the higher learning in america-第46章

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with　a　penchant　for　popular　notability。　and　the　qualifications



necessary　to　be　put　in　evidence　by　aspirants　for　executive　office



are　such　as　will　convince　such　a　board　of　their　serviceability。



Among　the　indispensable　general　qualifications；　therefore；　will



be　a　〃businesslike〃　facility　in　the　management　of　affairs；　an



engaging　address　and　fluent　command　of　language　before　a　popular



audience；　and　what　is　called　〃optimism；〃　　a　serene　and　voluble



loyalty　to　the　current　conventionalities　and　a　conspicuously



profound　conviction　that　all　things　are　working　out　for　good；



except　for　such　untoward　details　as　do　not　visibly　conduce　to　the



vested　advantage　of　the　well…to…do　businessmen　under　the



established　law　and　order。　To　secure　an　appointment　to　executive



office　it　is　not　only　necessary　to　be　possessed　of　these



qualifications；　and　contrive　to　put　them　in　evidence；　the



aspirant　must　ordinarily　also；　to　use　a　colloquialism；　be　willing



and　able　to　〃work　his　passage〃　by　adroit　negotiation　and　detail



engagements　on　points　of　policy；　appointments　and　administration。



　　　　The　greater　proportion　of　such　aspirants　for　executive　office



work　their　apprenticeship　and　manage　their　campaign　of



office…seeking　while　engaged　in　some　university　employment。　To



this　end　the　most　likely　line　of　university　employment　is　such　as



will　comprise　a　large　share　of　administrative　duties；　as；　e。g。；



the　deanships　that　are　latterly　receiving　much　attention　in　this



behalf；　while　of　the　work　of　instruction　the　preference　should　be



given　to　such　undergraduate　class…work　as　will　bring　the　aspirant



in　wide　contact　with　the　less　scholarly　element　of　the　student



body；　and　with　those　〃student　activities〃　that　come　favourably



under　public　observation；　and　more　particularly　should　one　go　in



for　the　quasi…scholarly　pursuits　of　〃university　extension〃；　which



will　bring　the　candidate　into　favourable　notice　among　the



quasi…literate　leisure　class；　at　the　same　time　this　employment



conduces　greatly　to　assurance　and　a　flow　of　popular　speech。



　　　　It　is　by　no　means　here　intended　to　convey　the　assumption　that



appointments　to　executive　office　are　currently　made　exclusively



from　among　aspiring　candidates　answering　the　description　outlined



above；　or　that　the　administrative　deanships　that　currently　abound



in　the　universities　are　uniformly　looked　on　by　their　incumbents



as　in　some　sort　a　hopeful　novitiate　to　the　presidential　dignity。



The　exceptions　under　both　of　these　general　propositions　would　be



too　numerous　to　be　set　aside　as　negligible；　although　scarcely



numerous　enough　or　consequential　enough　entirely　to　vitiate　these



propositions　as　a　competent　formulation　of　the　typical　line　of



approach　to　the　coveted　office。　The　larger　and　more　substantial



exception　would；　of　course；　be　taken　to　the　generalization　as



touching　the　use　of　the　deanships　in　preparation　for　the



presidency。



　　　　The　course　of　training　and　publicity　afforded　by　the



deanships　and　extension　lectures　appears　to　be　the　most



promising；　although　it　is　not　the　only　line　of　approach。　So；



e。g。；　as　has　been　remarked　in　an　earlier　passage；　the　exigencies



of　academic　administration　will　ordinarily　lead　to　the　formation



of　an　unofficially　organized　corps　of　counsellors　and　agents　or



lieutenants；　who　serve　as　aids　to　the　executive　head。　While　these



aids；　factors；　and　gentlemen…in…waiting　are　vested　with　no



official　status　proclaiming　their　relation　to　the　executive



office　or　their　share　in　its　administration；　it　goes　without



saying　that　their　vicarious　discretion　and　their　special



prerogatives　of　access　and　advisement　with　the　executive　head　do



not　commonly　remain　hidden　from　their　colleagues　on　the　academic



staff；　or　from　interested　persons　outside　the　university



corporation；　nor；　indeed；　does　it　appear　that　they　commonly



desire　to　remain　unknown。



　　　　In　the　same　connection；　as　has　also　been　remarked　above；　and



as　is　sufficiently　notorious；　among　the　large　and　imperative



duties　of　executive　office　is　public　discourse。　This　is　required；



both　as　a　measure　of　publicity　at　large　and　as　a　means　of



divulging　the　ostensible　aims；　advantages　and　peculiar　merits　of



the　given　university　and　its　chief。　The　volume　of　such　public



discourse；　as　well　as　the　incident　attendance　at　many　public　and



ceremonial　functions；　is　very　considerable；　so　much　so　that　in



the　case　of　any　university　of　reasonable　size　and　spirit　the



traffic　in　these　premises　is　likely　to　exceed　the　powers　of　any



one　man；　even　where；　as　is　not　infrequently　the　case；　the



〃executive〃　head　is　presently　led　to　make　this　business　of



stately　parade　and　promulgation　his　chief　employment。　In　effect；



much　of　this　traffic　will　necessarily　be　delegated　to　such



representatives　of　the　chief　as　may　be　trusted　duly　to　observe



its　spirit　and　intention；　and　the　indicated　bearers　of　these



vicarious　dignities　and　responsibilities　will　necessarily　be　the



personal　aids　and　counsellors　of　the　chief；　which　throws　them；



again；　into　public　notice　in　a　most　propitious　fashion。



　　　　So　also；　by　force　of　the　same　exigencies　of　parade　and



discourse；　the　chief　executive　is　frequently　called　away　from



home　on　a　more　or　less　extended　itinerary；　and　the　burden　of



dignity　attached　to　the　thief　office　is　such　as　to　require　that



its　ostensible　duties　be　delegated　to　some　competent　lieutenant



during　these　extensive　absences　of　the　chief；　and　here；　again；



this　temporary　discretion　and　dignity　will　most　wisely　and



fittingly　be　delegated　to　some　member　of　the　corps　of　personal



aids　who　stands　in　peculiarly　close　relations　of　sympathy　and



usefulness　to　the　chief。　It　has　happened　more　than　once　that　such



an　habitual　〃acting　head〃　has　come　in　for　the　succession　to　the



executive　office。



　　　　It　comes；　therefore；　to　something　like　a　general　rule；　that



the　discipline　which　makes　the　typical　captain　of　erudition；　as



he　is　seen　in　the　administration　of　executive　office；　will　have



set　in　before　his　induction　into　office；　not　infrequently　at　an



appreciable　interval　before　that　event；　and　involving　a



consequent；　more　or　less　protracted；　term　of　novitiate；　probation



and　preliminary　seasoning；　and　the　aspirants　so　subjected　to　this



discipline　of　initiation　are　at　the　same　time　picked　men；　drawn



into　the　running　chiefly　by　force　of　a　facile　conformity　and　a



self…selective　predisposition　for　this　official　dignity。



　　　　The　resulting　captain　of　erudition　then　falls　under　a　certain



exacting　discipline　exercised　by　the　situation　in　which　the



exigencies　of　office　place　him。　These　exigencies　are　of　divers



origin；　and　are　systematically　at　variance　among　themselves。　So



that　the　dominant　note　of　his　official　life　necessarily　becomes



that　of　ambiguity。　By　tradition；　　indeed；　by　that　tradition　to



which　the　presidential　office　owes　its　existence；　and　except　by



force　of　which　there　would　apparently　be　no　call　to　institute



SuCh　an　office　at　all；　　by　tradition　the　president　of　the



university　is　the　senior　member　of　the　faculty；　its　confidential



spokesman　in　official　and　corporate　concerns；　and　the　〃moderator〃



of　its　town　meeting　like　deliberative　assemblies。　As　chairman　of



its　meetings　he　is；　by　tradition；　presumed　to　exercise　no



peculiar　control；　beyond　such　guidance　as　the　superior　experience



of　the　senior　member　may　be　presumed　to　afford　his　colleagues。　As



spokesman　for　the　faculty　he　is；　by　tradition；　presumed　to　be　a



scholar　of　such　erudition；　breadth　and　maturity　as　may　fairly



command　something　of　filial　respect　and　affection　from　his



associates　in　the　corporation　of　learning；　and　it　is　by　virtue　of



these　qualities　of　scholarly　wisdom；　which　give　him　his　place　as



senior　member　of　a　corporation　of　scholars；　that　he　is；　by



tradition；　competent　to　serve　as　their　spokesman　and　to　occupy



the　chair　in　their　deliberative　assembly。



　　　　Such　is　the　tradition　of　the　American　College　President；　



and；　in　so　far；　of　the　university　president；　　as　it　comes　down



from　that　earlier　phase　of　academic　history　from　which　the　office



derives　its　ostensible　character；　and　to　which　it　owes　its　hold



on　life　under　the　circumstances　of　the　later　growth　of　the



schools。　And　it　will　be　noted　that　this　office　is　distinctly



American；　it　has　no　counterpart　elsewhere；　and　there　appears　to



be　no　felt　need　of　such　an　office　in　other　countries；　where　no



similar　tradition　of　a　college　president　has　created　a



presumptive　need　of　a　similar　official　in　the　universities；　



the　reason　being　evidently　that　these　universities　in　other　lands



have　not；　in　the　typical　case；　grown　out　of　an　underlying



college。



　　　　In　the　sentimental　apprehension　of　the　laity　out　of　doors；



and　in　a　degree　even　in　the　unreflecting　esteem　of　men　within　the



academic　precincts；　the　presidential　office　still　carries



something　of　this　traditionally　preconceived　scholarly　character；



and　it　is　this　still　surviving　traditional　preconception；　which



confuses　induction　into　the　office　with　scholarly　fitness　for　its



dignities；　that　still　makes　the　office　of　the　academic　executive



available　for　those　purposes　of　expansive　publicity　and



businesslike　management　that　it　has　been　made　to　serve。　Except



for　this　uncritical　esteem　of　the　office　and　its　incumbency；　so



surviving　out　of　an　inglorious　past；　no　great　prestige　could



attach　to　that　traffic　in　spectacular　solemnities；　edifying



discourse　and　misdirected　business　control；　that　makes　up　the



substantial　duties　of　the　office　as　now　conducted。　It　is



therefore　of　the　utmost　moment　to　keep　up；　or　rather　to　magnify；



that　appearance　of　scholarly　competence　and　of　intimate



solidarity　with　the　corporation　of　learning　that　gives　the



presidential　office　this　prestige　value。　But　since　it　is　only　for



purposes　external；　not　to　say　extraneous；　to　the　corporation　of



learning　that　this　prestige　value　is　seriously　worth　while；　it　is



also　only　toward　the　outside　that　the　make…believe　of



presidential　erudition　and　scholarly　ideals　need　seriously　be



kept　up。　For　the　common　run　of　the　incumbents　today　to　pose



before　their　faculties　as　in　any　eminent　degree　conversant　with



the　run　of　contemporary　science　or　scholarship；　or　as　rising　to



the　average　even　of　their　own　faculties　in　this　respect；　would　be



as　bootless　as　it　is　uncalled　for。　But　the　faculties；　as　is　well



enough　understood