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。