the higher learning in america-第27章

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use　of。　More　particularly　is　there　a　marked　proclivity　to　extend



the　plant　and　the　school　organization　into　new　fields　of



scholastic　enterprise；　often　irrelevant　or　quite　foreign　to　the



province　of　the　university　as　a　seminary　of　learning；　and　to　push



these　alien　ramifications；　to　the　neglect　of　the　urgent　needs　of



the　academic　work　already　in　hand；　in　the　way　of　equipment；



maintenance；　supplies；　service　and　instruction。



　　　　The　running…expenses　are　always　the　most　urgent　items　of　the



budget；　as　seen　from　the　standpoint　of　the　academic　work；　and



they　are　ordinarily　the　item　that　is　most　parsimoniously　provided



for。　A　scanty　provision　at　this　point　unequivocally　means　a



disproportionate　curtailment　of　the　usefulness　of　the　equipment



as　well　as　of　the　personnel；　　as；　e。g。；　the　extremely　common



and　extremely　unfortunate　practice　of　keeping　the　allowance　for



maintenance　and　service　in　the　university　libraries　so　low　as



seriously　to　impair　their　serviceability。　But　the　exigencies　of



prestige　will　easily　make　it　seem　more　to　the　point；　in　the　eyes



of　a　businesslike　executive；　to　project　a　new　extension　of　the



plant；　which　will　then　be　half…employed；　on　a　scanty　allowance；



in　work　which　lies　on　the　outer　fringe　or　beyond　the　university's



legitimate　province。（2*）



　　　　In　so　discriminating　against　the　working　capacity　of　the



university；　and　in　favour　of　its　real…estate；　this　pursuit　of



reputable　publicity　further　decides　that　the　exterior　of　the



buildings　and　the　grounds　should　have　the　first　and　largest



attention。　It　is　true；　the　initial　purpose　of　this　material



equipment；　it　is　ostensibly　believed；　is　to　serve　as　housing　and



appliances　for　the　work　of　inquiry　and　instruction。　Such；　of



course；　continues　to　be　avowed　its　main　purpose；　in　a



perfunctorily　ostensible　way。　This　means　a　provision　of



libraries；　laboratories；　and　lecture　rooms。　The　last　of　these　is



the　least　exacting；　and　it　is　the　one　most　commonly　well



supplied。　It　is　also；　on　the　whole；　the　more　conspicuous　in



proportion　to　the　outlay。　But　all　these　are　matters　chiefly　of



interior　arrangement；　appliances　and　materials；　and　they　are　all



of　a　relatively　inconspicuous　character。　Except　as　detailed　in



printed　statistics　they　do　not　ordinarily　lend　themselves　with



appreciable　effect　to　the　art　of　advertising。　In　meeting　all



these　material　requirements　of　the　work　in　hand　a　very　large



expenditure　of　funds　might　advantageously　be　made　



advantageously　to　the　academic　use　which　they　are　to　serve　



without　much　visible　effect　as　seen　in　perspective　from　the



outside。　And　so　far　as　bears　on　this　academic　use；　the　exterior



of　the　buildings　is　a　matter　of　altogether　minor　consequence；　as



are　also　the　decorative　appointments　of　the　interior。



　　　　In　practice；　under　compulsion　of　the　business　principles　of



publicity；　it　will　be　found；　however；　that　the　exterior　and　the



decorative　appointments　are　the　chief　object　of　the　designer's



attention；　the　interior　arrangement　and　working　appointments　will



not　infrequently　become　a　matter　of　rude　approximation　to　the



requirements　of　the　work；　care　being　first　taken　that　these



arrangements　shall　not　interfere　with　the　decorative　or



spectacular　intent　of　the　outside。　But　even　with　the　best…advised



management　of　its　publicity　value；　it　is　always　appreciably　more



difficult　to　secure　appropriations　for　the　material　equipment　of



a　laboratory　or　library　than　for　the　shell　of　the　edifice；　and



still　more　so　for　the　maintenance　of　an　adequate　corps　of



caretakers　and　attendants。



　　　　As　will　be　found　true　of　other　lines　of　this　university



enterprise　in　publicity；　so　also　as　to　this　presentation　of　a



reputable　exterior；　it　is　designed　to　impress　not　the　academic



personnel；　or　the　scholarly　element　at　large；　but　the　laity。　The



academic　folk　and　scholars　are　commonly　less　susceptible　to　the



appeal　of　curious　facades　and　perplexing　feats　of　architecture；



and　then；　such　an　appeal　would　have　no　particular　motive　in　their



case；　it　is　not　necessary　to　impress　them。　It　is　in　the　eyes　of



the　unlettered；　particularly　the　business　community；　that　it　is



desirable　for　the　university　to　present　an　imposing　front；　that



being　the　feature　of　academic　installation　which　they　will



readily　appreciate。　To　carry　instant　conviction　of　a　high



academic　worth　to　this　large　element　of　the　populace；　the



university　buildings　should　bulk　large　in　the　landscape；　should



be　wastefully　expensive；　and　should　conform　to　the　architectural



mannerisms　in　present　vogue。　In　a　few　years　the　style　of



architectural　affectations　will　change；　of　course；　as　fashions



necessarily　change　in　any　community　whose　tastes　are　governed　by



pecuniary　standards；　and　any　particular　architectural　contrivance



will　therefore　presently　lose　much　of　its　prestige　value；　but　by



the　time　it　so　is　overtaken　by　obsolescence；　the　structures　which



embody　the　particular　affectation　in　question　will　have　made　the



appeal　for　which　they　were　designed；　and　so　will　have　served



their　purpose　of　publicity。　And　then；　too；　edifices　created　with



a　thrifty　view　to　a　large　spectacular　effect　at　a　low　cost　are



also　liable　to　so　rapid　a　physical　decay　as　to　be　ready　for



removal　and　replacement　before　they　have　greatly　outlived　their



usefulness　in　this　respect。



　　　　In　recent　scholastic　edifices　one　is　not　surprised　to　find



lecture　rooms　acoustically　ill　designed；　and　with　an　annoying



distribution　of　light；　due　to　the　requirements　of　exterior



symmetry　and　the　decorative　distribution　of　windows；　and　the　like



holds　true　even　in　a　higher　degree　for　libraries　and



laboratories；　since　for　these　uses　the　demands　in　these　respects



are　even　more　exacting。　Nor　is　it　unusual　to　find　waste　of　space



and　weakness　of　structure；　due；　e。g。；　to　a　fictitious　winding



stair；　thrown　into　the　design　to　permit　such　a　facade　as　will



simulate　the　defensive　details　of　a　mediaeval　keep；　to　be



surmounted　with　embrasured　battlements　and　a　（make…believe）



loopholed　turret。　So；　again；　space　will；　on　the　same　ground；　be



wasted　in　heavy…ceiled；　ill…lighted　lobbies；　which　might　once



have　served　as　a　mustering　place　for　a　body　of　unruly



men…at…arms；　but　which　mean　nothing　more　to　the　point　today；　and



in　these　premises；　than　so　many　inconvenient　flagstones　to　be



crossed　in　coming　and　going。



　　　　These　principles　of　spectacular　publicity　demand　a　nice



adjustment　of　the　conspicuous　features　of　the　plant　to　the



current　vagaries　in　decorative　art　and　magnificence；that　is　to



say；　conformity　to　the　sophistications　current　on　that　level　of



culture　on　which　these　unlettered　men　of　substance　live　and　move



and　have　their　being。　As　touches　the　case　of　the　seats　of



learning；　these　current　lay　sophistications　draw　on　several　more



or　less　diverse；　and　not　altogether　congruous；　lines　of



conventionally　approved　manifestation　of　the　ability　to　pay。　Out



of　the　past　comes　the　conventional　preconception　that　these



scholastic　edifices　should　show　something　of　the　revered　traits



of　ecclesiastical　and　monastic　real…estate；　while　out　of　the



present　comes　an　ingrained　predilection　for　the　more　sprightly



and　exuberant　effects　of　decoration　and　magnificence　to　which　the



modern　concert…hall；　the　more　expensive　cafes　and　clubrooms；　and



the　Pullman　coaches　have　given　a　degree　of　authentication。　Any



one　given　to　curious　inquiry　might　find　congenial　employment　in



tracing　out　the　manner　and　proportion　in　which　these；　and　the



like；　strains　of　aesthetic　indoctrination　are　blended　in　the



edifices　and　grounds　of　a　well…advised　modern　university。



　　　　It　is　not　necessary　here　to　offer　many　speculations　on　the



enduring　artistic　merit　of　these　costly　stage　properties　of　the



seats　of　learning；　since　their　permanent　value　in　that　respect　is



scarcely　to　be　rated　as　a　substantial　motive　in　their



construction。　But　there　is；　e。　g。；　no　obvious　reason　why；　with



the　next　change　in　the　tide　of　mannerism；　the　disjointed



grotesqueries　of　an　eclectic　and　modified　Gothic　should　not



presently　pass　into　the　same　category　of　apologetic　neglect；　with



the　architectural　evils　wrought　by　the　mid…Victorian　generation。



But　there　is　another　side　to　this　architecture　of　notoriety；　that



merits　some　slight　further　remark。　It　is　consistently　and



unavoidably　meretricious。　Just　at　present　the　enjoined　vogue　is



some　form　of　bastard　antique。　The　archaic　forms　which　it



ostensibly　preserves　are　structurally　out　of　date；　ill　adapted　to



the　modern　materials　and　the　modern　builder's　use　of　materials。



Modern　building；　on　a　large　scale　and　designed　for　durable



results；　is　framework　building。　The　modern　requirements　of　light；



heating；　ventilation　and　access　require　it　to　be　such；　and　the



materials　used　lend　themselves　to　that　manner　of　construction。



The　strains　involved　in　modern　structures　are　frame…work　strains；



whereas　the　forms　which　these　edifices　are　required　to　simulate



are　masonry　forms。　The　outward　conformation　and　ostensible



structure　of　the　buildings；　therefore；　are　commonly　meaningless；



except　as　an　architectural　prevarication。　They　have　to　be



adapted；　simulated；　deranged；　because　in　modern　use　they　are



impracticable　in　the　shape；　proportion　and　combination　that　of



right　belonged　to　them　under　the　circumstances　of　materials　and



uses　under　which　they　were　once　worked　out。　So　there　results　a



meaningless　juxtaposition　of　details；　that　prove　nothing　in



detail　and　contradict　one　another　in　assemblage。　All　of　which　may



suggest　reflections　on　the　fitness　of　housing　the　quest　of　truth



in　an　edifice　of　false　pretences。



　　　　These　architectural　vagaries　serve　no　useful　end　in　academic



life。　As　an　object　lesson　they　conduce；　in　their　measure；　to



inculcate　in　the　students　a　spirit　of　disingenuousness。　But　they



spread　abroad　the　prestige　of　the　university　as　an　ornate　and



spendthrift　establishment；　which　is　believed　to　bring　increased



enrolment　of　students　and；　what　is　even　more　to　the　point；　to



conciliate　the　good…will　of　the　opulent　patrons　of　learning。　That



these　edifices　are　good　for　this　purpose；　and　that　this　policy　of



architectural　mise　en　scene　is　wise；　appears　from　the　greater



readiness　with　which　funds　are　procured　for　such　ornate



constructions　than　for　any　other　academic　use。　It　appears　that



the　successful　men　of　affairs　to　whom　the　ap