投诉 阅读记录

第4章

Itmaybeargued,anditmaybetrue,ofcourse,thatmuchofthisfailureofintelligenceandspiritualforceamongGermany’smenoflearningisofthenatureofatransienteclipseoftheirpowers;thatwiththereturnofsettledconditionsthereisduetocomeareturnofpoiseandinsight。Butwhenalldueargumenthasbeenheard,itremainstruethatthedistrustsetafootinthemindoftheirneighbours,bythishighlyremarkableexhibitionoftheirpersonalequation,willlonginuretothedisabilityofGermany’smenoflearningasaforcetobecountedoninthatteamworkthatisoftheessenceofthingsfortheadvancementoflearning。Ineffect,Germany,andGermany’sassociatesinthiswarlikeenterprise,willpresumablybefoundbankruptinthisrespectonthereturnofpeace,evenbeyondtheothernations。

Theseothershavealsonotescapedthetouchoftheangelofdecay,butthevisiblecorruptionofspiritualandintellectualvaluesdoesnotgothesamelengthamongthem。Norhavetheseotherssufferedsoheavyatollontheirprospectivescholarlymanpower。Itisallamatterofdegreeandofdifferentialdecline,coupledwithafailureofcorporateorganizationandoftheusagesandchannelsofcommunionandco—operation。

Chauvinisticself—sufficiencyanddisesteemoftheirneighbourshaveapparentlyalsonotgonesodeepandfaramongtheothernations;althoughhereagainitisonlyarelativedegreeofimmunitythattheyenjoy。

AndallthisholdstrueoftheAmericansinmuchthesamewayasoftherest;exceptthattheAmericanshave,atleasthitherto,notbeenexposedtotheblightinanythinglikethesamedegreeasanyoneofthoseotherpeopleswithwhomtheycomeincomparisonhere。Itis,ofcourse,noteasytosurmisewhatmayyetovertakethem,andtheotherswiththem;butjudgedonthecourseofthingshitherto,andontheapparentpromiseofthecalculablefuture,itisscarcelytobepresumedthattheAmericansareduetosuffersoextremeadegreeofdilapidationastheEuropeanpeoples,——evenapartfromtheaccentuatedevilcaseoftheGermans。Thestrainhashithertobeenlighterhere,anditpromisessotocontinue,whetherthefurtherdurationofthewarshallturnouttobelongerorshorter。TheAmericansare,afterall,somewhatshelteredfromtheimpact;andsosoonasthehystericalanxietyinducedbytheshockhashadtimetospenditself,itshouldreasonablybeexpectedthatthispeoplewillbeablesoberlytotakestockofitsassetsandtofindthatitsholdingsinthedomainofscienceandscholarshipare,inthemain,stillintact。

Notthatnolosshasbeenincurred,northatnomaterialdegreeofderangementistobelookedfor,butincomparisonwithwhattheexperienceofthewarisbringingtotheEuropeans,thecaseoftheAmericansshouldstillbethebestthereistobelookedforandthebestisalwaysgoodenough,perforce。Soitbecomesaquestion,whattheAmericanswilldowiththebestopportunitywhichthecircumstancesoffer。Andontheirconductoftheiraffairsinthisbearingturnsnotonlytheirownfortuneinrespectoftheinterestsofscienceandscholarship,butingreatmeasurethefortunesoftheiroverseasfriendsandco—partnersintherepublicoflearningaswell。

ThefortunesofwarpromisetoleavetheAmericanmenoflearninginastrategicposition,inthepositionofastrategicreserve,ofaforcetobeheldinreadiness,equippedandorganizedtomeettheemergencythatsoarises,andtoretrievesomuchasmaybeofthoseassetsofscholarlyequipmentandpersonnelthatmakethesubstantialcodeofWesterncivilization。

AndsoitbecomesaquestionofwhattheAmericansaremindedtodoaboutit。Itistheiropportunity,andatthesametimeitcarriesthegravestresponsibilitythathasyetfallenonthenation;forthespiritualfortunesofChristendomareboundupwiththelineofpolicywhichthissurvivingcontingentofAmericanmenoflearningshallseefittopursue。Theyarenotallthatistobeleftoverwhenthepowersofdecayshallbegintoretire,norarethey,perhaps,tobethebestandmostvaluablecontingentamongtheseprospectivesurvivors;buttheyoccupyastrategicposition,inthattheyaretodayjustlytobecreditedwithdisinterestedmotives,beyondtherest,atthesametimethattheycommandthosematerialresourceswithoutwhichthequestofknowledgecanhopetoachievelittlealongthemodernlinesofinquiry。Byforceofcircumstancestheyarethrownintothepositionofkeepersofthewaysandmeanswherebytherepublicoflearningistoretrieveitsfortunes。Byforceofcircumstancestheyareinaposition,iftheysochoose,tosheltermanyofthosemastersoffreeinquirywhomtheone—eyedforcesofreactionandpartisanshipoverseaswillseektosuppressandundo;andtheyarealsoinaposition,iftheysochoose,toinstallsomethinginthewayofaninternationalclearinghouseandprovisionalheadquartersfortheacademiccommunitythroughoutthatrangeofcivilizedpeopleswhosegoodwilltheynowenjoy——aplaceofrefugeandaplaceofmeeting,confluenceanddisseminationforthoseviewsandideasthatliveandmoveandhavetheirbeinginthehigherlearning。

Thereis,therefore,aworkofreconstructiontobetakencareofintherealmoflearning,nolessthanintheworkingschemeofeconomicandcivilinstitutions。Andasinthisotherworkofreconstruction,sohere;ifitistobedonewithoutundueconfusionandblunderingitisduetobesetafootbeforethefinalemergencyisathand。Butthereisthedifferencethat,whereastheframeworkofcivilinstitutionsmaystill,withpassablesuccess,bedrawnonnationallinesandconfinedwithinthenationalfrontiers;andwhiletheeconomicorganizationcanalso,withoutfatalloss,beconfinedinasimilarfashion,inresponsetoshort—sightedpatrioticpreconceptions;theinterestsofscience,andthereforeoftheacademiccommunity,donotrunonnationallinesandcannotsimilarlybeconfinedwithingeographicalorpoliticalboundaries。Inthenatureofthecasetheseinterestsareofaninternationalcharacterandcannotbetakencareofexceptbyunrestrictedcollusionandcollaborationamongthelearnedmenofallthosepeopleswhomitmayconcern。

Yetthereisnomistakingthefactthatthespiritofinvidiouspatriotismhasinvadedthesepremises,too,andpromisestobungletheoutcome;whichmakestheneededworkofreconstructionallthemoredifficultandallthemoreimperative。Unhappily,thestateofsentimentonbothsidesofthelineofcleavagewillpresumablynotadmitacordialunderstandingandco—operationbetweentheGermancontingentandtherestofthecivilizednations,forsometimetocome。Buttheothersareinaframeofmindthatshouldlenditselfgenerouslytoalargermeasureofco—operationinthisrespectnowthaneverbefore。

Soitmaynotseemoutofplacetoofferasuggestion,tentativelyandundercorrection,lookingtothisend。A

beginningmaywellbemadebyajointenterpriseamongAmericanscholarsanduniversitiesfortheinstallationofafreelyendowedcentralestablishmentwhereteachersandstudentsofallnationalities,includingAmericanswiththerest,maypursuetheirchosenworkasguestsoftheAmericanacademiccommunityatlarge,orasguestsoftheAmericanpeopleinthecharacterofademocracyofculture。Thereshouldalsobenothingtohindertheinstallationofmorethanoneoftheseacademichousesofrefugeandentertainment;norshouldtherebeanythingtohindertheenterprisebeingconductedonsuchtermsofamity,impartialityandcommunityinterestaswillmakerecoursetoitaneasymatterofcourseforanyscholarswhomitsopportunitiesmayattract。

Thesamecentralwouldatthesametime,andforthetimebeing,takecareofthosechannelsofcommunicationthroughouttheacademicworldthathavebeenfallingintoenforcedneglectunderthestrainofthewar。Soalsoshouldprovisionbemade,perhapsbestunderthesameauspices,forthe(transient)taking—overofthemanyessentiallinesofpublicityandpublicationonwhichthemenengagedinscholarlyandscientificinquiryhavelearnedtodepend,andwhichhavealsobeenfallingintosomethingofadeclineduringthewar。

Measureslookingtothisendmightwellbemade,atthesametime,toservenolessusefulapurposewithintheAmericanAcademiccommunity。Asiswellknown,thereprevailstodayanextensiveandwastefulcompetitiveduplicationofplant,organizationandpersonnelamongtheAmericanuniversities,asregardsbothpublicationsandcoursesofinstruction。

Particularlyisthistrueinrespectofthatadvancedworkoftheuniversitiesthathastodowiththehigherlearning。Atthesametime,theseuniversitiesarenowpinchedforfunds,duetothecurrentinflationofprices。Sothatanyproposalofthisnature,whichmightbetakenadvantageofasanoccasionforthepoolingofcommonissuesamongtheuniversities,mighthopefullybeexpectedtobewelcomedasameasureofpresentrelieffromsomepartofthepecuniarystrainunderwhichtheyarenowworking。

ButcompetitioniswellingrainedinthehabitualoutlookoftheAmericanschools。Totaketheissuetoneutralground,therefore,wherethiscompetitiveanimusmayhopefullybecountedontofindsomesalutaryabatement,itmaybesuggestedthatapracticablenucleusforthisproposedjointenterprisecanwellbefoundinoneoranother——perhapsinoneandanother——ofthoseextra—academicfoundationsforresearchofwhichtherealreadyareseveralinexistence,——as,e。g。,theCarnegieInstitution。Withsomewhatenlargedpowers,orperhapsratherwithsomeabatementofrestrictions,andwithsuchadditionalfundsasmayberequired,thenecessaryworkandorganizationshouldreadilybetakencareofbysuchaninstitution。Furthergrowthandramificationwouldbelefttofuturecounselandadvisement。

Thecontemplatedenterprisewouldnecessarilyrequireacertainplanningandorganizationofworkandsomethinginthewayofanadministrativeandclericalstaff,asettingupofsomethinginthewayof"organizationtables";buttherecanbenoquestionofofferingdetailedproposalsonthatheadhere。Yetthecautionmaywellbeenteredherethatfewspecificationsarebetterthanmany,inthesepremises,andthatthelargerthelatitudeallowedfromtheoutset,thefewertheseedsofeventualdefeat,——asisabundantlyillustratedbycontraries。

Itisalsoevidentthatsuchanenterprisewillinvolveprovisionforsomeexpenditureoffunds;presumablyasomewhatgenerousexpenditure;whichcomesnearimplyingthatrecourseshouldbehadtothepublicrevenues,ortoresourcesthatmaylegitimatelybetakenoverbythepublicauthoritiesfromprivatehandswheretheynowservenousefulpurpose。Therearemanyitemsofmaterialresourcesinthecountrythatcomelegitimatelyunderthishead。Atthesametimeitiswellinthisconnectiontocalltomindthatthereisnoprospectofthecountry’sbeinginanydegreeimpoverishedinthecourseofthewar;sothatthereneedbenoapprehensionofashortageofmeansforthecarryingonofsuchanenterprise,ifonlytheavailablesourcesaredrawnonwithoutprejudice。InthemindofanydisinterestedstudentoftheAmericaneconomicsituation,therecanbenoseriousapprehensionthattheAmericanpeople,collectively,willbeatallworseoffinpointofdisposablemeansatthecloseofthewarthantheywereatitsbeginning;quitethecontraryinfact。Toanyonewhowilllooktothefactsitisevidentthattheexperienceofthewar,andthemeasurestakenandtobetaken,areleadingtoaheightenedindustrialproductivenessandaconcomitanteliminationofwaste。Theresultingnetgaininproductiveefficiencyhasnotgoneatallfar,andthereneedbenoapprehensionofitsgoingtogreatlengths;but,formoreorless,itisgoingsofarassafelytopromisealargernetannualproductionofusefulgoodsintheimmediatefuturethanintheimmediatepast;andthedisposablemeansofanypeopleisalwaysamatterofthenetannualproduction,anditneedbeaquestionofnothingelse。Themannerinwhichthisnetproductis,andistobe,sharedamongtheclassesandindividualsofthecommunityisanotherquestion,whichdoesnotbelonghere。

Aquestionofgraverweightandofgreaterperplexitytouchesthepresumptiveattitudeoftheseveraluniversitiesandtheirdiscretionaryauthoritiesinthefaceofanyproposedmeasureofthiskind;wherethescopeoftheenterpriseissofarbeyondtheirhabitualrangeofinterest。Whenonecallstomindthehabitualparochialismofthegoverningboardsoftheseseminariesofthehigherlearning,andthemeticulousmanoeuvresoftheirexecutivesseekingeachtoenhancehisownprestigeandtheprestigeofhisownestablishment,thereisnotmuchofanevidentoutlookforlargeandgenerousmeasureslookingtothecommongood。Andyetitisalsotobecalledtomindthatthesegoverningboardsandexecutivesare,afterall,drawnfromthecommonstockofhumanity,pickedmenastheymaybe;andthattheyaresubject,afterall,tosomewhatthesameimpulsesandinfirmitiesasthecommonrun,pickedthoughtheymaybewithaviewtoparochialismandblamelessfutility。Now,whatisovertakingthetemperofthecommonrununderthestrainofthewarsituationshouldbeinstructiveastowhatmaybealsolookedforatthebandsofthesemeninwhosediscretionrestthefortunesoftheAmericanuniversities。Thereshouldbeatleastafightingchancethat,withsomethinglarger,manlier,moresubstantial,tooccupytheirattentionandtoshapetheday’sworkforthem,theseseminariesoflearningmay,underinstantpressure,turntheirbesteffortstotheirostensiblepurpose,"theincreaseanddiffusionofknowledgeamongmen,"andtoforegotheirhabitualpreoccupationwithpettyintrigueandbombasticpublicity,untilthereturnofidlerdays。

NOTES:

1。Aninquiryofthiskindhasbeenattemptedelsewhere:Cf。TheInstinctofWorkmanship。chaptervii,pp。321—340;"ThePlaceofScienceinModernCivilization",AmericanJournalofSociology。

Vol。XI(March,1906),pp。585—609;"TheEvolutionoftheScientificPointofView,"UniversityofCaliforniaChronicle(1908),Vol。X,No。4,pp。395—416。

2。Cf。TheInstinctofWorkmanshipandtheStateoftheIndustrialArts,ch。iandpp。30—45,52—62,84—89。

3。Inthecrudesurmisesofthepioneersinpragmatismthispropositionwasimplicitlydenied;intheirlaterandmoreadvisedlyformulatedpositionstheexpositorsofpragmatismhavemadepeacewithit。

4。Theessentialfunctionoftheuniversityistobringtogether,forthetransmissionofexperienceandimpulse,thesagesofthepassingandthepickedyouthsofthecominggeneration。Bytheextentandfulnesswithwhichtheyestablishthesesocialcontacts,andthustransmitthewaveofcumulativeexperienceandidealistimpulse——therealsourcesofmoralandintellectualprogress——theuniversitiesaretobejudged。——VictorBranford,InterpretationsandForecasts,ch。VI。"ThePresentasaTransition。"p288。

5。Cf。,Geo。T。Ladd,UniversityControl,p。349。

6。Cf。,e。g。,J。McKeenCattell,UniversityControl,PartIII,ch。V。,"ConcerningtheAmericanUniversity。""Theuniversityisthosewhoteachandthosewholearnandtheworktheydo。""Theuniversityisitsmenandtheirwork。Butcertainexternalsarenecessaryoratleastusual——buildingsandequipment,apresidentandtrustees。"

"ThepapersbyotherwritersassociatedwithMrCattellinthisvolumeruntothesameeffectwhenevertheytouchthesametopic;and,indeed,itwouldbedifficulttofindadeliberateexpressiontothecontraryamongmenentitledtospeakinthesepremises。

Itmaybeinplacetoaddherethatthevolumereferredto,onUniversityControl,hasbeenhadinmindthroughoutthefollowinganalysisandhasservedasgroundandmaterialformuchoftheargument。

7。Cf。TheInstinctofWorkmanship,ch。vi,vii。

8。Withthecurrentreactionarytrendofthingspoliticalandciviltowardmediaeval—barbarianpoliciesandhabitsofthoughtintheFatherland,somethingofacorrelativechangehasalsolatterlycomeinevidenceintheGermanuniversities;sothatwhatissubstantially"cameralisticscience"——trainingandinformationforprospectivecivilservantsandpolicemagistratesisinsomeappreciablemeasuredisplacingdisinterestedinquiryinthefieldofeconomicsandpoliticaltheory。ThisispeculiarlytrueofthosecorporationsoflearningthatcomecloselyintouchwiththeCultusMinisterium。

9。Cf。"SomeConsiderationsOntheFunctionoftheStateUniversity。"(InauguralAddressofEdmundJanesJames,Ph。D。,LL。D。),Science,November17,1905。

CHAPTERII

TheGoverningBoardsIntheworkingtheoryofthemoderncivilizedcommunity,——

thatistosayinthecurrentcommon—senseapprehensionofwhatisrightandgood,asitworksoutinthelongrun,——theuniversityisacorporationoflearning,disinterestedanddispassionate。Toitskeepingisentrustedthecommunity’sjointinterestinesotericknowledge。Itisgivenovertothesingle—mindedpursuitofscienceandscholarship,withoutafterthoughtandwithoutaviewtointerestssubsidiaryorextraneoustothehigherlearning。Itis,indeed,theonegreatinstitutionofmoderntimesthatworkstonoulteriorendandiscontrolledbynoconsiderationofexpediencybeyonditsownwork。

Typically,normally,inpointofpopulartheory,theuniversityismovedbynoconsiderationotherthan"theincreaseanddiffusionofknowledgeamongmen。"Thisissobecausethisprofitlessquestofknowledgehascometobethehighestandulterioraimofmodernculture。

Suchhasbeenthecase,increasingly,forsomegenerationspast;butitisnotuntilquiterecentlythatsuchastatementwouldholdtrueunequivocallyandwithanunqualifiedgenerality。

Thatthecasestandssotodayisduetothefailureoftheoreticalinterestsofadifferentkind;directlyandimmediatelyitisduetothefactthatintheimmediatepresentthecultofknowledgehas,bydefault,takenoverthatprimacyamonghumaninterestswhichaneschatologicallythriftyreligioussentimentonceheldintheesteemofChristendom。SolongasthefearofGodstillcontinuedtomovethegeneralityofcivilizedmeninsufficientmeasure,theirtheoreticalknowledgewasorganizedfor"thegloryofGodandthegoodofman,"——thelatterphrasebeingtakenintheeschatologicalsense;andsolongtheresultingschemeoflearningwaslaidoutandcultivatedwithaneyetothemainchanceinahereaftergivenover,inthemainandforitsmajoreffect,topainsandpenalties。WiththelatterdaydissipationofthisfearofGod,theschemeofknowledgehandeddownoutofadevoutpastandfurtheramplifiedinthe(theoretically)Godlesspresent,has,byatrophyofdisuse,lostitsulteriorviewtosuchspiritualexpediency,andhascometostandoverasanoutputofintellectualenterpriseworkingundertheimpulsionandguidanceofanidlecuriositysimply。Allthismaynotbemuchtothecreditofcivilizedmankind,butdispassionatereflectionwillnotleavethefactindoubt。Andtheoutcomefortheuniversity,consideredasaninstitutionofthismodernculture,issuchasthisconjunctureofcircumstanceswillrequire。

Butwhilesuchisthedispassionateworkingtheory,thelong—termdriftofmoderncommonsenseastouchestheworkoftheuniversity,itisalsoamatterofcoursethatthisideallysingle—mindedcourseofactionhasneverbeenrealizedinanyconcretecase。Whileitholdstrue,byandlarge,thatmodernChristendomhasoutlivedthefearofGod,——thatistosayof"thePope,theTurk,andtheDevil,"——itdoesnotthereforefollowthatmentakealessinstantinterestintheaffairsoflife,orcarryonthetrafficoftheirliveswithalessalerteyetothemainchance,thantheyoncedidunderthehabitualshadowofthatbarbarianfear。Thedifferenceis,forthepurposeinhand,thatthesamesolicitousattentionthatonceconvergedonsuchanavoidanceofulteriorconsequencesnowcentresonquestionsofpresentwaysandmeans。Worldlywisdomhasnotfallenintodecayorabeyance,butithasbecomeawisdomofwaysandmeansthatleadtonothingbeyondfurtherwaysandmeans。

Expediencyandpracticalconsiderationshavecometomeanconsiderationsofapecuniarykind;good,onthewhole,forpecuniarypurposesonly;thatistosay,gainandexpenditureforthesakeoffurthergainandexpenditure,withnothingthatwillstandscrutinyasafinaltermtothistrafficinwaysandmeans,——exceptonlythiscultoftheidlecuriositytowhichtheseatsoflearningare,intheory,dedicate。Butunremittinghabituationtothecompetitivepursuitofwaysandmeanshasdeterminedthat"practical"interestsofthiscomplexionruleworkdaylifeinthemoderncommunitythroughout,andtheyarethereforesointimatelyandubiquitouslyboundupwithcurrenthabitsofthought,andhavesostrongandimmediateaholdoncurrentworkdaysentiment,that,hitherto,innocasehavetheseatsoflearningbeenabletopursuetheirquestofknowledgewithanythinglikethatsingle—mindednesswhichacademicmenaremovedtoprofessintheirmomentsofacademicelation。

Someonevitalinterestofthispracticalsort,somevariantofthequestofgain,isalwaysathandandstrenuouslyeffectiveinthecommunity’slife,andthereforedominatestheireverydayhabitsofthoughtforthetimebeing。Thistone—givingdominanceofsuchaworkdayinterestmaybetransientorrelativelyenduring;itmaybemoreorlessurgentlyimportantandconsequentialunderthecircumstancesinwhichthecommunityisplaced,ortheclamourofitsspokesmenandbeneficiariesmaybemoreorlessubiquitousandpertinacious;butinanycaseitwillhaveitseffectinthecounselsofthe"Educators,"andsoitwillinfecttheuniversityaswellasthelowerlevelsoftheeducationalsystem。Sothat,whilethehigherlearningstillremainsastheenduringpurposeandsubstantialinterestoftheuniversityestablishment,thedominantpracticalinterestsofthedaywill,transientlybuteffectually,governthedetaillinesofacademicpolicy,therangeofinstructionoffered,andthecharacterofthepersonnel;andmoreparticularlyandimmediatelywillthecharacterofthegoverningboardsandtheacademicadministrationsobedeterminedbythecurrentrunofpopularsentimenttouchingthecommunity’spracticalneedsandaims;

sincetheserulingbodiesstand,inonewayoranother,underthecriticalsurveillanceofalayconstituency。

TheolderAmericanuniversitieshavegrownoutofunderlyingcolleges,——undergraduateschools。WithinthememoryofmenstilllivingitwasanearlyunbrokenrulethatthegoverningboardsofthesehigherAmericanschoolsweredrawnlargelyfromtheclergyandwerealsoguidedmainlybyecclesiastical,oratleastbydevotional,notionsofwhatwasrightandneedfulinmattersoflearning。ThisstateofthingsreflectedtheingraineddevoutnessofthatportionoftheAmericancommunitytowhichthehigherschoolsthenwereofmuchsignificance。Atthesametimeitreflectedthehistoricalfactthatthecollegesoftheearlydayshadbeenestablishedprimarilyastrainingschoolsforministersofthechurch。Intheirlatergrowth,intherecentpast,whilethechiefpurposeoftheseseminarieshasnolongerbeenreligious,yetecclesiasticalprepossessionslongcontinuedtomarkthepermissiblelimitsofthelearningwhichtheycultivated,andcontinuedalsotoguardthecurriculumanddisciplineoftheschools。

Thatphaseofacademicpolicyispast。Dueregardatleastis,ofcourse,stillhadtothereligiousproprieties——theAmericancommunity,byandlarge,isstillthemostdevoutofcivilizedcountries——butsuchregardonthepartoftheacademicauthoritiesnowproceedsongroundsofbusinesslikeexpediencyratherthanonreligiousconvictionoronanecclesiasticalorpriestlybiasintherulingbodies。Itisaconcessiveprecautiononthepartofaworldly—wisedirectorate,inviewofthedevoutprejudicesofthosewhoknownobetter。

TheruleoftheclergybelongsvirtuallytotheprehistoryoftheAmericanuniversities。Whilethatruleheldtherewerefewifanyschoolsthatshouldproperlyberatedasofuniversitygrade。

Evennow,itistrue,muchofthesecondaryschoolsystem,includingthegreaterpart,thoughadiminishingnumber,ofthesmallercolleges,isunderthetutelageoftheclergy;andtheacademicheadso*theseschoolsarealmostuniversallymenofecclesiasticalstandingandbiasratherthanofscholarlyattainments。Butthatfactdoesnotcallforparticularnoticehere,sincetheseschoolslieoutsidetheuniversityfield,andsooutsidethescopeofthisinquiry。

Foragenerationpast,whiletheAmericanuniversitieshavebeencomingintolineasseminariesofthehigherlearning,therehasgoneonawide—reachingsubstitutionoflaymenintheplaceofclergymenonthegoverningboards。Thisprogressivesecularizationissufficientlynotorious,eventhoughtherearesomeamongtheolderestablishmentsthetermsofwhosechartersrequirealargeproportionofclergymenontheirboards。Thissecularizationisentirelyconsonantwiththeprevailingdriftofsentimentinthecommunityatlarge,asisshownbytheuniformanduncriticalapprovalwithwhichitisregarded。Thesubstitutionisasubstitutionofbusinessmenandpoliticians;

whichamountstosayingthatitisasubstitutionofbusinessmen。

Sothatthediscretionarycontrolinmattersofuniversitypolicynowrestsfinallyinthehandsofbusinessmen。

Thereasonwhichmenprefertoallegeforthisstateofthingsisthesensibleneedofexperiencedmenofaffairstotakecareofthefiscalconcernsoftheseuniversitycorporations;forthetypicalmodernuniversityisacorporationpossessedoflargepropertyanddisposingoflargeaggregateexpenditures,sothatitwillnecessarilyhavemanyandoftendelicatepecuniaryintereststobelookedafter。Itisatthesametimeheldtobeexpedientincaseofemergencytohaveseveralwealthymenidentifiedwiththegoverningboard,andsuchmenofwealtharealsocommonlybusinessmen。Itisapparentlybelieved,thoughonjustwhatgroundthissanguinebeliefrestsdoesnotappear,thatincaseofemergencythewealthymembersoftheboardsmaybecountedontospendtheirsubstanceinbehalfoftheuniversity。

Inpointoffact,atanyrate,poormenandmenwithoutlargeexperienceinbusinessaffairsarefelttohavenoplaceinthesebodies。Ifbyanychancesuchmen,withouttheduepecuniaryqualifications,shouldcometomakeupamajority,orevenanappreciableminorityofsuchagoverningboard,thesituationwouldbeviewedwithsomeapprehensionbyallpersonsinterestedinthecaseandcognizantofthefacts。Theonlyexceptionmightbecaseswhere,bytradition,theboardhabituallyincludesaconsiderableproportionofclergymen:

"SuchgreatregardisalwayslentBymentoancientprecedent。"

Thereasonsallegedarenodoubtconvincingtothosewhoarereadytobesoconvinced,buttheyareafterallmoreplausibleatfirstsightthanonreflection。Inpointoffactthesebusinesslikegoverningboardscommonlyexerciselittleifanycurrentsurveillanceofthecorporateaffairsoftheuniversity,beyondadirectiveoversightofthedistributionofexpendituresamongtheseveralacademicpurposesforwhichthecorporateincomeistobeused;thatistosay,theycontrolthebudgetofexpenditures;whichcomestosayingthattheyexerciseapecuniarydiscretioninthecasemainlyinthewayofdecidingwhatthebodyofacademicmenthatconstitutestheuniversitymayormaynotdowiththemeansinhand;thatistosay,theirpecuniarysurveillancecomesinthemaintoaninterferencewiththeacademicwork,themeritsofwhichthesemenofaffairsonthegoverningboardareinnospecialdegreequalifiedtojudge。

Beyondthis,astouchestheactualrunningadministrationofthecorporation’sinvestments,incomeandexpenditures,——allthatistakencareofbypermanentofficialswhohave,astheynecessarilymust,soleandresponsiblechargeofthosematters。

Eventheauditingofthecorporation’saccountsiscommonlyvestedinsuchofficersofthecorporation,whohavenonebutaformal,ifany,directconnectionwiththegoverningboard。Thegoverningboard,ormorecommonlyacommitteeoftheboard,ontheotherhand,willthenformallyreviewthebalancesheetsandbundlesofvouchersdulysubmittedbythecorporation’sfiscalofficersandtheirclericalforce,——withsucheffectofcomplaisantoversightaswillbestbeappreciatedbyanypersonwhohasbadthefortunetolookintotheaccountsofalargecorporation。

Sofarasregardsitspecuniaryaffairsandtheirdueadministration,thetypicalmodernuniversityisinaposition,withoutlossordetriment,todispensewiththeservicesofanyboardoftrustees,regents,curators,orwhatnot。Exceptfortheinsuperabledifficultyofgettingahearingforsuchanextraordinaryproposal,itshouldbenodifficultmattertoshowthatthesegoverningboardsofbusinessmencommonlyarequiteuselesstotheuniversityforanybusinesslikepurpose。Indeed,exceptforastubbornprejudicetothecontrary,thefactshouldreadilybeseenthattheboardsareofnomaterialuseinanyconnection;theirsoleeffectualfunctionbeingtointerferewiththeacademicmanagementinmattersthatarenotofthenatureofbusiness,andthatlieoutsidetheircompetenceandoutsidetherangeoftheirhabitualinterest。

关闭