第13章

ThisincursionofpecuniaryidealsinacademicpolicyisseenatitsbroadestandbaldestintheSchoolsofCommerce，——

"CommerceandPolitics，""BusinessTraining，""CommerceandAdministration，""CommerceandFinance，"orwhatevermaybethephraseselectedtodesignatethesupersessionoflearningbyworldlywisdom。Facilityincompetitivebusinessistotaketheplaceofscholarship，asthegoalofuniversitytraining，because，itisalleged，theformeristhemoreuseful。TherulinginterestofChristendom，inthisview，ispecuniarygain。Andtrainingforcommercialmanagementstandstothisrulinginterestofthemoderncommunityinarelationanalogoustothatinwhichtheologyandhomileticsstoodtotherulinginterestinthoseearliertimeswhenthesalvationofmen’ssoulswastheprimeobjectofsolicitude。Suchaseminaryofbusinesshassomethingofasacerdotaldignity。Itistheappointedkeeperofthehigherbusinessanimus。（7*）

Suchaschool，withitscorpsofinstructorsanditsequipment，standsintheuniversityonatenuresimilartothatofthedivinityschool。Bothschoolsareequallyextraneoustothat"intellectualenterprise"inbehalfofwhich，ostensibly，theuniversityismaintained。Butwhilethedivinityschoolbelongstotheoldorderandislosingitspreferentialholdonthecorporationoflearning，theschoolofcommercebelongstotheneworderandisgainingground。Theprimacyamongpragmaticinterestshaspassedfromreligiontobusiness，andtheschoolofcommerceistheexponentandexpositorofthisprimacy。Itistheperfectflowerofthesecularizationoftheuniversities。Andashasalreadybeenremarkedabove，thereisalsoawide—sweepingmovementafoottobendtheordinarycurriculumofthehigherschoolstotheserviceofthiscultofbusinessprinciples，andsotomaketheordinaryinstructionconvergetotheadvancementofbusinessenterprise，verymuchasitwasoncedutifullyarrangedthatthehigherinstructionshouldbesubservienttoreligiousteachingandconsonantwiththedemandsofdevoutobservancesandcreeds。

ItisnotthattheCollegeofCommercestandsaloneastheexponentofworldlywisdominthemodernuniversities;norisitspositioninthisrespectsingular，exceptinthedegreeofitsremotenessfromallproperlyacademicinterests。Othertrainingschools，asinengineeringandintheotherprofessions，belongunderthesamegeneralcategoryofpracticalaims，ascontrastedwiththeaimsofthehigherlearning。ButtheCollegeofCommercestandsoutpre—eminentamongthesevarioustrainingschoolsintworespects:（a）Whilethegreatproportionoftrainingfortheotherprofessionsdrawslargelyontheresultsofmodernscienceforwaysandmeans，andthereforeincludesorpresumesadegreeoffamiliaritywiththework，aimsandmethodsofthesciences，sothattheseschoolshavesomuchofabondofcommunitywiththehigherlearning，theschoolofcommerceontheotherhandneedscarcelytakecognizanceoftheachievementsofscience，norneeditpresumeanydegreeofacquaintanceonthepartofitsstudentsoradeptswiththematterorlogicofthesciences;（8*）

（b）invaryingdegrees，theproficiencygivenbytrainingintheotherprofessionalschools，andrequiredfortheefficientpursuitoftheotherprofessions，maybeserviceabletothecommunityatlarge;whereasthebusinessproficiencyinculcatedbytheschoolsofcommercehasnosuchserviceability，beingdirectedsinglytoafacilecommandofthewaysandmeansofprivategain。（9*）Thetrainingthatleadsuptotheseveralotherprofessions，ofcourse，variesgreatlyinrespectofitsdraughtonscientificinformation，aswellasinthedegreeofitsserviceabilitytothecommunity;someoftheprofessions，as，e。

g。，Law，approachveryclosetothecharacterofbusinesstraining，bothintheunscientificandunscholarlynatureoftherequiredtrainingandintheiruselessnesstothecommunity;

whileothers，as，e。g。，Medicineandthevariouslinesofengineering，differwidelyfromcommercialtraininginbothoftheserespects。WiththemainexceptionofLaw（and，somewouldadd，ofDivinity？）theprofessionalschoolstrainmenforworkthatisofsomesubstantialusetothecommunityatlarge。Thisisparticularlytrueofthetechnologicalschools。Butwhilethetechnologicalschoolsmaybeoccupiedwithworkthatisofsubstantialuse，andwhiletheymaydrawmoreorlessextensivelyonthesciencesfortheirmaterialsandevenfortheirmethods，theycannot，forallthat，claimstandingintheuniversityonthegroundofthatdisinterestedintellectualenterprisewhichistheuniversity’speculiardomain。

Theprofessionalknowledgeandskillofphysicians，surgeons，dentists，pharmacists，agriculturists，engineersofallkinds，perhapsevenofjournalists，isofsomeusetothecommunityatlarge，atthesametimethatitmaybeprofitabletothebearersofit。Thecommunityhasasubstantialinterestintheadequatetrainingofthesemen，althoughitisnotthatintellectualinterestthatattachestoscienceandscholarship。Butsuchisnotthecasewiththetrainingdesignedtogiveproficiencyinbusiness。Nogaincomestothecommunityatlargefromincreasingthebusinessproficiencyofanynumberofitsyoungmen。Therearealreadymuchtoomanyofthesebusinessmen，muchtooastuteandproficientintheircalling，forthecommongood。Ahigheraveragebusinessefficiencysimplyraisesactivityandavidityinbusinesstoahigheraveragepitchofskillandfervour，withverylittleothermaterialresultthanaredistributionofownership;sincebusinessisoccupiedwiththecompetitivewealth，notwithitsproduction。Itisonlybyaeuphemisticmetaphorthatweareaccustomedtospeakofthebusinessmenasproducersofgoods。Gainsduetosuchefficiencyaredifferentialgainsonly。Theyareadifferentialasagainstotherbusinessmenontheonehand，andasagainsttherestofthecommunityontheotherhand。TheworkoftheCollegeofCommerce，accordingly，isapeculiarlyfutilelineofendeavourforanypublicinstitution，inthatitservesneithertheintellectualadvancementnorthematerialwelfareofthecommunity。

Thegreaterthenumberandthehighertheproficiencyofthecommunity’sbusinessmen，otherthingsequal，theworsemusttherestofthecommunitycomeoffinthatgameofskilledbargainingandshrewdmanagementbywhichthebusinessmengettheirgains。

Gratuitousorpartlygratuitoustrainingforbusinesswillpresumablyincreasethenumberofhighlyproficientbusinessmen。

Astheold—fashionedeconomistswouldexpressit，itwillincreasethenumberof"middlemen，"ofmenwho"livebytheirwits。"Atthesametimeitshouldpresumablyincreasetheaverageefficiencyofthisincreasednumber。Theoutcomeshouldbethattheresultingbodyofbusinessmenwillbeable，betweenthem，tosecurealargerproportionoftheaggregatewealthofthecommunity;leavingtherestofthecommunitypoorerbythatmuch，exceptforthat（extremelydoubtful）amountbywhichshrewdbusinessmanagementislikelytoincreasethematerialwealth—producingcapacityofthecommunity。Anysuchpresumedincreaseofwealth—producingcapacityisanincidentalconcomitantofbusinesstraffic，andinthenatureofthecaseitcannotequaltheaggregateincreasedgainthatgoestothebusinessmen。Atthebestthequestionastotheeffectwhichsuchanaggregateincreasedbusinessefficiencywillhaveonthecommunity’smaterialwelfareisaquestionofhowlargethenetlosswillbe;thatitwillentailanetlossonthecommunityatlargeisinfactnotanopenquestion。

Acollegeofcommerceisdesignedtoserveanemulativepurposeonly——individualgainregardlessof，oratthecostof，thecommunityatlarge——anditis，therefore，peculiarlyincompatiblewiththecollectiveculturalpurposeoftheuniversity。Itbelongsinthecorporationoflearningnomorethanadepartmentofathletics。（10*）Bothalikegivetrainingthatisofnousetothecommunity，except，perhaps，asasentimentalexcitement。Neitherbusinessproficiencynorproficiencyinathleticcontestsneedbedecried，ofcourse。Theyhavetheirvalue，tothebusinessmenandtotheathletes，respectively，chieflyasameansoflivelihoodatthecostoftherestofthecommunity，anditistobepresumedthattheyareworthwhiletothosewhogoinforthatsortofthing。Bothalikearerelatedtothelegitimateendsoftheuniversityasadrainonitsresourcesandanimpairmentofitsscholarlyanimus。Asrelatedtotheostensiblepurposesofauniversity，therefore，thesupportandconductofsuchschoolsattheexpenseoftheuniversitiesistobeconstruedasabreachoftrust。

Whathasjustbeensaidoftheschoolsofcommerceis，ofcourse，truealsooftheothertrainingschoolscomprisedinthislatterdayuniversitypolicy，inthedegreeinwhichtheseothersaimatthelikeemulativeandunscholarlyresults。Itholdstrueofthelawschools，e。g。，typicallyandmorelargelythanofthegeneralityofprofessionalandtechnicalschools。Bothinpointofthepurelycompetitivevalueoftheirtrainingandoftheunscientificcharacteroftheirwork，thelawschoolsareinverymuchthesamecaseastheschoolsofcommerce;and，nodoubt，theacceptedinclusionoflawschoolsintheuniversitycorporationhasmadetheintrusionoftheschoolsofcommercemucheasierthanitotherwisewouldhavebeen。Thelawschool’sinclusionintheuniversitycorporationhasthecountenanceofancienttradition，itcomesdownasanauthenticusagefromthemediaevaleraofEuropeaneducation，andfromthepre—historyoftheAmericanuniversities。Butinpointofsubstantialmeritthelawschoolbelongsinthemodernuniversitynomorethanaschooloffencingordancing。ThisisparticularlytrueoftheAmericanlawschools，inwhichtheAustinianconceptionoflawisfollowed，anditismoreparticularlytruethemoreconsistentlythe"casemethod"isadheredto。Theseschoolsdevotethemselveswithgreatsinglenesstothetrainingofpractitioners，asdistinctfromjurists;andtheirteachersstandinarelationtotheirstudentsanalogoustothatinwhichthe"coaches"standtotheathletes。

Whatishadinviewistheexigencies，expedientsandstrategyofsuccessfulpractice;andnotsomuchagraspofeventhosequasi—scientificarticlesofmetaphysicsthatlieattherootofthelegalsystem。Whatisrequiredandinculcatedinthewayofaknowledgeoftheseelementsoflawisafamiliaritywiththeirstrategicuse。

TheprofessionoftheLawis，ofcourse，anhonourableprofession，anditisdoubtlessbelievedbyitsapologiststobeausefulprofession，onthewhole;butabodyoflawyerssomewhatlessnumerous，andwithaloweraverageproficiencyinlegalsubtletiesandexpedients，wouldunquestionablybequiteasserviceabletothecommunityatlargeasalargernumberofsuchmenwithahigherefficiency;atthesametimetheywouldbelesscostly，bothastoinitialcostandastotheexpensesofmaintenancethatcomeofthatexcessivevolumeandretardationoflitigationduetoanextremefacilityinlegaltechniqueonthepartofthemembersofthebar。

Itwillalsobefoundtruethatboththeschoolsoflawandthoseofcommerce，andinalessdegreetheothervocationalschools，servetheadvantageofoneclassasagainstanother。Inthemeasureinwhichtheseschoolsaccomplishwhattheyaimat，theyincreasetheadvantageofsuchmenasalreadyhavesomeadvantageoverthecommonrun。Theinstructionishalf—waygratuitous;thatisthepurposeofplacingtheseschoolsonafoundationormaintainingthematthepublicexpense。Itispresumedtobeworthmorethanitscosttothestudents。Thefeesandotherincidentalexpensesdonotnearlycoverthecostoftheschools;otherwisenofoundationorsupportfromthepublicfundswouldberequired，andtheuniversitieswouldhavenocolourableexcuseforgoingintothisfield。Buteveniftheinstructionandfacilitiesofferedbytheseschoolsarevirtuallygratuitous，yetthefeesandincidentalexpenses，togetherwiththeexpenditureoftimeandthecostoflivingrequiredforaresidenceattheschools，makeupsoconsiderableanitemofexpenseaseffectuallytoexcludethemajorityofthoseyoungmenwhomightotherwisebeinclinedtoavailthemselvesoftheseadvantages。Ineffect，nonecanaffordthetimeandexpenseofthisbusinesstraining，whetherinCommerce，Law，ortheotherprofessions，exceptthosewhoarealreadypossessedofsomethingmorethantheaveragewealthoraverageincome;andnone，presumably，takekindlytothistraining，incommerceorlaw，e。g。，exceptthosewhoalreadyhavesomethingmorethantheaveragetasteandaptitudeforbusinesstraffic，orwhohaveapromising"opening"

ofthischaracterinsight。Sothatthistrainingthatisdesiredtoservetheprivateadvantageofcommercialstudentsis，forthegreaterpart，extendedtoaselectbodyofyoungmen;onlysuchapplicantsbeingeligible，ineffect，asdonotonanyshowingneedthisgratuity。

Inproportiontotheworkwhichitundertakes，theCollegeofCommerceis——oritwouldbeifitliveduptoitsprofessions——themostexpensivebranchoftheuniversitycorporation。Inthisconnectionthecaseofthelawschooloffersasignificantobject—lessonofwhattoexpectinthefurthergrowthoftheschoolsofcommerce。Thelawschoolisofolderstandingandmaturergrowth，atthesametimethatitsaimsandcircumstancesareofmuchthesamegeneralcharacterasthosethatconditiontheschoolsofcommerce;anditisthereforetobetakenasindicatingsomethingofwhatmustbelookedforinthecollegeofcommerceifitistodotheworkforwhichitisestablished。Theindications，then，are（a）thattheinstructioninthefieldofcommercialtrainingmaybeexpectedgraduallytofallintoamorerigidlydrawncurriculum，whichwilldiscardallirrelevanttheoreticalexcursionsandwilldivergemoreandmorewidelyfromthewaysofscientificinquiry，inproportionasexperienceandtactfulorganizationbringtheschooltoamaturerinsightintoitspurposesandamoreconsistentadherencetoitschiefpurposeoftrainingexpertmenforthehigherbusinesspractice;and（b）

thatthepersonnelofitsstaffmustincreasinglybedrawnfromamongthesuccessfulbusinessmen，ratherthanfrommenofacademictraining。

Amongtheimmediateconsequencesofthislatterfeature，asshownintheexampleofthelawschools，isarelativelyhighcost。Thescheduleofsalariesinthelawschoolsattachedtotheuniversities，e。g。，runsappreciablyhigherthanintheuniversityproper。thereasonbeing，ofcourse，thatmensuitableefficientlytoserveasinstructorsanddirectiveofficialsinaschooloflawarealmostnecessarilymenwhoseservicesinthepracticeofthelawwouldcommandahighrateofpay。Whatisneededinthelawschool（asintheschoolofcommerce）ismenwhoarepracticallyconversantwiththewaysandmeansofearninglargefees，——thatbeingthepointofitall。Indeed，thescaleofpaywhichtheirserviceswillcommandintheopenmarketisthechiefandordinarytestoftheirfitnessfortheworkofinstruction。Thesalariespaidthesemenofaffairs，whohavesobeendivertedtotheserviceoftheschools，iscommonlysomemultipleofthesalaryassignedtomenofacomparableabilityandattainmentsintheacademicworkproper。Theacademicrankassignedthemisalsonecessarily，andforthelikereason，commensuratewiththeirhigherscaleofpay;allofwhichthrowsanunduepreponderanceofdiscretionandauthorityintothehandsofthesemenofaffairs，andsointroducesadisproportionatebiasinfavourofunscientificandunscholarlyaimsandidealsintheuniversityatlarge。

Judgedbytheexampleofthelawschools，then，thecollegeofcommerce，ifitistoliveandthrive，maybecountedontodivertamuchlargerbodyoffundsfromlegitimateuniversityuses，andtocreatemoreofabiashostiletoscholarlyandscientificworkintheacademicbody，thanthemerenumericalshowingofitsstaffwouldsuggest。Itisfairlytobeexpectedthatcapablemenofaffairs，drawnfromthetrafficofsuccessfulbusinessforthisservice，willrequireevenahigherrateofpay，atthesametimethattheywillbeevenmorecordiallyoutofsympathywiththeidealsofscholarship，thanthepersonnelofthelawschools。Suchwillnecessarilybetheoutcome，iftheseschoolsareatalleffectuallytoservethepurposeforwhichtheyarecreated。

Butforthepresent，asmattersstandnow，neartheinceptionofthisenterpriseintrainingmastersofgain，suchanoutcomehasnotbeenreached。Neitherhavetheschoolsofcommerceyetbeenplacedonsuchafootingofexpensivenessandauthoritativediscretionasthehighsanctionofthequestofgainwouldseemproperlytoassignthem;norarethey，asatpresentorganizedandequipped，atalleminentlyfittocarryouttheworkentrustedtotheircare。Commonly，itistobeadmitted，themenselectedforthestaffaremenofsomeacademictraining，ratherthanmenofaffairswhohaveshownevidenceoffitnesstogivecounselandinstruction，byeminentlygainfulsuccessinbusiness。Theyare，indeed，commonlymenofmoderateratingintheacademiccommunity，andarevestedwithamoderaterankandauthority;andtheemolumentsoftheseofficesarealsosuchasattachtopositionsofamiddlinggradeinacademicwork，insteadofbeingcomparablewiththegainsthatcometocapablemenengagedinthelargebusinessoutside。Yetitisfromamongthesehighergradesofexpertbusinessmenoutsidethattheschoolsofcommercemustdrawtheirstaffofinstructorsandtheiradministrativeofficersiftheyaretoaccomplishthetaskproposedtothem。Amovementinthisdirectionisalreadyvisiblysettingin。

Itisreasonablytobeexpectedthatoneortheotherresultshouldfollow:eitherthecollegeofcommercemustremain，somewhatasinpracticeitnowis，somethinginthewayofanacademicdivision，withanacademicroutineandstandards，andwithanunfulfilledambitiontoservethehigherneedsofbusinesstraining;withapoorlypaidstaffofnondescriptacademicmen，notpeculiarlyfittedtoleadtheirstudentsintothestraightandnarrowwayofbusinesssuccess，noryeteminentlyequippedforatheoreticalinquiryintothephenomenaofbusinesstrafficandtheirunderlyingcausessothattheschoolwillcontinuetostand，ineffect，asamoreorlesspedanticandequivocaladjunctofadepartmentofeconomics;ortheschoolsmustbeendowedandorganizedwithalargerandstricterregardtotheneedsofthehigherbusinesstraffic;withapersonnelcomposedofmenofthehighestbusinesstalentandattainments，temptedfromsuchsuccessfulbusinesstrafficbytheofferofsalariescomparablewiththosepaidtheresponsibleofficialsoflargecorporationsengagedinbanking，railroading，andindustrialenterprises，——andtheymustalsobefittedoutwithanequipmentofacorrespondingmagnitudeandliberality。

Apartfromalargeandcostlymaterialequipment，suchacollegewouldalso，undercurrentconditions，havetobeprovidedwithavirtuallyunlimitedfundfortravellingexpenses，tocarryitsstaffanditsstudentstotheseveraltypicalseatsandcentresofbusinesstrafficandmaintainthemthereforthatrequisitepersonalcontactwithaffairsthatalonecancontributetoapracticalcomprehensionofbusinessstrategy。Inshort，theschoolswouldhavetomeetthoserequirementsoftrainingandinformationwhichmenwhotodayaimtopreparethemselvesforthelargerbusinesswillcommonlyspendexpensiveyearsofapprenticeshiptoacquire。Itiseminentlytrueinbusinesstraining，verymuchasitisinmilitarystrategy，thatnothingwilltaketheplaceoffirst—handobservationandpersonalcontactwiththeprocessesandprocedureinvolved;andsuchfirst—handcontactistobehadonlyatthecostofamoreorlessprotractedstaywherethevariouslinesofbusinessarecarriedon。

ThecreationandmaintenanceofsuchaCollegeofCommerce，onsuchascaleaswillmakeitanythingmorethanadubiousmake—believe，wouldmanifestlyappeartobebeyondthepowersofanyexistinguniversity。Sothatthebestthatcanbecompassedinthisway，orthathasbeenachieved，bythemeansatthedisposalofanyuniversityhitherto，isacrossbetweenasecondaryschoolforbank—clerksandtravellingsalesmenandasubsidiarydepartmentofeconomics。

Allthisapplieswithgraduallylessenedforcetotheothervocationalschools，occupiedwithtrainingforoccupationsthatareofmoresubstantialusetothecommunityandlesswidelyoutoftouchwiththehigherlearning。Inthelightoftheirprofessionsontheonesideandthedegreeoftheirfulfilmentontheother，itwouldbehazardoustoguesshowfartheuniversitydirectorateinanygivencaseisanimatedwithaspontaneouszealforthefurtheranceofthese"practical"aimswhichtheuniversitiessopursue，andhowfarontheotherhanditmaybeamatterofpoliticmanagement，tobringcontenttothosecommercially—mindedlaymenwhosegood—willisratedasavaluableasset。Thesemenofsubstancehaveahighappreciationofbusinessefficiency——aspeciesofself—respect，andthereforeheldasapointofhonour——andareconsequentlyinclinedtoratealleducationintermsofearning—capacity。Failuretomeetthepresumedwishesofthebusinessmeninthismatter，itisapprehended，wouldmeanalossofsupportinendowmentandenrolment。Andsinceendowmentandenrolment，beingthechiefelementsofvisiblesuccess，arethetwomainendsofcurrentacademicpolicy，itisincumbentonthedirectoratetoshapetheirpolicyaccordingly。

Sotheacademicauthoritiesfacethechoicebetweenscholarlyefficiencyandvocationaltraining，andhithertotheresulthasbeenequivocal。Thedirectorateshouldpresumablybeinapositiontoappreciatethedriftoftheirownaction，insodivertingtheuniversity’sworktoendsatvariancewithitslegitimatepurpose;andtheeffectofsuchapolicyshouldpresumablyberepugnanttotheirscholarlytastes，aswellastotheirsenseofrightandhonestliving。Butthecircumstancesoftheirofficeandtenureleavethemsomewhathelpless，foralltheirpresumedinsightandtheiraversiontothismalpractice;

andtheseconditionsofofficerequirethem，asitiscommonlyapprehended，totakeactivemeasuresforthedefeatoflearning，——hithertowithanequivocaloutcome。Theschoolsofcommerce，evenmorethantheothervocationalschools，havebeenmanagedsomewhatparsimoniously，andtheeffectualresultshavehabituallyfallenfarshortofthecleverpromisesheldoutintheprospectus。Theprofessedpurposeoftheseschoolsisthetrainingofyoungmentoahighproficiencyinthelargerandmoreresponsibleaffairsofbusiness，butforthepresentthispurposemustapparentlyremainaspeculative，andverytemperatelyingenuous，aspiration，ratherthanapracticableworkingprogramme。

NOTES:

1。"OurprofessorsintheHarvardofthe’50swereasetofrathereminentscholarsandhighlyrespectablemen。Theyattendedtotheirstudieswithcommendableassiduityanddrudgedalonginadreary，humdrumsortofwayinastereotypedmethodofclassroominstruction……

"AndthatwastheHarvardsystem。Itremainsinessencethesystemstill——theold，outgrown，pedagogicrelationofthelargeclass—recitationroom。TheonlyvariationhasbeenthroughEliot’sefforttoreplaceitbytheyetmorepernicioussystemofprematurespecialization。Thisisaconfusionofthecollegeanduniversityfunctionsandconstitutesadistinctmenacetoalltruehighereducation。Thefunctionofthecollegeisanall—arounddevelopment，asabasisforuniversityspecializations。Eliotnevergraspedthatfundamentalfact，andsoheundertooktoturnHarvardcollegeintoaGermanuniversity——specializingthestudentat18。Heinstitutedasystemofone—sidedcontactinplaceofasystembasedonnocontactatall。Itisdevoutlytobehopedthat，someday，aglimmeroftruelightwilleffectanentranceintotheprofessionaleducator’shead。Itcertainlyhadn’tdonesoupto1906。"—CharlesFrancisAdams，AnAutobiography。

2。Thecollegestudent’sinterestinhisstudieshasshiftedfromthefootingofanavocationtothatofavocation。

3。So，e。g。，inthelatereighties，atthetimewhentheconfusionofsentimentsinthismatterofelectivesandpracticalacademicinstructionwasreachingitsheight，oneofthemostlargelyendowedofthelate—foundeduniversitiessetoutavowedlytobenditsforcessinglytosuchinstructionaswouldmakeforthematerialsuccessofitsstudents;and，moreover，toaccomplishthisendbyanuntrammelledsystemofelectives，limitedonlybythegeneralqualificationthatallinstructionofferedwastobeofthispragmaticcharacter。Theestablishmentinquestion，itmaybeadded，hasinthecourseofyearsrunasomewhatingloriouscareer，regardbeinghadtoitsunexampledopportunities，andhasintheeventcometomuchthesamefootingofcompromisebetweenlearningandvocationaltraining，routineandelectives，asitscontemporariesthathaveapproachedtheirpresentambiguouspositionfromthecontrarydirection;exceptthat，possibly，scholarshipassuchisstillheldinslightlyloweresteemamongthemenofthisfaculty——selectedongroundsoftheirpracticalbias——thanamongthegeneralityofacademicmen。

4。"Andwhytheseaisboilinghot，Andwhetherpigshavewings。"

5。Cf。AdamSmithonthe"idlecuriosity。"MoralSentiments，1sted。，p。351——，esp。355。

6。So，amaneminentasascholarandinthesocialscienceshassaid，notsolongago:"ThefirstquestionIwouldaskis，hasnotthislearningalargeparttoplayinsupplementingthosepracticalpowers，instinctsandsympathieswhichcanbedevelopedonlyinaction，onlythroughexperience？……Thatbroadertrainingisjustwhatisneededbythehigherandmoreresponsibleranksofbusiness，bothprivateandpublic……Successinlargetradinghasalwaysneededbreadthofview。"

7。Cf。，e。g。，ReportofaConferenceonCommercialEducationandBusinessProgress;InconnectionwiththededicationoftheCommerceBuilding，attheUniversityofIllinois，1913。Thesomewhatraucousnoteofself—complacencythatpervadesthischaracteristicdocumentshouldnotbeallowedtolessenitsvalueasevidenceofthespiritforwhichitspeaks。Indeed，whateveritmayshow，ofeffronteryanddisingenuousness，israthertobetakenasoftheessenceofthecase。Itmightprovedifficulttofindanequallyunabashedpronouncementofthelikevolumeandconsistencyputforthunderthelikeacademicauspices;butitdoesbynomeansstandalone，anditsperfectionsshouldnotbecountedagainstit。

8。Thischaracterizationapplieswithoutabatementtotheschoolsofcommerceascommonlydesignedattheirfoundationandsetforthintheirpublicannouncements，andtotheirworkinsofarastheyliveuptotheirprofessions。Atthesametimeitistobenotedthatfewoftheseschoolssuccessfullykeeptheirworkclearofallentanglementwiththeoreticaldiscussionsthathaveonlyascientificbearing。Anditisalsoquitefeasibletoorganizea"schoolofcommerce"onlinesofscientificinquirywiththeavowedpurposeofdealingwithbusinessenterpriseinitsvariousramificationsassubjectmatteroftheoreticalinvestigation;butsuchisnottheavowedaimoftheestablishedschoolsofthisclass，andsuchisnottheactualcharacteroftheworkcarriedonintheseschools，exceptbyinadvertence。

9。ItisdoubtlesswithinthemarktosaythatthetraininggivenbytheAmericanschoolsofcommerceisdetrimentaltothecommunity’smaterialinterests。InAmerica，eveninamorepronounceddegreethanelsewhere，businessmanagementcentresonfinancieringandsalesmanship;andAmericancommercialschools，eveninamorepronounceddegreethanthoseofothercountries，centretheirattentiononproficiencyinthesematters，becausethesearethematterswhichthecommonsenseoftheAmericanbusinesscommunityknowshowtovalue，andonwhichitinsistsasindispensablequalificationsinitsyoungmen。ThebesettinginfirmityoftheAmericanbusinesscommunity，aswitnessthemanyandcircumstantialdisclosuresofthe"efficiencyengineers，"andofotherswhohavehadoccasiontospeakofthematter，isanotableindifferencetotheeconomicalandmechanicallyefficientuse，exploitationandconservationofequipmentandresources，coupledwithanequallynotablewantofinsightintothetechnologicalneedsandpossibilitiesoftheindustrieswhichtheycontrol。ThetypicalAmericanbusinessmanwatchestheindustrialprocessfromambush，withaviewtotheseizureofanyitemofvaluethatmaybeleftatlooseends。Businessstrategyisastrategyof"watchfulwaiting，"atthecentreofaweb;veryalertandadroit，butremarkablyincompetentinthewayofanythingthatcanproperlybecalled"industrialenterprise。"

TheconcatenationofcircumstancesthathasbroughtAmericanbusinessenterprisetothisingloriousposture，andhasvirtuallyengrossedthedirectionofbusinessaffairsinthehandsofmenendowedwiththespiritualandintellectualtraitssuitabletosuchprehensileenterprise，cannotbegoneintohere。Thefact，however，ispatent。Itshouldsufficetocalltomindthelargefact，asnotoriousasitisdiscreditable，thattheAmericanbusinesscommunityhas，withunexampledfreedom，hadatitsdisposalthelargestandbestbodyofresourcesthathasyetbecomeavailabletomodernindustry，inmen，materialsandgeographicalsituation，andthatwiththesemeanstheyhaveachievedsomethingdoubtfullysecond—rate，ascomparedwiththeindustrialachievementsofothercountrieslessfortunatelyplacedinallmaterialrespects。

Whattheschoolsofcommercenowofferisfurtherspecializationalongthesamelineofproficiency，togiveincreasedfacilityinfinancieringandsalesmanship。Thisspecializationoncommerceislikeotherspecializationinthatitdrawsoffattentionandinterestfromotherlinesthanthoseinwhichthespecializationfalls;therebywideningthecandidate’sfieldofignorancewhileitintensifieshiseffectivenesswithinhisspecialty。Theeffect，astouchesthecommunity’sinterestinthematter，shouldbeanenhancementofthecandidate’sproficiencyinallthefutilewaysandmeansofsalesmanshipand"conspiracyinrestraintoftrade。"togetherwithaheightenedincapacityandignorancebearingonsuchworkasisofmaterialuse。

10。Latterly，itappears，thetraininggivenbytheathleticestablishmentsattachedtotheuniversitiesisalsocomingtohaveavalueasvocationaltraining;inthatthemensotrainedandvouchedforbytheseestablishmentsarefindinglucrativeemploymentasinstructors，coaches，masseurs，etc。，engagedinsimilarathletictrafficinvariousschools，publicorprivate。

Soalso，andforthesamereason，theyarefoundeligibleas"muscularChristian"secretariesinchargeofchaptersoftheY。M。C。A。andthelikequasi—devoutclubsandgilds。Indeedinallbutthename，theathleticestablishmentsaretakingonthecharacterof"schools"or"divisions"includedunderthecollectiveacademicadministration，verymuchafterthefashionofa"SchoolofEducation"ora"SchoolofJournalism";andtheyareineffect"graduating"studentsinAthletics，withdue，thoughhithertounofficial，certificationofproficiency。Soalso，latterly，onemeetswithproposals，madeingoodfaith，amongofficialacademicmentoallowdue"academiccredit"fortraininginathleticsandletitcounttowardgraduation。Byindirectionandsubreption，ofcourse，muchofthetraininggiveninathleticsalreadydoessocount。