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the higher learning in america-第45章

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establishments; or of funded wealth; as with most other



universities。 Such fraction of the income as is assigned to the



salary roll; and which therefore comes in question here; is



apportioned among the staff for work which has no determinate



market value。 It is not a matter of quid pro quo; since one



member of the exchange; the stipend or salary; is measurable in



pecuniary terms and the other is not。 This work has no business



value; in so far as it is work properly included among the duties



of the academic men。 Indeed; it is a fairly safe test; work that



has a commercial value does not belong in the university。 Such



services of the academic staff as have a business value are those



portions of their work that serve other ends than the higher



learning; as; e。g。; the prestige and pecuniary gain of the



institution at large; the pecuniary advantage of a given clique



or faction within the university; or the profit and renown of the



directive head。 Gains that accrue for services of this general



character are not; properly speaking; salary or stipend payable



toward 〃the increase and diffusion of knowledge among men;〃 even



if they are currently so designated; in the absence of suitable



distinctions。 Instances of such a diversion of corporate funds to



private ends have in the past occurred in certain monastic and



priestly orders; as well as in some modern political



organizations。 Organized malversation of this character has



latterly been called 〃graft。〃 The long…term common sense of the



community would presently disavow any corporation of learning



overtly pursuing such a course; as being faithless to its trust;



and the conservation of learning would so pass into other hands。



Indeed; there are facts current which broadly suggest that the



keeping of the higher learning is beginning to pass into other;



and presumptively more disinterested; hands。



    The permeation of academic policy by business principles is a



matter of more or less; not of absolute; dominance。 It appears to



be a question of how wide a deviation from scholarly singleness



of purpose the long…term common sense of the community will



tolerate。 The cult of the idle curiosity sticks too deep in the



instinctive endowment of the race; and it has in modern



civilization been too thoroughly ground into the shape of a quest



of matter…of…fact knowledge; to allow this pursuit to be



definitively set aside or to fall into abeyance。 It is by too



much an integral constituent of the habits of thought induced by



the discipline of workday life。 The faith in and aspiration after



matter…of…fact knowledge is too profoundly ingrained in the



modern community; and too consonant with its workday habit of



mind; to admit of its supersession by any objective end alien to



it;  at least for the present and until some stronger force



than the technological discipline of modern life shall take over



the primacy among the factors of civilization; and so give us a



culture of a different character from that which has brought on



this modern science and placed it at the centre of things human。



    The popular approval of business principles and businesslike



thrift is profound; disinterested; alert and insistent; but it



does not; at least not yet; go the length of unreservedly placing



a businesslike exploitation of office above a faithful discharge



of trust。 The current popular animus may not; in this matter;



approach that which animates the business community; specifically



so…called; but it is sufficiently 〃practical〃 to approve



practical sagacity and gainful traffic wherever it is found; yet



the furtherance of knowledge is after all an ideal which engages



the modern community's affections in a still more profound way;



and; in the long run; with a still more unqualified insistence。



For good or ill; in the apprehension of the civilized peoples;



matter…of…fact knowledge is an end to be sought; while gainful



enterprise is; after all; a means to an end。 There is; therefore;



always this massive hedge of slow but indefeasible popular



sentiment that stands in the way of making the seats of learning



over into something definitively foreign to the purpose which



they are popularly believed to serve。(1*)







    Perhaps the most naive way in which a predilection for men of



substantial business value expresses itself in university policy



is the unobtrusive; and in part unformulated; preference shown



for teachers with sound pecuniary connections; whether by



inheritance or by marriage。 With no such uniformity as to give



evidence of an advised rule of precedence or a standarized



schedule of correlation; but with sufficient consistency to



merit; and indeed to claim; the thoughtful attention of the



members of the craft; a scholar who is in a position to plead



personal wealth or a wealthy connection has a perceptibly better



chance of appointment on the academic staff; and on a more



advantageous scale of remuneration; than men without pecuniary



antecedents。 Due preferment also appears to follow more as a



matter of course where the candidate has or acquires a tangible



standing of this nature。



    This preference for well…to…do scholars need by no means be



an altogether blind or impulsive predilection for commercial



solvency on the part of the appointing power; though such a



predilection is no doubt ordinarily present and operative in a



degree。 But there is substantial ground for a wise discrimination



in this respect。 As a measure of expediency; particularly the



expediency of publicity; it is desirable that the incumbents of



the higher stations on the staff should be able to live on such a



scale of conspicuous expensiveness as to make a favourable



impression on those men of pecuniary refinement and expensive



tastes with whom they are designed to come in contact。 The



university should be worthily represented in its personnel;



particularly in such of its personnel as occupy a conspicuous



place in the academic hierarchy; that is to say; it should be



represented with becoming expensiveness in all its social contact



with those classes from whose munificence large donations may



flow into the corporate funds。 Large gifts of this kind are



creditable both to him that gives and him that takes; and it is



the part of wise foresight so to arrange that those to whom it



falls to represent the university; as potential beneficiary; at



this juncture should do so with propitiously creditable



circumstance。 To meet and convince the opulent patrons of



learning; as well as the parents and guardians of possible



opulent students; i
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