Theundergraduateorcollegiateschools,thatnowbulksolargeinpointofnumbersaswellasintheattentiondevotedtotheirwelfareinacademicmanagement,haveundergonecertainnotablechangesinotherrespectsthansize,sincetheperiodofthatshiftingfromclericalcontroltoabusinessadministrationthatmarksthebeginningofthecurrentr間ime。Concomitantwiththeirgrowthinnumberstheyhavetakenoveranincreasingvolumeofotherfunctionsthansuchasbeardirectlyonmattersoflearning。Atthesametimetheincreaseinnumbershasbroughtachangeinthescholasticcomplexionofthisenlargedstudentbody,ofsuchanaturethataveryappreciableproportionofthesestudentsnolongerseekresidenceattheuniversitieswithaviewtothepursuitofknowledge,evenostensibly。Byforceofconventionalproprietya\"collegecourse\"——theduetermofresidenceatsomereputableuniversity,withthecollegiatedegreecertifyinghonourabledischarge——hasbecomearequisiteofgentility。Soconsiderableistheresultinggenteelcontingentamongthestudents,andsodesirableistheirenrolmentandthecountenanceoftheirpresence,intheapprehensionoftheuniversitydirectorate,thattheacademicorganizationisingreatpart,andofstrategicnecessity,adaptedprimarilytotheirneeds。
Thiscontingent,andthegeneralbodyofstudentsinsofarasthiscontingentfromtheleisureclasshasleavenedthelump,arenotsoseriouslyinterestedintheirstudiesthattheycaninanydegreebecountedontoseekknowledgeontheirowninitiative。Atthesametimetheyhaveotherintereststhatmustbetakencareofbytheschool,onpainoflosingtheircustomandtheirgoodwill,tothedetrimentoftheuniversity’sstandingingenteelcirclesandtotheseriousdeclineinenrolmentwhichtheirwithdrawalwouldoccasion。Hencecollegesportscomeinforaneverincreasingattentionandtakeanincreasinglyprominentandvoluminousplaceintheuniversity’slife;asdoalsootherpolitelyblamelesswaysandmeansofdissipation,suchasfraternities,clubs,exhibitions,andtheextensiverangeofextra—scholastictrafficknownas\"studentactivities。\"
Atthesametimetheusualandaverageageofthecollegestudentshasbeenslowlyfallingfartherbackintotheperiodofadolescence;andtheirregularitiesanduncertaintemperofthatuneasyperiodconsequentlyarecallingformoredetailedsurveillanceandamorecircumspectadministrationofcollegediscipline。Withabodyofstudentswhoseeverydayinterest,asmaybesaidwithoutexaggeration,liesinthemainelsewherethaninthepursuitofknowledge,andwithanimperativetraditionstillstandingoverthatrequiresthecollegetobe(ostensiblyatleast)anestablishmentfortheinstructionoftheyouth,itbecomesnecessarytoorganizethisinstructiononacoerciveplan,andhencetoitemizethescholastictasksoftheinmateswithgreatnicetyofsubdivisionandwithameticulousregardtoanexactequivalenceasbetweenthevariouscoursesanditemsofinstructiontowhichtheyaretobesubjected。Likewiseasregardsthelimitsofpermissibleirregularitiesofconductandexcursionsintothefieldofsportsandsocialamenities。
Tomeetthenecessitiesofthisdifficultcontrol,andtomeetthemalwayswithoutjeopardizingtheinterestsoftheschoolasacompetitiveconcern,aclose—cutmechanicalstandardization,uniformity,surveillanceandaccountancyareindispensable。Asregardsthescheduleofinstruction,bonafidestudentswillrequirebutlittleexactingsurveillanceintheirwork,andlittleinthewayofanapparatusofcontrol。Butthecollegiateschoolhastodealwithalargebodyofstudents,manyofwhomhavelittleabidinginterestintheiracademicwork,beyondtheacademiccreditsnecessarytobeaccumulatedforhonourabledischarge,——indeedtheirscholasticinterestmayfairlybesaidtocentreinunearnedcredits。
Forthisreason,andalsobecauseofthedifficultyofcontrollingalargevolumeofperfunctorylabour,suchasisinvolvedinundergraduateinstruction,theinstructionofferedmustbereducedtostandardunitsoftime,gradeandvolume。Eachunitofworkrequired,orratherofcreditallowed,inthismechanicallydrawnschemeoftasksmustbetheequivalentofalltheotherunits;otherwiseacomprehensivesystemofscholasticaccountancywillnotbepracticable,andinjusticeandirritationwillresultbothamongthepupilsandtheschoolmasters。Forthegreaterfacilityandaccuracyinconductingthisscholasticaccountancy,aswellaswithaviewtothegreaterimpressivenessofthepublishedscheduleofcoursesoffered,thesemechanicalunitsofacademicbullionareincreasedinnumberanddecreasedinweightandvolume;untiltheparcelmentandmechanicalbalanceofunitsreachesapointnoteasilycredibletoanyoutsiderwhomightnaivelyconsidertherequirementsofscholarshiptobeanimperativefactorinacademicadministration。Thereisawell—consideredpreferenceforsemi—annualorquarterlyperiodsofinstruction,withacorrespondingtimelimitonthecoursesoffered;andtheparcelmentofcreditsiscarriedsomewhatbeyondthepointwhichthissegmentationoftheschoolyearwouldindicate。Soalsothereprevailsasystemofgradingthecreditsallowedfortheperformanceoftheseunitsoftask—work,bypercentages(oftencarriedouttodecimals)orbysomeequivalentschemeofnotation;andinthemoresolicitouslyperfectedschemesofcontrolofthistask—work,thepercentagessoturnedinwillthenbefurtherdigestedandweighedbyexpertaccountants,whoreviseandcorrectthesereturnsbythehelpofstatisticallyascertainedindexnumbersthatexpressthemeanaveragemarginoferrortobeallowedforeachindividualstudentorinstructor。
Inpointofformalprotestation,thestandardssetupinthisscholasticaccountancyarehighandrigorous;inapplication,theexactionsofthecreditsystemmustnotbeenforcedinsoinflexibleaspiritastoestrangethatmuch—desiredcontingentofgenteelstudentswhoseneedofanhonourabledischargeisgreaterthantheirloveofknowledge。Neithermustitsdemandsonthestudent’stimeandenergybeallowedseriouslytointerferewiththosesportsand\"studentactivities\"thatmakeupthechiefattractionofcollegelifeforalargeproportionoftheuniversity’syoungmen,andthatare,intheapprehensionofmany,soessentialapartinthetrainingofthemoderngentleman。
Suchasystemofaccountancyactstobreakthecontinuityandconsistencyoftheworkofinstructionandtodiverttheinterestofthestudentsfromtheworkinhandtothemakingofapassablerecordintermsoftheacademic\"miner’sinch。\"Typically,thisminer’sinchismeasuredintermsofstandardtextpertimeunit,andtheimmediateobjectiveofteacherandstudentsobecomesthecompassingofagivenvolumeofprescribedtext,inprintorlectureform,——leadinguptothebroadprinciple:\"NichtsalswasimBuchesteht。\"Whichputsapremiumonmediocrityandperfunctorywork,andbringsacademiclifetorevolveabouttheofficeoftheKeeperoftheTapeandSealingWax。Evidentlythisorganizationofdepartments,schedulesofinstruction,andschemeofscholasticaccountancy,isamatterthatcallsforinsightandsobrietyonthepartoftheexecutive;andinpointoffactthereismuchdeliberationandsolicitudespentonthisbehalf。
Theinstallationofaroundedsystemofscholasticaccountancybringswithit,ifitdoesnotpresume,apainstakingdistributionofthepersonnelandthecoursesofinstructionintoaseriesofbureauxordepartments。Suchanorganizationoftheforcesoftheestablishmentfacilitatestheoversightandcontrolofthework,atthesametimethatitallowsthearrayofscheduledmeans,appliancesandpersonnelatitsdisposaltobestatisticallydisplayedtobettereffect。Underexistingcircumstancesofrivalryamongtheseinstitutionsoflearning,thereisneedofmuchshrewdmanagementtomakealltheavailableforcesoftheestablishmentcounttowardthecompetitiveend;andinthiscompositionitisthepartofworldlywisdomtoseethatappearancesmayoftenbeofgraverconsequencethanachievement,——asistrueinallcompetitivebusinessthataddressesitsappealtoalargeandscatteredbodyofcustomers。Thecompetitionisforcustom,andforsuchprestigeasmayprocurecustom,andthesepotentialcustomersonwhomitisdesirabletoproduceanimpression,especiallyasregardstheundergraduateschool,arecommonlylaymenwhoareexpectedtogooncurrentrumourandtheoutwardappearanceofthingsacademic。
Theexigenciesofcompetitivebusiness,particularlyofsuchretailtradeasseemschieflytohavecontributedtotheprinciplesofbusinesslikemanagementinthecompetingschools,throwthestressonappearances。Insuchbusiness,the\"goodwill\"oftheconcernhascometobe(ordinarily)itsmostvaluedandmostvaluableasset。Thevisiblesuccessoftheconcern,orratherthesentimentsofconfidenceanddependenceinspiredinpotentialcustomersbythisvisiblesuccess,iscapitalizedasthechiefandmostsubstantialelementoftheconcern’sintangibleassets。Andtheaccumulationofsuchintangibleassets,tobegainedbyconvincingappearancesandwell—devisedpronouncements,hasbecomethechiefobjectofpersistentendeavouronthepartofsagaciousbusinessmenengagedinsuchlinesoftraffic。This,thatthesubstancemustnotbeallowedtostandinthewayoftheshadow,isoneofthefundamentalprinciplesofmanagementwhichtheuniversities,undertheguidanceofbusinessideals,havetakenoverfromthewisdomofthebusinesscommunity。
Acceptingthepointofviewofthecaptainsoferudition,andsolookingontheuniversitiesascompetitivebusinessconcerns,andspeakingintermsapplicabletobusinessconcernsgenerally,theassetsoftheseseminariesoflearningareinanexceptionaldegreeintangibleassets。Thereis,ofcourse,thelargeitemofthegood—willorprestigeoftheuniversityasawhole,consideredasagoingconcern。Butthiscollectivebodyof\"immaterialcapital\"thatpertainstotheuniversityatlargeismadeupingreatpartoftheprestigeofdiverseminentpersonsincludedamongitspersonnelandincorporatedinthefabricofitsbureaucraticdepartments,andnotleasttheprestigeofitsexecutivehead;inverymuchthesamewayasthelikewillholdtrue,e。g。,foranycompanyofpublicamusement,itinerantorsedentary,suchasacircus,atheatricaloroperaticenterprise,whichallcompetefortheacclamationandcustomofthosetowhomthesemattersappeal。
Forthepurposesofsuchcompetitiontheeffectualprestigeoftheuniversityasawhole,aswellasthedetailprestigeofitspersonnel,islargelytheprestigewhichithaswiththelaityratherthanwiththescholarlyclasses。Anditissafetosaythatasomewhatmoremeretriciousshowingofmagnitudeanderuditionwillpassscrutiny,forthetimebeing,withthelaitythanwiththescholars。Whichsuggeststheexpediencyfortheuniversity,asagoingconcerncompetingforthetraffic,totakerecoursetoasomewhatmoretawdryexhibitionofquasi—scholarlyfeats,andasomewhatlivelierparadeofacademicsplendourandmagnitude,thanmightotherwisebetothetasteofsuchabodyofscholarsandscientists。Asabusinessproposition,themeretriciousqualityinherentinanygivenlineofpublicityshouldnotconsignittoneglect,solongasitisfoundeffectualfortheendinview。
Competitivebusinessconcernsthatfinditneedfultocommendthemselvestoalargeandcredulousbodyofcustomers,as,e。g。,newspapersordepartmentstores,alsofinditexpedientsomewhattooverstatetheirfacilitiesformeetingallneeds,asalsotooverstatethemeasureofsuccesswhichtheyactuallyenjoy。Indeed,muchtalentandingenuityisspentinthatbehalf,aswellasaveryappreciableoutlayoffunds。Soalsoastouchesthecaseofthecompetitiveseminariesoflearning。Andevenapartfromtheexigenciesofintercollegiaterivalry,takensimplyasaquestionofsentimentitisgratifyingtoanyuniversitydirectoratetoknowandtomakeknownthatthestockofmerchantableknowledgeonhandisabundantandcomprehensive,andthattheregistrationandgraduationlistsmakeabravenumericalshowing,particularlyincasethedirectiveheadisdulyimbuedwithabusinesslikepenchantfortestsofaccountancyandlargefigures。Itfollowsdirectlythatmanyanddiversbureauxordepartmentsaretobeerected,whichwillthenannouncecoursesofinstructioncoveringallaccessibleramificationsofthefieldoflearning,includingsubjectswhichthecorpsofinstructorsmaynotinanyparticulardegreebefittoundertake。Afurtherandunavoidableconsequenceofthispolicy,therefore,isperfunctorywork。
Forestablishmentsthataresubstantiallyofsecondaryschoolcharacter,includingcollegesandundergraduatedepartments,sucharesultmaynotbeofextremelyseriousconsequence;sincemuchoftheinstructionintheseschoolsisofaperfunctorykindanyway。Butsincetheuniversityandthecollegeare,inpointofformalstatusandofadministrativemachinery,divisionsofthesameestablishmentandsubjecttothesameexecutivecontrol;andsince,undercompetitivebusinessprinciples,thecollegiatedivisionisheldtobeofgreaterimportance,andrequiresthegreatershareofattention;itcomesaboutthatthecollegeingreatmeasuresetsthepaceforthewhole,andthattheundergraduateschemeofcredits,detailedaccountancy,andmechanicalsegmentationofthework,iscarriedoverintotheuniversityworkproper。Sucharesultfollowsmoreconsistentlyanddecisively,ofcourse,inthoseestablishmentswherethelineofdemarkationbetweenundergraduateandgraduateinstructionisadvisedlyblurredordisregarded。Itisnotaltogetherunusuallatterly,advisedlytoeffacethedistinctionbetweentheundergraduateandthegraduatedivisionandendeavourtomakeagradualtransitionfromtheonetotheother。(5*)ThisisdoneinthelessconspicuousfashionofschedulingcertaincoursesasGraduateandSenior,andallowingscholasticcreditsacquiredincertaincoursesoftheupper—classundergraduatecurriculumtocounttowardthecomplementofgraduatecreditsrequiredofcandidatesforadvanceddegrees。Moreconspicuouslyandwithfullereffectthesameendissoughtatotheruniversitiesbyclassifyingthetwolateryearsoftheundergraduatecurriculumas\"SeniorCollege\";withtheavowedintentionthatthesetwoconcludingyearsoftheusualfourarescholasticallytoliebetweenthestricterundergraduatedomain,nowreducedtothefreshmanandsophomoreyears,ontheonehand,andthegraduatedivisionassuchontheotherhand。This\"SeniorCollege\"
divisionsocomestobeaccountedinsomesortahalfwaygraduateschool;withtheresultthatitisassimilatedtothegraduateworkinthefashionofitsaccountancyandcontrol;orrather,theessentiallyundergraduatemethodsthatstillcontinuetoruleunabatedinthemachineryandmanagementofthis\"seniorcollege\"
arecarriedoverbyeasysophisticationofexpediencyintothegraduatework;whichsotakesontheusual,conventionallyperfunctory,characterthatbelongsbytraditionandnecessitytotheundergraduatedivision;wherebyineffecttheinstructionscheduledas\"graduate\"is,insofar,takenoutofthedomainofthehigherlearningandthrownbackintothehandsoftheschoolmasters。Therestofthecurrentundergraduatestandardsanddisciplinetendsstronglytofollowtheleadsogivenandtoworkoverbyinsensibleprecessionintothegraduateschool;
untilintheconsummateendthefreepursuitoflearningshouldnolongerfindastanding—placeintheuniversityexceptbysubreptionanddissimulation;muchafterthefashioninwhich,inthedaysofecclesiasticalcontrolandscholasticlore,thepursuitofdisinterestedknowledgewasconstrainedtoashiftysimulationofinterestintheologicalspeculationsandadisingenuousformalconformitytothestandardsandmethodsthatwereapprovedforindoctrinationindivinity。
Perfunctoryworkandmechanicalaccountancymaybesufficientlydetrimentalintheundergraduatecurriculum,butitseemsaltogetherandincreasinglyamatterofcourseinthatsection;butitisinthegraduatedivisionthatithasitsgravestconsequences。Yeteveninundergraduateworkitremainstrue,asitdoesinalleducationinadegree,thattheinstructioncanbecarriedonwithbesteffectonlyonthegroundofanabsorbinginterestonthepartoftheinstructor;andhecandotheworkofateacherasitshouldbedoneonlysolongashecontinuestotakeaninvestigator’sinterestinthesubjectinwhichheiscalledontoteach。Hemustbeactivelyengagedinanendeavourtoextendtheboundsofknowledgeatthepointwherehisworkasteacherfalls。Hemustbeaspecialistofferinginstructioninthespecialtywithwhichheisoccupied;andtheinstructionofferedcanreachitsbestefficiencyonlyinsofarasitisincidentaltoanaggressivecampaignofinquiryontheteacher’spart。
Butnooneisacompetentspecialistinmanylines;norisanyonecompetenttocarryonanassortedparcelofspecialinquiries,cuttoastandardunitoftimeandvolume。Oneline,somewhatnarrowlyboundedasaspecialty,measuresthecapacityofthecommonrunoftalentedscientistsandscholarsforfirst—classwork,whateverside—linesofsubsidiaryinteresttheymayhaveinhandandmaycarryoutwithpassablycreditableresults。Thealternativeisschoolmaster’stask—work;orifthepretenseofadvancedlearningmustbekeptup,thealternativewhichnotunusuallygoesintoeffectisamateurishpedantry,withthecharlataneverinthenearbackground。Byandlarge,ifthenumberofdistinctlinesofinstructionofferedbyagivendepartmentalcorpsappreciablyexceedsthenumberofmenonthestaff,someoftheselinesorcourseswillofnecessitybecarriedinaperfunctoryfashionandcanonlygivemediocreresults,atthebest。Whatpracticallyhappensattheworstisbetterleftunderthecoverofadecentreticence。
Eventhosepreferredlinesofinstructionwhichintheirownrightengagetheseriousinterestoftheinstructorscangetnothingbetterthansuperficialattentionifthetimeandenergyoftheinstructorsaredissipatedoverascatteringvarietyofcourses。Goodwork,thatistosaysufficientlygoodworktobeworthwhile,requiresafreehandandafreemarginoftimeandenergy。Ifthenumberofdistinctlinesofinstructionisrelativelylarge,andif,ashappens,theyaredistributedscatteringlyamongthemembersofthestaff,witharelativelylargeassignmentofhourstoeachman,soastoadmitnoassuredandpersistentconcentrationonanypoint,therunofinstructionofferedwillnecessarilybeofthisperfunctorycharacter,andwillthereforebeofsuchamateurishandpedanticquality。Suchanoutcomeisbynomeansunusualwhereregardishadprimarilytocoveringagiveninclusiverangeofsubjects,ratherthantothespecialaptitudesofthedepartmentalcorps;asindeedcommonlyhappens,andashappensparticularlywheretheschoolorthedepartmentinquestionissufficientlyimbuedwithabusinesslikespiritofacademicrivalry。Itfollowsnecessarilyandinduemeasureontheintroductionoftheprinciples,methods,andtestsofcompetitivebusinessintotheworkofinstruction。(6*)
Undertheseprinciplesofaccountancyandhierarchicalcontrol,eachoftheseveralbureauxoferudition——commonlycalleddepartments——isacompetitorwithallitsfellowbureauxinthe(thrifty)apportionmentoffundsandequipment,——forthebusinesslikeuniversitymanagementhabituallyharboursalargernumberofdepartmentsthanitsdisposablemeanswilladequatelyprovidefor。Soalsoeachdepartmentcompeteswithitsfellowdepartments,aswellaswithsimilardepartmentsinrivaluniversities,foraclienteleinthewayofstudentregistrations。Thesetwolinesofcompetitionarecloselyinterdependent。Anadversestatisticalshowinginthenumberofstudents,orintherange,varietyandvolumeofcoursesofinstructionofferedbyanygivendepartment;isratedbythebusinesslikegeneraldirectorateasashortcoming,anditisthereforelikelytobringareductionofallowances。Atthesametime,ofcourse,suchanadverseshowingreflectsdiscreditonthechiefofbureau,whileitalsowoundshisself—respect。Thefinaltestofcompetencyinsuchachief,underbusinessprinciples,isthestatisticaltest;inpartbecausenumericaltestshaveaseductiveairofbusinesslikeaccountancy,andalsobecausestatisticalexhibitshaveareadyuseasadvertisingmaterialtobeemployedinappealstothepotentialdonorsandtheunlearnedpatronsoftheuniversity,aswellastothepublicatlarge。
Sothechiefofbureau,withtheaidandconcurrenceofhisloyalstaff,willaimtoofferasextensiveandvariedarangeofinstructionasthefieldassignedhisdepartmentwilladmit。Outofthiscompetitiveaggrandizementofdepartmentstheremayevenariseadiplomaticcontentionbetweenheadsofdepartments,astotheprecisefrontiersbetweentheirrespectivedomains;eachbeingambitioustomagnifyhisofficeandacquiremeritbyincludingmuchofthefieldandmanyofthestudentsunderhisowndominion。(7*)Suchaconflictofjurisdictionisparticularlyapttoariseincase,asmayhappen,thenumberofscholasticdepartmentsexceedsthenumberofpatentlydistinguishableprovincesofknowledge;andcompetitivebusinessprinciplesconstantlyaffordprovocationtosuchadiscrepancy,atthehandsofanexecutivepushedbytheneedofashowofmagnitudeandlargetraffic。Itfollows,further,fromthesecircumstances,thatwherevercontiguousacademicdepartmentsareoccupiedwithsuchcloselyrelatedsubjectmatteraswouldplacetheminapositiontosupplementoneanother’swork,thenegotiationsinvolvedinjealouslyguardingtheirrespectivefrontiersmayeventakeonanacrimonioustone,andmayinvolvemoreorlessofdiplomaticmischief—making;sothat,underthisruleofcompetitivemanagement,opportunitiesformutualcomfortandaidwillnotinfrequentlybecomeoccasionformutualdistrustandhindrance。
Thebroadertheprovinceandthemoreexuberanttherangeofinstructionappropriatedtoagivendepartmentanditscorpsofteachers,themorecreditablewillbethestatisticalshowing,andthemoremeagreandthreadbarearelikelytobethescientificresults。Thecorpsofinstructorswillbethemoreconsistentlyorganizedandcontrolledwithaviewtotheirdispensingaccumulatedknowledge,ratherthantopursuefurtherinquiryinthedirectionoftheirscholarlyinclinationorcapacity;andfrequently,indeed,todispensealargervolumeandawiderrangeofknowledgethantheyareinanyintimatesensepossessedof。
Itisbynomeansthatnoregardishadtothespecialtastes,aptitudes,andattainmentsofthemembersofthestaff,insoapportioningthework;thesethingsare,commonly,givensuchconsiderationastheexigenciesofacademiccompetitionwillpermit;buttheseexigenciesdecidethatthecriterionofspecialfitnessbecomesasecondaryconsideration。Whereverthebusinesslikedemandsofaroundedandextensivescheduleofcoursestraversethelinesofspecialaptitudeandtraining,therequirementsoftheschedulemustrulethecase;whereas,ofcourse,theinterestsofscienceandscholarship,andofthebestefficiencyintheinstructiongiven,woulddecidethatnodemandsoftheschedulebeallowedtointerferewitheachman’sdoingtheworkwhichhecandobest,andnothingelse。
Ascheduleofinstructiondrawnonsuchlinesofefficiencywouldavoidduplicationofcourse,andwouldcurtailthenumberofcoursesofferedbyanygivendepartmenttosuchamodicumasthespecialfitnessofthemembersofthestaffwouldallowthemtocarrytothebesteffect。Itwouldalsoproceedontheobviousassumptionthatco—ordinatedepartmentsintheseveraluniversitiesshouldsupplementoneanother’swork,——anassumptionobvioustothemeanestacademiccommonsense。Butamicableworkingarrangementsofthiskindbetweendepartmentsofdifferentuniversities,orbetweentheseveraluniversitiesasawhole,areofcoursevirtuallybarredoutunderthecurrentpolicyofcompetitiveduplication。Itisoutofthequestion,inthesamemanneranddegreeasthelikeco—operationbetweenrivaldepartmentstoresisoutofthequestion。Yetsourgentlyrightandgoodissuchapolicyofmutualsupplementandsupport,exceptasabusinessproposition,thatsomeexchangeofacademiccivilitiesparadedunderitscloakisconstantlyofferedtoviewinthemanoeuvresofthecompetingcaptainsoferudition。Thewell—publishedandnugatory(8*)periodicconferencesofpresidentscommonlyhavesuchanostensiblepurpose。
Competitiveenterprise,reinforcedwithasentimentalpenchantforlargefigures,demandsafullscheduleofinstruction。Buttocarrysuchascheduleanddotheworkwellwouldrequirealargerstaffofinstructorsineachdepartment,andalargerallowanceoffundsandequipment,thanbusinessprincipleswillcountenance。Thereisalwaysadearthoffunds,andthereisalwaysurgentuseformorethancanbehad;fortheenterprisingdirectorateisalwayseagertoexpandandprojectthebusinessoftheconcernintonewprovincesofschoolwork,secondary,primary,elementary,normal,professional,technical,manual—training,artschools,schoolsofmusic,elocution,book—keeping,housekeeping,andafurthervarietythatwillmorereadilyoccurtothosewhohavebeenoccupiedwithdevisingwaysandmeansofextendingthecompetitivetrafficoftheuniversity。Intothesediversandsundrychannelsofsandthepressureofcompetitiveexpansioniscontinuallypushingadditionalhalf—equipped,under—fedandover—workedramificationsoftheacademicbody。Andthen,too,sanecompetitivebusinesspracticeinsistsoneconomyofcostaswellasalargeoutputofgoods。Itis\"badbusiness\"toofferabettergradeofgoodsthanthemarketdemands,particularlytocustomerswhodonotknowthedifference,ortoturnoutgoodsatahighercostthanothercompetingconcerns。Sobusinessexigencies,thoseexigenciesofeconomytowhichthebusinesslikegoverningboardsareverymuchalive,precludeanydepartmentconfiningitselftotheworkwhichitcandobest,andatthesamestroketheyprecludetheauthoritiesfromdealingwithanydepartmentaccordingtosuchameasureofliberalityaswouldenableittocarryontherequiredvolumeofworkinacompetentmanner。
Inthebusinesslikeviewofthecaptainsoferudition,takenfromthestandpointofthecounting—house,learninganduniversityinstructionareaspeciesofskilledlabour,tobehiredatcompetitivewagesandtoturnoutthelargestmerchantableoutputthatcanbeobtainedbyshrewdbargainingwiththeiremployees;whereas,ofcourse,inpointoffactandofitsplaceintheeconomicsystem,thepursuitoflearningisaspeciesofleisure,andtheworkofinstructionisoneofthemodesofalifesospentin\"theincreaseanddiffusionofknowledgeamongmen。\"Itistobeclassedas\"leisure\"onlyinsuchasenseofthattermasmayapplytootherformsofactivitythathavenoeconomic,andmoreparticularlynopecuniary,endorequivalence。Itisbynomeansherebyintendedtoimplythatsuchpursuitofknowledgeisanaimlessorindolentmanneroflife;
nothinglikedissipationhasalegitimateplaceinit,norisit\"idle\"inanyothersensethanthatitisextra—economic,notwithoutderogationtobeclassedasagainfulpursuit。Itsaimisnottheincreaseorutilizationofthematerialmeansoflife;
norcanitsspiritandemploymentbeboughtwithaprice。Anysalary,perquisites,orsimilaremolumentsassignedthescholarsandscientistsintheserviceofcivilization,withintheuniversityorwithout,are(shouldbe)inthenatureofastipend,designedtofurtherthefreeuseoftheirtalentintheprosecutionofthiswork,thevalueofwhichisnotofapecuniarykind。Butunderthestressofbusinesslikemanagementintheuniversitiesthedriftofthingssetstowardlettingtheworkofscienceandscholarshiptothelowestbidder,onaroughlyapplicablepiece—wageplan。Theresultisaboutsuchadegreeofinefficiency,wasteandstultificationasmightfairlybeexpected;whereofthereareabundantlymanyexamples,thathumbletheprideofthescholarsandrejoicetheheartofthecaptainsoferudition。
Thepiece—wageplannevergoesintoeffectinsetform,orhasnothithertodoneso,——althoughthereareschoolsofnominallyuniversitygradeinwhichthereisarecognizedandavowedendeavoursotoapportiontheweeklyhoursofclass—roomexercisestothepayoftheteachersastobringthepayperclass—hourpersemestertoapassablyuniformlevelforthegeneralbodyofthestaff。Thatthepiece—wageplanhassolittleavowedvogueintheacademicwageschememayatfirstsightseemstrange;thebodyofacademicemployeesareasdefencelessandunorganizedasanyclassofthewage—earningpopulation,anditisamongtheunorganizedandhelplessthatthepiece—wageplaniscommonlyappliedwiththebesteffect;atthesametimethesystemofscholasticaccountancy,workedoutforotherpurposesandalreadyappliedbothtoinstructors,tocoursesofinstruction,andtodivisionsoftheschoolyear,hasalreadyreducedalltherelevantitemstosuchstandardunitsandthoroughequivalenceasshouldmakeasystemofpiece—wagesalmostamatterofcourse。Thatithasnotformallybeenputinpracticeappearstobeduetotradition,andtothatlong—termcommonsenseappreciationofthenatureoflearningthatwillalwaysbalkatratingthisworkasafranklymaterialisticandpecuniaryoccupation。Theacademicpersonnel,e。g。,areunabletoridthemselvesofafastidious——perhapssqueamish——
persuasionthattheyareengagedinthisworknotwhollyforpecuniaryreturns;andthecommunityatlargeareobscurely,butirretrievablyandirresponsibly,inthesamesuspiciousframeofmindonthathead。Thesameunadvisedandunformulatedpersuasionthatacademicsalariesareafterallnothonestlytoberatedaswages,isdoubtlessaccountableforcertainotherfeaturesofacademicmanagementtouchingthepay—roll;notablythefailureoftheemployeestoorganizeanythinglikeatrades—union,ortofallintolineonanyworkablebasisofsolidarityonsuchanissueasawage—bargain,asalsotheequivocalfootingonwhichthematterofappointmentsandremovalsisstillallowedtostand;hencealsotheunsettledethicsofthetradeinthisrespect。
Fordiversreasons,butmainlyreasonsofcompetitivestatistics,whichresolvethemselves,again,inthemainintoreasonsofexpedientpublicity,itisdesiredthattheenrolmentshouldbeverylargeandshouldalwaysandunremittinglyincrease,——dueregardbeingalwayshad,ofcourse,totheeminentdesirabilityofdrawingintotheenrolmentmanystudentsfromthehigherlevelsofgentilityandpecuniarymerit。Tothisenditiswell,ashasalreadybeenremarkedabove,toannounceaveryfullscheduleofinstructionandafreerangeofelectivealternatives,andalsotopromoteacompleteandvariedlineofscholasticaccessories,inthewayofathletics,clubs,fraternities,\"studentactivities,\"andsimilardevicesofpolitelyblamelessdissipation。
Theseaccessoriesofcollegelifehavebeenstronglyontheincreasesincethebusinessr間imehascomein。Theyareheldtobeindispensable,orunavoidable;notforscholarlywork,ofcourse,butchieflytoencouragetheattendanceofthatdecorativecontingentwhotakemorekindlytosports,invidiousintrigueandsocialamenitiesthantoscholarlypursuits。