the higher learning in america-第50章

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　　　　Now；　this　inquiry　is　nowise　concerned　to　reform；　deflect　or



remedy　this　current　drift　of　things　academic　away　from　the



ancient　holding　ground　of　the　higher　learning；　partly　because



such　an　enterprise　in　reform　and　rehabilitation　lies　beyond　its



competence；　and　partly；　again；　because　in　all　this　current　move



to　displace　the　higher　learning　there　may　conceivably　be　other



ends　involved；　which　may　be　worth　while　in　some　other　bearing



that　is　alien　to　the　higher　learning　but　of　graver　consequence



for　the　fortunes　of　the　race；　　urgent　needs　which　can　only　be



served　by　so　diverting　effort　and　attention　from　this　pursuit。



Yet；　partly　out　of　a　reasonable　deference　to　the　current



prejudice　that　any　mere　negative　criticism　and　citation　of



grievances　is　nothing　better　than　an　unworthy　experiment　in



irritation；　and　more　particularly　as　a　means　to　a　more　adequate



appreciation　of　the　rigorous　difficulties　inherent　in　this



current　state　and　drift　of　things；　it　may　not　be　out　of　place　to



offer　some　consideration　of　remedial　measures　that　have　been



attempted　or　projected；　or　that　may　be　conceived　to　promise　a　way



out。



　　　　As　is　well　known；　divers　and　various　remedial　measures　have



been　advocated　by　critics　of　current　university　affairs；　from



time　to　time；　and　it　is　equally　evident　on　reflection　that　these



proposed　remedial　measures　are　with　fair　uniformity　directed　to



the　treatment　of　symptoms；　　to　relieve　agitation　and　induce



insensibility。　However；　there　is　at　least　one　line　of



aggressively　remedial　action　that　is　being　tried；　though　not



avowedly　as　a　measure　to　bring　the　universities　into　line　with



their　legitimate　duties；　but　rather　with　a　view　to　relieving　them



of　this　work　which　they　are　no　longer　fit　to　take　care　of。　It　is



a　move　designed　to　shift　the　seat　of　the　higher　learning　out　of



the　precincts　of　the　schools。　And　the　desperate　case　of　the



universities；　considered　as　seminaries　of　science　and



scholarship；　is　perhaps　more　forcibly　brought　in　evidence　by　what



is　in　this　way　taking　place　in　the　affairs　of　learning　outside



the　schools　than　by　their　visible　failure　to　take　care　of　their



own　work。　This　evidence　goes　to　say　that　the　difficulties　of　the



academic　situation　are　insurmountable；　any　rehabilitation　of　the



universities　is　not　contemplated　in　this　latterday　movement。　And



it　is　so　coming　to　be　recognized；　in　effect　though　tacitly；　that



for　all　their　professions　of　a　single…minded　addiction　to　the



pursuit　of　learning；　the　academic　establishments；　old　and　new；



are　no　longer　competent　to　take　the　direction　of　affairs　in　this



domain。



　　　　So　it　is　that；　with　a　sanguine　hope　born　of　academic　defeat；



there　have　latterly　been　founded　certain　large　establishments；　of



the　nature　of　retreats　or　shelters　for　the　prosecution　of



scientific　and　scholarly　inquiry　in　some　sort　of　academic



quarantine；　detached　from　all　academic　affiliation　and　renouncing



all　share　in　the　work　of　instruction。　In　point　of　form　the



movement　is　not　altogether　new。　Foundations　of　a　similar　aim　have



been　had　before。　But　the　magnitude　and　comprehensive　aims　of　the



new　establishments　are　such　as　to　take　them　out　of　the　category



of　auxiliaries　and　throw　them　into　the　lead。　They　are　assuming　to



take　over　the　advance　in　science　and　scholarship；　which　has　by



tradition　belonged　under　the　tutelage　of　the　academic　community。



This　move　looks　like　a　desperate　surrender　of　the　university



ideal。　The　reason　for　it　appears　to　be　the　proven　inability　of



the　schools；　under　competitive　management；　to　take　care　of　the



pursuit　of　knowledge。



　　　　Seen　from　the　point　of　view　of　the　higher　learning；　this　new



departure；　as　well　as　the　apparent　need　of　it；　is　to　be　rated　as



untoward；　and　it　reflects　gravely　enough　on　the　untoward



condition　into　which　the　rule　of　business　principles　is　leading



the　American　schools。　Such　establishments　of　research　are



capable；　in　any　competent　manner；　of　serving　only　one　of　the　two



joint　purposes　necessary　to　be　served　by　any　effective　seminary



of　the　higher　learning；　nor　can　they　at　all　adequately　serve　this



one　purpose　to　the　best　advantage　when　so　disjoined　from　its



indispensable　correlate。　By　and　large；　these　new　establishments



are　good　for　research　only；　not　for　instruction；　or　at　the　best



they　can　serve　this　latter　purpose　only　as　a　more　or　less



Surreptitious　or　supererogatory　side　interest。　Should　they；　under



pressure　of　instant　need；　turn　their　forces　to　instruction　as



well　as　to　inquiry；　they　would　incontinently　find　themselves



drifting　into　the　same　equivocal　position　as　the　universities；



and　the　dry…rot　of　business　principles　and　competitive　gentility



would　presently　consume　their　tissues　after　the　same　fashion。



　　　　It　is；　to　all　appearance；　impracticable　and　inadvisable　to



let　these　institutions　of　research　take　over　any　appreciable



share　of　that　work　of　scientific　and　scholarly　instruction　that



is　slipping　out　of　the　palsied　hands　of　the　universities；　so　as



to　include　some　consistent　application　to　teaching　within　the



scope　of　their　everyday　work。　And　this　cuts　out　of　their



complement　of　ways　and　means　one　of　the　chief　aids　to　an



effectual　pursuit　of　scientific　inquiry。　Only　in　the　most



exceptional；　not　to　say　erratic；　cases　will　good；　consistent；



sane　and　alert　scientific　work　be　carried　forward　through　a



course　of　years　by　any　scientist　without　students；　without　loss



or　blunting　of　that　intellectual　initiative　that　makes　the



creative　scientist。　The　work　that　can　be　done　well　in　the　absence



of　that　stimulus　and　safe…guarding　that　comes　of　the　give　and



take　between　teacher　and　student　is　commonly　such　only　as　can



without　deterioration　be　reduced　to　a　mechanically　systematized



task…work；　　that　is　to　say；　such　as　can；　without　loss　or　gain；



be　carried　on　under　the　auspices　of　a　businesslike　academic



government。



　　　　This；　imperatively　unavoidable；　absence　of　provision　for



systematic　instruction　in　these　new…found　establishments　of



research　means　also　that　they　and　the　work　which　they　have　in



hand　are　not　self…perpetuating；　whether　individually　and　in



detail　or　taken　in　the　large；　since　their　work　breeds　no



generation　of　successors　to　the　current　body　of　scientists　on



which　they　draw。　As　the　matter　stands　now；　they　depend　for　their



personnel　on　the　past　output　of　scholars　and　scientists　from　the



schools；　and　so　they　pick　up　and　turn　to　account　what　there　is



ready　to　hand　in　that　way　　not　infrequently　men　for　whom　the



universities　find　little　use；　as　being　refractory　material　not



altogether　suitable　for　the　academic　purposes　of　notoriety。　When



this　academic　source　fails；　as　it　presently　must；　with　the



increasingly　efficient　application　of　business　principles　in　the



universities；　there　should　seem　to　be　small　recourse　for



establishments　of　this　class　except　to　run　into　the　sands　of



intellectual　quietism　where　the　universities　have　gone　before。



　　　　In　this　connection　it　will　be　interesting　to　note；　by　way　of



parenthesis；　that　even　now　a　large　proportion　of　the　names　that



appear　among　the　staff　of　these　institutions　of　research　are　not



American；　and　that　even　the　American…born　among　them　are



frequently　not　American…bred　in　respect　of　their　scientific



training。　For　this　work；　recourse　is　necessarily　had　to　the



output　of　men　trained　elsewhere　than　in　the　vocational　and



athletic　establishments　of　the　American　universities；　or　to　that



tapering　file　of　academic　men　who　are　still　imbued　with



traditions　so　alien　to　the　current　scheme　of　conventions　as　to



leave　them　not　amenable　to　the　dictates　of　business　principles。



Meantime；　that　which　is　eating　the　heart　out　of　the　American



seminaries　of　the　higher　learning　should　in　due　course　also　work



out　the　like　sterilization　in　the　universities　of　Europe；　as　fast



and　as　far　as　these　other　countries　also　come　fully　into　line



with　the　same　pecuniary　ideals　that　are　making　the　outcome　in



America。　And　evidence　is　not　wholly　wanting　that　the　like



proclivity　to　pragmatic　and　popular　traffic　is　already　making　the



way　of　the　academic　scientist　or　scholar　difficult　and



distasteful　in　the　greater　schools　of　the　Old　World。　America　is



by　no　means　in　a　unique　position　in　this　matter；　except　only　in



respect　of　the　eminent　degree　in　which　this　community　is　pervaded



by　business　principles；　and　its　consequent　faith　in　businesslike



methods；　and　its　intolerance　of　any　other　than　pecuniary



standards　of　value。　It　is　only　that　this　country　is　in　the　lead；



the　other　peoples　of　Christendom　are　following　the　same　lead　as



fast　as　their　incumbrance　of　archaic　usages　and　traditions　will



admit；　and　the　generality　of　their　higher　schools　are　already



beginning　to　show　the　effects　of　the　same　businesslike



aspirations；　decoratively　coloured　with　feudalistic　archaisms　of



patriotic　buncombe。







　　　　As　will　be　seen　from　the　above　explication　of　details　and



circumstances；　such　practicable　measures　as　have　hitherto　been



offered　as　a　corrective　to　this　sterilization　of　the　universities



by　business　principles；　amount　to　a　surrender　of　these



institutions　to　the　enemies　of　learning；　and　a　proposal　to



replace　them　with　an　imperfect　substitute。　That　it　should　so　be



necessary　to　relinquish　the　universities；　as　a　means　to　the



pursuit　of　knowledge；　and　to　replace　them　with　a　second…best；　is



due；　as　has　also　appeared　from　the　above　analysis；　to　the　course



of　policy　（necessarily）　pursued　by　the　executive　officers　placed



in　control　of　academic　affairs；　and　the　character　of　the　policy



so　pursued　follows　unavoidably　from　the　dependence　of　the



executive　on　a　businesslike　governing　board；　backed　by　a



businesslike　popular　clamour；　on　the　one　hand；　and　from　his　being



（necessarily）　vested；　in　effect；　with　arbitrary　power　of　use　and



abuse　within　the　academic　community；　on　the　other　hand。　It



follows；　therefore；　also　that　no　remedy　or　corrective　can　be



contrived　that　will　have　anything　more　than　a　transient



palliative　effect；　so　long　as　these　conditions　that　create　the



difficulty　are　allowed　to　remain　in　force。



　　　　All　of　which　points　unambiguously　to　the　only　line　of



remedial　measures　that　can　be　worth　serious　consideration；　and　at



the　same　time　it　carries　the　broad　implication　that　in　the



present　state　of　popular　sentiment；　touching　these　mat