the higher learning in america-第48章

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also　to　take　on　the　colour　of　his　own　philandropic



pronouncements；　to　believe；　more　or　less　conveniently；　in　his　own



blameless　utterances。　They　necessarily　commit　him　to　a　pro　forma



observance　of　their　tenor；　they　may；　of　course；　be　desired　as



perfunctory　conciliation；　simply；　but　in　carrying　conviction　to



the　audience　the　speaker's　eloquence　unavoidably　bends　his　own



convictions　in　some　degree。　And　not　only　does　the　temper　of　the



audience　sympathetically　affect　that　of　the　speaker；　as　does　also



his　familiar　contact　with　the　same　range　of　persons；　such　as　goes



with　and　takes　a　chief　place　in　this　itinerant　edification；　but



there　is　also　the　opportunity　which　all　this　wide…ranging



itinerary　of　public　addresses　affords　for　feeling　out　the　state



of　popular　sentiment；　as　to　what　ends　the　university　is　expected



to　serve　and　how　it　is　expected　best　to　serve　them。　Particularly



do　the　solemn　amenities　of　social　intercourse　associated　with



this　promulgation　of　lay　sermons　lend　themselves　felicitously　to



such　a　purpose；　and　this　contact　with　the　public　and　its



spokesmen　doubtless　exercises　a　powerful　control　over　the



policies　pursued　by　these　academic　executives；　in　that　it　affords



them　the　readiest；　and　at　the　same　time　the　most　habitual；



indication　as　to　what　line　of　policy　and　what　details　of　conduct



will　meet　with　popular　approval；　and　what　will　not。



　　　　Since；　then；　it　is　necessarily　the　endeavour　of　the



competitive　executives　to　meet　the　desires　of　their　public　as



best　they　can；　consistently　with　the　demands　of　magnitude　and



閏lat　imposed　by　their　position　as　chiefs　of　these　competitive



concerns；　it　becomes　a　question　of　some　moment　what　the　character



of　this　select　public　opinion　may　be；　to　which　their



peregrinations　expose　them；　and　how　far　and　with　what　limitations



the　public　opinion　that　so　habitually　impinges　on　their



sensibilities　and　shapes　their　canons　of　procedure　may　be　taken



as　reflecting　the　sentiments　of　the　public　at　large；　or　of　any



given　class　of　the　population。



　　　　The　public　that　so　contributes　to　the　habitual　bent　of　the



academic　executives　is　necessarily　a　select　fraction　of　the



laity；　of　course；　　self…selected　by　virtue　of　membership　in　the



various　clubs；　churches　and　other　like　organizations　under　whose



auspices　the　edification　and　amenities　in　question　are　commonly



brought　into　bearing；　or　by　virtue　of　voluntary　attendance　at



these　occasions　of　quasi…culture　and　gentility。　It　is　somewhat



exclusive　fragment　of　the　public；　pecuniarily　of　a　middling



grade；　as　is　indeed　also　its　case　in　other　than　the　pecuniary



respect。　Apart　from　the　（very　consequential）　convivial　gatherings



where　businessmen　will　now　and　again　come　together　and　lend　a



genial　ear　to　these　executive　spokesmen　of　philandropism；　it　will



be　found　that　at　the　audiences；　and　at　their　attendant



solemnities　of　hospitality；　the　assembly　is　made　up　of　very　much



the　same　elements　as　make　up　the　effective　constituency　of　the



moderately　well…to…do　churches。（9*）　Neither　the　small　minority　of



the　wholly　idle　rich；　nor　the　great　majority　who　work　with　their



hands；　are　present　in　appreciable　force；　particularly　not　the



latter；　who　are　busy　elsewhere；　nor　do　the　learned　class　come　in



evidence　in　this　connection；　　except；　of　course；　the　〃scholars



by　appointment；〃　within　whose　official　competency　lie　precisely



such　occasions　of　public　evidence。



　　　　Doubtless；　the　largest；　tone…giving　and　effective；



constituent　in　this　self…selected　public　on　whose　temper　the



university　president　typically　leans；　and　from　whose　bent　his



canons　of　circumspection　are　drawn；　is　the　class　of　moderately



well…to…do　and　serious…minded　women　who　have　outlived　the



distractions　of　maternity；　and　so　have　come　to　turn　their



parental　solicitude　to　the　common　good；　conceived　as　a



sterilization　of　the　proprieties。　The　controlling　ideals　of



efficiency　and　expediency　in　the　affairs　of　the　higher　learning



accordingly；　in　so　far　as　they　are　not　a　precipitate　of



competitive　business　principles　simply；　will　be　chiefly　of　this



derivation。　Not　that　the　captains　of　erudition　need　intimately



harbour　precisely　those　notions　of　scholarship　which　this



constituency　would　enjoin　upon　them；　and　for　which　they　dutifully



speak　in　their　conciliatory　sermons　before　these　audiences；　but



just　as　happens　in　all　competitive　retail　business　that　has　to



deal　with　a　large　and　critical　constituency；　so　here；　　the



captains　find　themselves　constrained　in　their　management　of　the



affairs　of　learning　to　walk　blamelessly　in　the　sight　of　this



quasi…public　spirited　wing　of　the　laity　that　has　by　force　of



circumstances　come　to　constitute　the　public；　as　seen　in　the



perspective　of　the　itinerant　philandropist。



　　　　The　executive　and　all　his　works　and　words　must　avoid　blame



from　any　source　from　which　criticism　might　conceivably　affect　the



traffic　with　which　he　is　occupied；such　is　the　first　of　those



politic　principles　that　govern　the　conduct　of　competitive



business。　The　university　must　accordingly　be　managed　with　a　first



view　to　a　creditable　rating　in　those　extraneous　respects；



touching　which　that　select　laity　that　make　up　the　executive's



effective　public　are　competent　to　hold　convictions。　The　resulting



canons　of　management　will　be　chiefly　of　the　nature　of　tabus；



since　blame　is　best　avoided　by　a　code　of　avoidance。　and　since　the



forum　in　which　these　tabus　are　audited　is　a　forum　in　which　the



matronly　negations　of　piety；　propriety　and　genteel　usage　take



precedence　of　work；　whether　scholarly　or　otherwise；　a　misdirected



cowardice　not　infrequently　comes　to　rule　the　counsels　of　the



captains　of　erudition；　　misdirected　not　only　in　the　more



obvious　sense　that　its　guidance　is　disserviceable　to　the　higher



learning；　but　also　（what　is　more　to　the　immediate　point）　in　the



sense　that　it　discredits　the　executive　and　his　tactics　in　the



esteem　of　that　workday　public　that　does　not　habitually　give



tongue　over　the　cups　at　five…o'clock。（10*）



　　　　It　is　perhaps　unnecessary；　as　it　would　assuredly　be



ungraceful；　to　pursue　this　quasi…personal　inquiry　into　the



circumstances　that　so　determine　that　habitual　attitude　of　the



executive。　The　difficulties　of　such　an　ambiguous　position　should



be　sufficiently　evident；　and　the　character　of　the　demands　which



this　position　makes　on　the　incumbent　should　be　similarly　evident；



so　far　as　regards　conduciveness　to　clean　and　honest　living　within



the　premises　of　this　executive　office。　It　may；　however；　not　be



out　of　place　to　call　to　mind　one　or　two　significant；　and　perhaps



extenuating；　traits　among　those　conventions　that　go　to　make　up



the　situation。　Unlike　what　occurs　in　the　conduct　of　ordinary



business　and　in　the　professions；　there　has　hitherto　been　worked



out　no　code　of　professional　ethics　for　the　guidance　of　men



employed　in　this　vocation；　　with　the　sole　exception　of　that



mandatory　inter…presidential　courtesy　that　binds　all　members　of



the　craft　to　a　strict　enforcement　of　the　academic　black…list；　



all　of　which　leaves　an　exceptionally　broad　field　for　casuistry。



So　that；　unlike　what　happens　in　the　business　community　at　large；



no　standardization　has　here　determined　the　limits　of　legitimate



prevarication；　nor　can　such　a　standardization　and　limit　be　worked



out　so　long　as　the　executive　is　required；　in　effect；　to　function



as　the　discretionary　employer　of　his　academic　staff　and　hold　them



to　account　as　agents　for　whom　he　is　responsible；　at　the　same　time



that　he　must；　in　appearance；　be　their　confidential　spokesman　and



their　colleague　in　the　corporation　of　learning。　And　it　is



impossible　to　forego　either　of　these　requirements；　since　the



discretionary　power　of　use　and　abuse　is　indispensable　to　the



businesslike　conduct　of　the　enterprise；　while　the　appearance　of



scholarly　co…partnery　with　the　staff　is　indispensable　to　that



prestige　on　which　rests　the　continued　exercise　of　this　power。　And



so　also　it　has　similarly　proved　unavoidable　（perhaps　as　an　issue



of　human　infirmity）　that　the　executive　be　guided　in　effect　by　a



meretricious　subservience　to　extra…scholastic　conventions；　all



the　while　that　he　must　profess　an　unbiassed　pursuit　of　〃the



increase　and　diffusion　of　knowledge　among　men。〃







　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　IV







　　　　With　all　due　endeavour　to　avoid　the　appearance　of　a　study　in



total　depravity；　the　foregoing　analysis　has　come；　after　all；　to



converge　on　the　growth　and　derivation　of　those　peculiar



ambiguities　and　obliquities　that　give　character　to　the　typical



academic　executive。　Not　that　all　academic　executives；　without



exception；　are　（in　the　historical　present）　to　be　found　fully



abreast　of　that　mature　phase　of　the　type　that　would　so　be



reflected　by　the　exigencies　of　their　office　as　outlined　above。



Nor　need　it　be　believed　or　argued　that　no　man　may　enter　on　these



duties　of　office　but　such　as　are　specially　fitted；　by　native　gift



and　previous　training；　for　just　such　an　enterprise　in



meretricious　notoriety　as　these　official　duties　enjoin。　The



exceptions　to　such　a　rule　are　not　altogether　rare；　and　the



incumbent　may　well　have　entered　on　the　duties　of　office　with



preconceptions　and　aims　somewhat　at　variance　with　what　its



discipline　inculcates。　But；　it　should　be　called　to　mind；　the



training　that　makes　a　typical　executive　comes　with　the　most



felicitous　and　indefeasible　effect　not　in　the　predisposing



discipline　of　candidature　but　in　the　workday　conduct　of　office。



And　so　consistent　and　unremitting　is　this　drift　of　the　duties　of



office；　overt　and　covert；　that；　humanly　speaking；　any　one　who



submits　to　its　discipline　through　an　appreciable　period　of　years



must　unavoidably　come　to　conform　to　type。　Men　of　unmanageably



refractory　temperament；　such　as　can　not　by　habituation　be　indued



with　the　requisite　deviation　and　self…sufficiency；　will　of



necessity　presently　be　thrown　out；　as　being　incompetent　for　this



vocation。　Instances　of　such　rejection　after　trial　will　come　to



mind；　but　such　instances　are；　after　all；　not　so　frequent　or　so



striking　as　to　throw　doubt　on　the　general　rule。　The　discipline　of



executive　office　will　commonly　shape　the　incumbent　to　its　uses。



It　should　seem　beyond　reason　to　expect　that　a　decade　of　exposure



to　the　exigencies　of　this　high　office　will　leave　the　incumbent



still　amenable　to　the　dictates　of　commonplace　tolerance