　　Even　those　preferred　lines　of　instruction　which　in　their　own



right　engage　the　serious　interest　of　the　instructors　can　get



nothing　better　than　superficial　attention　if　the　time　and　energy



of　the　instructors　are　dissipated　over　a　scattering　variety　of



courses。　Good　work；　that　is　to　say　sufficiently　good　work　to　be



worth　while；　requires　a　free　hand　and　a　free　margin　of　time　and



energy。　If　the　number　of　distinct　lines　of　instruction　is



relatively　large；　and　if；　as　happens；　they　are　distributed



scatteringly　among　the　members　of　the　staff；　with　a　relatively



large　assignment　of　hours　to　each　man；　so　as　to　admit　no　assured



and　persistent　concentration　on　any　point；　the　run　of　instruction



offered　will　necessarily　be　of　this　perfunctory　character；　and



will　therefore　be　of　such　amateurish　and　pedantic　quality。　Such



an　outcome　is　by　no　means　unusual　where　regard　is　had　primarily



to　covering　a　given　inclusive　range　of　subjects；　rather　than　to



the　special　aptitudes　of　the　departmental　corps；　as　indeed



commonly　happens；　and　as　happens　particularly　where　the　school　or



the　department　in　question　is　sufficiently　imbued　with　a



businesslike　spirit　of　academic　rivalry。　It　follows　necessarily



and　in　due　measure　on　the　introduction　of　the　principles；



methods；　and　tests　of　competitive　business　into　the　work　of



instruction。（6*）



　　　　Under　these　principles　of　accountancy　and　hierarchical



control；　each　of　the　several　bureaux　of　erudition　　commonly



called　departments　　is　a　competitor　with　all　its　fellow　bureaux



in　the　（thrifty）　apportionment　of　funds　and　equipment；　　for　the



businesslike　university　management　habitually　harbours　a　larger



number　of　departments　than　its　disposable　means　will　adequately



provide　for。　So　also　each　department　competes　with　its　fellow



departments；　as　well　as　with　similar　departments　in　rival



universities；　for　a　clientele　in　the　way　of　student



registrations。　These　two　lines　of　competition　are　closely



interdependent。　An　adverse　statistical　showing　in　the　number　of



students；　or　in　the　range；　variety　and　volume　of　courses　of



instruction　offered　by　any　given　department；　is　rated　by　the



businesslike　general　directorate　as　a　shortcoming；　and　it　is



there　fore　likely　to　bring　a　reduction　of　allowances。　At　the　same



time；　of　course；　such　an　adverse　showing　reflects　discredit　on



the　chief　of　bureau；　while　it　also　wounds　his　self…respect。　The



final　test　of　competency　in　such　a　chief；　under　business



principles；　is　the　statistical　test；　in　part　because　numerical



tests　have　a　seductive　air　of　businesslike　accountancy；　and　also



because　statistical　exhibits　have　a　ready　use　as　advertising



material　to　be　employed　in　appeals　to　the　potential　donors　and



the　unlearned　patrons　of　the　university；　as　well　as　to　the　public



at　large。



　　　　So　the　chief　of　bureau；　with　the　aid　and　concurrence　of　his



loyal　staff；　will　aim　to　offer　as　extensive　and　varied　a　range　of



instruction　as　the　field　assigned　his　department　will　admit。　Out



of　this　competitive　aggrandizement　of　departments　there　may　even



arise　a　diplomatic　contention　between　heads　of　departments；　as　to



the　precise　frontiers　between　their　respective　domains；　each



being　ambitious　to　magnify　his　office　and　acquire　merit　by



including　much　of　the　field　and　many　of　the　students　under　his



own　dominion。（7*）　Such　a　conflict　of　jurisdiction　is　particularly



apt　to　arise　in　case；　as　may　happen；　the　number　of　scholastic



departments　exceeds　the　number　of　patently　distinguishable



provinces　of　knowledge；　and　competitive　business　principles



constantly　afford　provocation　to　such　a　discrepancy；　at　the　hands



of　an　executive　pushed　by　the　need　of　a　show　of　magnitude　and



large　traffic。　It　follows；　further；　from　these　circumstances；



that　wherever　contiguous　academic　departments　are　occupied　with



such　closely　related　subject　matter　as　would　place　them　in　a



position　to　supplement　one　another's　work；　the　negotiations



involved　in　jealously　guarding　their　respective　frontiers　may



even　take　on　an　acrimonious　tone；　and　may　involve　more　or　less　of



diplomatic　mischief…making；　so　that；　under　this　rule　of



competitive　management；　opportunities　for　mutual　comfort　and　aid



will　not　infrequently　become　occasion　for　mutual　distrust　and



hindrance。



　　　　The　broader　the　province　and　the　more　exuberant　the　range　of



instruction　appropriated　to　a　given　department　and　its　corps　of



teachers；　the　more　creditable　will　be　the　statistical　showing；



and　the　more　meagre　and　threadbare　are　likely　to　be　the



scientific　results。　The　corps　of　instructors　will　be　the　more



consistently　organized　and　controlled　with　a　view　to　their



dispensing　accumulated　knowledge；　rather　than　to　pursue　further



inquiry　in　the　direction　of　their　scholarly　inclination　or



capacity；　and　frequently；　indeed；　to　dispense　a　larger　volume　and



a　wider　range　of　knowledge　than　they　are　in　any　intimate　sense



possessed　of。



　　　　It　is　by　no　means　that　no　regard　is　had　to　the　special



tastes；　aptitudes；　and　attainments　of　the　members　of　the　staff；



in　so　apportioning　the　work；　these　things　are；　commonly；　given



such　consideration　as　the　exigencies　of　academic　competition　will



permit；　but　these　exigencies　decide　that　the　criterion　of　special



fitness　becomes　a　secondary　consideration。　Wherever　the



businesslike　demands　of　a　rounded　and　extensive　schedule　of



courses　traverse　the　lines　of　special　aptitude　and　training；　the



requirements　of　the　schedule　must　rule　the　case；　whereas；　of



course；　the　interests　of　science　and　scholarship；　and　of　the　best



efficiency　in　the　instruction　given；　would　decide　that　no　demands



of　the　schedule　be　allowed　to　interfere　with　each　man's　doing　the



work　which　he　can　do　best；　and　nothing　else。



　　　　A　schedule　of　instruction　drawn　on　such　lines　of　efficiency



would　avoid　duplication　of　course；　and　would　curtail　the　number



of　courses　offered　by　any　given　department　to　such　a　modicum　as



the　special　fitness　of　the　members　of　the　staff　would　allow　them



to　carry　to　the　best　effect。　It　would　also　proceed　on　the　obvious



assumption　that　co…ordinate　departments　in　the　several



universities　should　supplement　one　another's