Criticsofthelatterdayuniversitypolicieshavefromtimetotimecalledattentiontoanapparentreluctanceonthepartoftheseacademicscientiststoencounterpresent—dayfactshand—to—hand，ortotraceoutthecausestowhichcurrentconditionsaredue。Distemperedcriticshaveevenallegedthattheacademicleadersinthesocialsciencesareheldundersomeconstraint，asbeing，insomesort，inthepayofthewell—to—doconservativeelement;thattheyaretherebyincapacitatedfromfollowingupanyinquirytoitslogicalconclusion，incasetheconclusionmightappeartotraversetheinterestortheopinionsofthoseonwhomtheseleadersareinthiswaypecuniarilydependent。
Now，itmaybeconcededwithoutviolencetonotoriousfacts，thattheseofficialleadersofsciencedocommonlyreachconclusionsinnocuoustotheexistinglawandorder，particularlywithrespecttoreligion，ownership，andthedistributionofwealth。Butthisneedimplynoconstraint，norevenanypeculiardegreeoftact，muchlessamoralobliquity。Itmayconfidentlybeasserted，withoutfearofcontradictionfromtheirside，thattheofficialleadersinthisprovinceofacademicresearchandindoctrinationare，commonly，innowayhinderedfrompushingtheirresearcheswithfullfreedomandtothelimitoftheircapacity;andthattheyarelikewisefreetogivethefullestexpressiontoanyconclusionsorconvictionstowhichtheirinquiriesmaycarrythem。Thattheyareabletodosoisafortunatecircumstance，duetothefactthattheirintellectualhorizonisboundedbythesamelimitsofcommonplaceinsightandpreconceptionsasaretheprevailingopinionsoftheconservativemiddleclass。Thatistosay，alargeandaggressivemediocrityistheprimequalificationforaleaderofscienceintheselines，ifhisleadershipistogainacademicauthentication。
Allthismayseemtoomuchlikeloosegenerality。Withaviewtosuchprecisionasthecaseadmits，itmayberemarkedthatthisprovinceofacademicscienceashabituallypursued，iscommonlyoccupiedwithquestionsofwhatoughttobedone，ratherthanwiththeoriesofthegenesisandcausationofthepresent—daystateofthings，orwithquestionsastowhatthepresent—daydriftofthingsmaybe，asdeterminedbythecausesatwork。Asitdoesinpopularspeculation，soalsointhisacademicquasi—science，theinterestcentresonwhatoughttobedonetoimproveconditionsandtoconservethoseusagesandconventionsthathavebyhabitbeenimbeddedinthereceivedschemeofuseandwont，andsohavecometobefoundgoodandright。Itisoftheessenceofpopularspeculationsonthisrangeoftopicsthattheyarefocussedonquestionsofuse;thattheyareofateleologicalorder;thattheylooktotheexpediencyoftheobservedfactsandtotheirexploitation，ratherthantoascientificexplanationofthem。Thisattitude，ofcourse，istheattitudeofexpediencyandhomiletics，notofscientificinquiry。
Asingleillustrativeinstanceoftheprevalenceofthisanimusintheacademicsocialsciencesmaybeinplace。Itisusualamongeconomists，e。g。，tomakemuchofthepropositionthateconomicsisan\"art\"——theartofexpedientmanagementofthematerialmeansoflife;andfurtherthatthejustificationofeconomictheoryliesinitsserviceabilityinthisrespect。Suchaquasi—sciencenecessarilytakesthecurrentsituationforgrantedasapermanentstateofthings;tobecorrectedandbroughtbackintoitsnormalroutineincaseofaberration，andtobesafeguardedwithapologeticdefenceatpointswhereitisnotworkingtothesatisfactionofallparties。Itisa\"science\"
ofcomplaisantinterpretations，apologies，andprojectedremedies。
Theacademicleadersinsuchaquasi—scienceshouldbegiftedwiththeaspirationsandlimitationsthatsoshowupinitspursuit。Theirfitnessinrespectofthisconformitytotheknownmiddle—classanimusandapprehensionoftruthmay，asitexpedientlyshould，beconsideredwhentheirselectionforacademicofficeandrankisunderadvisement;but，providedthechoicebeawiseone，thereneedbenoshadowofconstraintduringtheirincumbency。Theincumbentshouldbeendowedwithalargecapacityforwork，particularlyfor\"administrative\"work，withalivelyandenduringinterestinthe\"practical\"questionsthatfallwithinhisacademicjurisdiction，andwithashrewdsenseofthefundamentalrightnessoftheexistingorderofthings，social，economic，political，andreligious。So，byandlarge，itwillbefoundthattheseaccreditedleadersofscientificinquiryarefortunateenoughnotnarrowlytoscrutinize，ortoseekparticularexplanationof，thoseinstitutionalfactswhichtheconservativecommonsenseoftheelderlybusinessmanacceptsasgoodandfinal;andsincetheirfieldofinquiryispreciselythisrangeofinstitutionalfacts，theconsequenceisthattheirleadershipinthescienceconducesmoretothestabilityofopinionsthantotheadvancementofknowledge。
Theresultisbynomeansthatnothingisaccomplishedinthisfieldofscienceunderthisleadershipofforcefulmediocrity，butonlythat，insofarasthisleadershipdecides，theworkdoneliesonthislevelofmediocrity。Indeed，thevolumeofworkdoneislargeandofsubstantialvalue，butitrunschieflyoncompilationofdetailsandonthescrutinyandinterpretationofthesedetailswithaviewtotheirconformitywiththeapprovedgeneralizationsofthedaybeforeyesterday，——
generalizationsthathadtimetogrowintoaphoristiccommonplacesatadatebeforethepassinggenerationofbusinessmenattainedtheirmajority。
Whathasjustbeensaidofthisacademicleadershipinthesocialsciences，ofcourse，appliesonlywithduequalification。
Itappliesonlyinsofarastheprinciplesofcompetitiveenterprisecontroltheselectionofthepersonnel，andeventhenonlywithexceptions。Thereisnointentiontodepreciatetheworkofthosemanyeminentscholars，ofscientificanimusandintellectualgrasp，whoseendeavoursaregiventothisrangeofinquiry。Itsapplication，indeed，isintendedtoreachnofartherthanmayservetocoverthesomewhattactfulandquietisticattitudeofthemoralsciencesintheuniversities。Astheyarecultivatedinthegreatseminariesoflearning，thesesciencesarecommonlyofasomewhatmorearchaiccomplexionthanthecontemporarymaterialsciences;theyarelessiconoclastic，haveagreaterregardforprescriptiveauthorityandauthenticity，aremoregiventoresttheirinquiryongroundsofexpediency，ascontrastedwithgroundsofcauseandeffect。Theyarecontenttoconcludethatsuchandsucheventsareexpedientorinexpedient，quiteasoftenandaseasilyasthatsucharethecausesorthegeneticsequenceofthephenomenaunderdiscussion。Inshort，underthisofficialleadershipthesescienceswillhaveanattitudetowardtheirsubjectofinquiryresemblingthattakenbythematerialsciencessomethinglikeacenturyago。
Tothecreditofthisacademicleadershipinthesocialsciences，then，itshouldbesaidthatboththeleadersandtheirdisciplesapplythemselveswithadmirablespirittotheseinquiriesintotheproper，expedient，andnormalcourseofevents;andthattheconclusionsarrivedatalsoshedmuchsalutarylightonwhatisproper，expedient，andnormalinthesepremises。Inquiriescarriedoninthisspiritinthefieldofhumaninstitutionsbelong，ofcourse，inthecategoryofworldlywisdomratherthanofscience。\"Practical\"questionsoccupythesescientistsingreatpart，andpractical，orutilitarian，considerationsguidethecourseoftheinquiryandshapethesystemofgeneralizationsinthesesciences，toamuchgreaterextentthaninthematerialscienceswithwhichtheyareherecontrasted。Analertsenseofthepracticalvalueoftheirinquiriesandtheirteachingisoneofthechiefrequisitesforofficialrecognitioninthescientistswhooccupythemselveswiththesematters，anditisoneofthechiefcharacteristicsoftheirwork。Sothat，insofarasitallconformstotheprinciplesofcompetitivebusiness，thelineofdemarcationbetweenworldlywisdomandtheoreticalvaliditybecomespeculiarlyindistinctinthisprovinceofscience。And，itmayberemarkedbytheway，theinfluenceofthisacademicscience，bothinitsdisciplineandinitstenets，appearstobewhollysalutary;itconduces，onthewhole，toasafeandsane，ifnotanenthusiastic，acceptanceofthingsastheyare，withoutunduecuriosityastowhytheyaresuch。
Whathasherebeensaidoftheplaceanduseofthescientistunderthecurrentr間imeofcompetitiveenterprisedescribeswhatshouldfollowfromtheunrestraineddominionofbusinessprinciplesinacademicpolicy，ratherthanwhathasactuallybeenaccomplishedinanyconcretecase;itpresentsanidealsituationratherthanarelationofevents，thoughwithoutlosingtouchwithcurrentfactsatanypoint。Therunofthefactsis，ineffect，acompromisebetweenthescholar’sidealsandthoseofbusiness，insuchawaythattheidealsofscholarshipareyieldingground，inanuncertainandvaryingdegree，beforethepressureofbusinesslikeexigencies。
NOTES:
1。Cf。alsoJ。J。Chapman，paperon\"ProfessionalEthics，\"inUniversityControl，asabove，foranestimateoftheinefficiencyofacademicopinionasacorrectiveoftheexecutivepoweronhishead。
2。\"Thelambsplayalways，theyknownobetter，Theyareonlyonetimesone。\"
3。\"Hewasatrustedandefficientemployeeofaninstitutionmadepossibleandmaintainedbymenofgreatwealth，menwhonotonlyliveontheinterestoftheirmoney，butwhoexpendmillionsintheendowmentofcollegesanduniversitiesinwhichenthusiasticyoungeducators……findlucrativeandhonourableemployment。\"——EditorialonthedismissalofDr。Nearing，intheMinneapolisJournal，AugustII，1915。
CHAPTERVII
VocationalTrainingInthislatterdayacademicenterprise，thatlookssoshrewdlytopracticalexpediency，\"vocationaltraining\"has，quiteasamatterofcourse，becomeaconspicuousfeature。Theadjectiveisanewone，installedexpresslytodesignatethislineofendeavour，inthejargonoftheeducators;anditcarriesanoteofeuphemism。\"Vocationaltraining\"istrainingforproficiencyinsomegainfuloccupation，andithasnoconnectionwiththehigherlearning，beyondthatjuxtapositiongivenitbytheinclusionofvocationalschoolsinthesamecorporationwiththeuniversity;anditsspokesmenintheuniversityestablishmentsaccordinglytakeanapologeticallyaggressiveattitudeinadvocatingitsclaims。Educationalenterpriseofthiskindhas，somewhatincontinently，extendedthescopeofthecorporationoflearningbycreating，\"annexing，\"or\"affiliating\"manyestablishmentsthatproperlylieoutsidetheacademicfieldanddealwithmattersforeigntotheacademicinterest，——fittingschools，high—schools，technological，manualandothertrainingschoolsformechanical，engineeringandotherindustrialpursuits，professionalschoolsofdiverskinds，musicschools，artschools，summerschools，schoolsof\"domesticscience，\"
\"domesticeconomy，\"\"homeeconomics\"，（inshort，housekeeping），schoolsforthespecialtrainingofsecondary—schoolteachers，andevenschoolsthatareavowedlyofprimarygrade;whileavarietyof\"universityextension\"bureauxhavealsobeeninstalled，tocomfortandedifytheunlearnedwithlyceumlectures，todispenseeruditionbymail—order，andtomaintainsomeputativecontactwithamateurscholarsanddilettantibeyondthepale。
Onitsface，thisenterpriseinassortededucationsimulatestheprecedentsgivenbythelargermodernbusinesscoalitions，whichfrequentlybringunderonegeneralbusinessmanagementaconsiderablenumberandvarietyofindustrialplants。Doubtlessaboyishimitationofsuchbusinessenterprisehashaditsshareinthepropagationoftheseeducationalexcursions。Itallhasanhistrionicair，suchaswouldsuggestthatitsuse，atleastingoodpart，mightbetoserveasanoutletfortheambitionandenergiesofanexecutivegiftedwithapenchantforlargeanddifficultundertakings，andwithscantinsightintotheneedsandopportunitiesofacorporationofthehigherlearning，andwhomightthereforebecarriedoffhisscholasticfootingbytheglamouroftheexploitsofthetrustmakers。Nodoubt，thehistrionicproclivitiesoftheexecutive，backedbyasimilarsensibilitytodramaticeffectonthepartoftheirstaffandofthegoverningboards，mustbeheldaccountableformuchofthisheadlongpropensitytodomanyotherthingshalf—wayratherthandotheworkwellthatisalreadyinhand。Butthisvisiblehistrionicsensibility，andtheglamourofgreatdeeds，willbynomeanswhollyaccountforcurrentuniversityenterprisealongthisline;notevenwhenthereisaddedtheurgentcompetitiveneedofashowofmagnitude，suchasbesetsalltheuniversities;
nordotheseseverallinesofmotivationaccountfortheparticulardirectionsotakenbytheseexcursionsinpartesinfidelium。Atthesametime，reasonsofscholarshiporscienceplainlyhavenopartinthemovement。
Apartfromsuchexecutiveweaknessforspectacularmagnitude，andthecompetitiveneedofformidablestatistics，theprimemoverinthecaseispresumablythecurrentunreflectingpropensitytomakemuchofallthingsthatbearthesignatureofthe\"practical。\"Thesevariousprojectionsofuniversityenterpriseuniformlymakesomeplausibleclaimofthatnature。
Anyextensionofthecorporation’sactivitycanbemorereadilyeffected，isacceptedmoreasanexpedientmatterofcourse，ifitpromisestohavesucha\"practical\"value。\"Practical\"inthisconnectionmeansusefulforprivategain;itneedimplynothinginthewayofserviceabilitytothecommongood。
Thesamespiritshowsitselfalsoinaceaselessrevisionofthescheduleofinstructionofferedbythecollegiateorundergraduatedivisionassuch，whereitleadstoamultiplicationofcoursesdesiredtogiveortoleaduptovocationaltraining。Sothatpracticalinstruction，inthesenseindicated，iscontinuallythrownmoreintotheforegroundinthecoursesoffered，aswellasinthesolicitudeofthevariousadministrativeboards，bureauxandcommitteesthathavetodowiththeorganizationandmanagementoftheacademicmachinery。
Ashasalreadybeenremarked，thesedirectiveboards，committees，andchiefsofbureauarechosen，ingreatpart，fortheirbusinesslikeefficiency，becausetheyaregoodoffice—men，with\"executiveability\";andtheanimusoftheseacademicbusinessmen，bysomuch，becomestheguidingspiritofthecorporationoflearning，andthroughtheircontrolitactsintimatelyandpervasivelytoorderthescopeandmethodofacademicinstruction。Thispermeationoftheuniversity’severydayactivitybytheprinciplesofcompetitivebusinessislessvisibletooutsidersthanthevariouslinesofextraneousenterprisealreadyspokenof，butittouchestheworkwithintheuniversityproperevenmoreradicallyandinsistently;although，itistrue，itaffectsthecollegiate（undergraduate）instructionmoreimmediatelythanwhatisfairlytobeclassedasuniversitywork。Theconsequencesareplain。Businessproficiencyisputintheplaceoflearning。Itissaidbyadvocatesofthismovethatlearningisherebygivenamorepracticalbent;whichissubstantiallyacontradictioninterms。Itisacasenotofassimilation，butofdisplacementandsubstitution，garnishedwithcircumlocutionofamoreorlessingenuouskind。
Historically，inpointofderivationandearlygrowth，thismovementforvocationaltrainingiscloselyrelatedtotheAmericansystemof\"electives\"incollegeinstruction，ifitmaynotratherbesaidtobeadirectoutgrowthofthatpedagogicalexpedient。（1*）Itdatesbackapproximatelytothesameperiodforitsbeginnings，andmuchoftheargumentsadducedinitsfavouraresubstantiallythesameashavebeenfoundconvincingforthesystemofelectives。Undertheelectivesystemaconsiderableandincreasingfreedomhasbeenallowedthestudentinthechoiceofwhathewillincludeinhiscurriculum;sothatthecollegeshaveinthiswaycometoreferthechoiceoftopicsingoodparttotheguidanceofthestudent’sowninterest。Tomeettheresultingrangeanddiversityofdemands，anincreasingvarietyofcourseshasbeenoffered，atthesametimethatanarrowerspecializationhasalsotakeneffectinmuchoftheinstructionoffered。Amongtheotherleadingsofinterestamongstudents，andaffectingtheirchoiceofelectives，hasalsobeenthelaudablepracticalinterestthattheseyoungmentakeintheirownprospectivematerialsuccess。（2*）Sothatthis——academicallyspeaking，extraneous——interesthascometomingleandtakerankwiththescholarlyinterestsproperinshapingthescheduleofinstruction。Adecisivevoiceintheorderingoftheaffairsofthehigherlearninghassobeengiventothenovices，orrathertotheuntutoredprobationersoftheundergraduateschools，whoseentranceonacareerofscholarshipisyetamatterofspeculativeprobabilityatthebest。
Thosewhohavespokenforanextensiverangeofelectiveshaveinaveryappreciablemeasuremadeuseofthatexpedientasameansofdisplacingwhattheyhaveregardedasobsoleteordispensableitemsinthetraditionalcollegecurriculum。Insoadvocatingawiderrangeandfreedomofchoice，theyhavespokenforthenewcoursesofinstructionasbeingequallycompetentwiththeoldinpointofdisciplineandculturalvalue;andtheyhavecommonlynotomittedtoclaim——somewhatinthewayofanobiterdictum，perhaps——thatthesenewerandmorevitaltopics，whoseclaimstheyadvocate，havealsothepeculiarmeritofconducinginaspecialdegreetogoodcitizenshipandthematerialwelfareofthecommunity。Suchalineofargumenthasfoundimmediateresponseamongthosepragmaticspiritswithinwhosehorizon\"value\"issynonymouswith\"pecuniaryvalue，\"andtowhomgoodcitizenshipmeansproficiencyincompetitivebusiness。Soithascomeaboutthat，whiletheinitialpurposeoftheelectivesystemappearstohavebeenthesharpeningofthestudents’scholarlyinterestsandthecultivationofamoreliberalscholarship，ithasbyforceofcircumstancesservedtopropagateamovementatcrosspurposeswithallscholarlyaspiration。
Allthisadvocacyofthepracticalineducationhasfalleninwiththeaspirationsofsuchyoungmenasareeagertofindgratuitoushelptowardagainfulcareer，aswellaswiththedesiresofparentswhoareanxioustoseetheirsonsequippedformaterialsuccess;andnotleasthasitappealedtothesensibilitiesofthosesubstantialcitizenswhoarealreadyestablishedinbusinessandfeeltheneedofafreesupplyoftrainedsubordinatesatreasonablewages。Thelastmentionedisthemoresubstantialoftheseincentivestogratuitousvocationaltraining，comingin，asitdoes，withtheendorsementofthecommunity’smostrespectedandmostinfluentialmen。Whetheritistraininginanyofthevariouslinesofengineering，incommerce，injournalism，orinthemechanicandmanualtrades，theoutputoftrainedmenfromthesevocationalschoolsgoes，inthemain，tosupplytrainedemployeesforconcernsalreadyprofitablyestablishedinsuchlinesofbusinessasfinduseforthisclassofmen;andthroughthegratuitous，orhalfgratuitous，opportunitiesofferedbytheseschools，thisneededsupplyoftrainedemployeescomestothebusinessconcernsinquestionatarateofwageslowerthanwhattheywouldhavetopayintheabsenceofsuchgratuitousinstruction。
Notthatthesesubstantialcitizens，whosewordcountsforsomuchincommendationofpracticaleducation，needbegreatlymovedbyselfishconsiderationofthisincreasedeaseinprocuringskilledlabourforuseintheirownpursuitofgain;
buttheincreasedandcheapersupplyofsuchskilledworkmenis\"goodforbusiness，\"and，inthecommonsenseestimationoftheseconservativebusinessmen，whatisgoodforbusinessisgood，withoutreservation。Whatisgoodforbusinessisfelttobeserviceableforthecommongood;andnocloserscrutinyiscommonlygiventothatmatter。Whileanycloserscrutinywoulddoubtlessthrowseriousdoubtonthisgeneralproposition，suchscrutinycannotbutbedistastefultothesuccessfulbusinessmen;sinceitwouldunavoidablyalsothrowashadowofdoubtonthemeritoriousnessofthatbusinesstrafficinwhichtheyhaveachievedtheirsuccessandtowhichtheyowetheirpreferentialstandinginthecommunity。
Inthishighratingofthingspracticalthecaptainsofindustryarealsosubstantiallyatonewiththecurrentcommon—senseawardofthevulgar，sothattheiradvocacyofpracticaleducationcarriestheweightofaself—evidentprinciple。Itistrue，inthelongrunandonsoberreflectiontheawardofcivilizedcommonsenserunstotheeffectthatknowledgeismoretobedesiredthanthingsofprice;butatthesametimethesuperficialandtransientworkdaysenseofdailyneeds——the\"snapjudgment\"ofthevulgar——drivenbythehardusageofcompetitivebread—winning，saysthatagainfuloccupationisthefirstrequisiteofhumanlife;andacceptingitwithoutmuchquestionasthefirstrequisite，thevulgarallowituncriticallytostandasthechieforsoleandthatisworthaneffort。Andinsodoingtheyarenotsofaroutoftheirbearings;fortothecommonman，underthecompetitivesystem，thereisbutascantmarginofenergyorinterestleftoveranddisposableforotherendsaftertheinstantneedsofbread—winninghavebeenmet。
Proficiencyandsingle—mindednessinthepursuitofprivategainissomethingthatcanreadilybeappreciatedbyallmenwhohavehadtheusualtraininggivenbythemodernsystemofcompetitivegainandcompetitivespending。Nothingissoinstantlyrecognizedasbeingofgreaturgency，alwaysandeverywhere，underthismodern，pecuniaryschemeofthings。Sothat，withoutreflectionandasamatterofcourse，thefirstandgravestquestionofanygeneralbearinginanyconnectionhascometobethatclassicofworldlywisdom:Whatprofitethitaman？andtheansweris，justasuncritically，soughtintermsofpecuniarygain。Andthementowhomhasbeenentrustedthecustodyofthatculturalheritageofmankindthatcannotbeboughtwithaprice，makehastetoplayuptothissnapjudgmentofthevulgar，andsokeepthemfromcallingtomind，onsecondthought，whatitisthatthey，afterall，valuemorehighlythanthemeansofcompetitivespending。
Concomitantwiththisgrowinginsistenceonvocationaltrainingintheschools，andwiththisrestlessendeavouroftheacademicauthoritiestogratifythedemand，therehasalsocomeanincreasinghabitualinclinationofthesameuncriticalcharacteramongacademicmentovalueallacademicworkintermsoflivelihoodorofearningcapacity。（3*）Thequestionhasbeenasked，moreandmoreurgentlyandopenly，Whatistheuseofallthisknowledge？（4*）Pushedbythispopularprejudice，andthemselvesalsodriftingundercompulsionofthesameprevalentbias，eventheseasonedscholarsandscientists——MatthewArnold’s\"Remnant\"——havetakentoheartthisquestionoftheuseofthehigherlearninginthepursuitofgain。Ofcourseithasnosuchuse，andthemanyshrewdlydevisedsolutionsoftheconundrumhavenecessarilyrunoutinastringofsophisticaldialectics。Theplaceofdisinterestedknowledgeinmoderncivilizationisneitherthatofameanstoprivategain，northatofanintermediatestepin\"theroundaboutprocessoftheproductionofgoods。\"
Asamottoforthescholars’craft，ScientiapecuniaeancillansisnowisemoreseemlythantheSchoolmen’sPhilosophiatheologiaeancillans。（5*）Yetsuchinroadshavepecuniaryhabitsofvaluationmadeevenwithintheprecinctsofthecorporationoflearning，thatuniversitymen，——andeventhescholarlyonesamongthem，——arenomorethanhalfashamedofsuchaparceloffatuity。Andrelativelyfewamonguniversityexecutiveshavenot，withinthepastfewyears，takenoccasiontopleadthemeritsofacademictrainingasabusinessproposition。Themanoftheworld——thatistosay，ofthebusinessworldputsthequestion，Whatistheuseofthislearning？andthemenwhospeakforlearning，andeventhescholarsoccupiedwiththe\"humanities，\"areatpainstofindsomecolourableanswerthatshallsatisfytheworldly—wisethatthislearningforwhichtheyspeakisinsomewayusefulforpecuniarygain。（6*）
Ifhewerenothimselfinfectedwiththepragmatismofthemarket—place，thescholar’sanswerwouldhavetobe。Gettheebehindme！
BenjaminFranklin——high—bredpragmatistthathewas——onceputawaysuchaquestionwiththerejoinder:Whatistheuseofababy？Tocivilizedmen——withtheequivocalexceptionofthewarlikepoliticians——thislatterquestionseemsfoolish，criminallyfoolish。Butthereoncewasatime，inthehighdaysofbarbarism，whenthoughtfulmenwerereadytocanvassthatquestionwithasnaiveagravityasthisotherquestion，oftheuseoflearning，iscanvassedbythesubstantialcitizensofthepresentday。Attheperiodcoveredbythatchapterinancienthistory，achildwas，inaway，anarticleofequipmentfortheup—keepofthefamilyanditsprestige，andmoreremotelyforthesupportofthesovereignandhisprestige。Sothatamalechildwouldberatedasindubitablyworthwhileifhegavepromiseofgrowingintoarobustandcontentiousman。Iftheinfantwereagirl，orifhegavenopromiseofbecominganeffectivedisturberofthepeace，theuseorexpediencyofrearingthechildwouldbecomeamatterfordeliberation;andnotinfrequentlythefindingofthoseold—timeutilitarianswasadverse，andtheinvestmentwascancelled。Thehabitofsodeliberatingonthepragmaticadvisabilityofchild—lifehasbeenlost，latterly;oratanyratesuchofthelatterdayutilitariansasmaystillentertainaquestionofthiskindinanyconcretecaseareashamedtohaveitspokenofnakedly。WitnessthelamebutirrepressiblesentimentalprotestagainsttheMalthusiandoctrineofpopulation。
Itistrue，inout—of—the—waycornersandonthelowerlevels——andonthehigherlevelsofimperialpoliticswheremenhavenotlearnedtoshrinkfromshamefuldevices，thequestionofchildrenandofthebirth—rateisstillsometimesdebatedasaquestionofthepresumptiveuseofoffspringforsomeulteriorend。Andtheremaystillbefoundthosewhoaretouchedbythereflectionthatachildbornmaybecomeavaluableassetasasupportfortheparents’oldage。Suchapecuniaryratingoftheparentalrelation，whichvalueschildrenasaspeculativemeansofgain，maystillbemetwith。Butwherevermoderncivilizationhasmadeitswayatalleffectually，suchaprovidentratingofoffspringisnotmetwithingoodcompany。Latterdaycommonsensedoesnotcountenanceit。
Notthataquestionofexpediencyisnolongerentertained，touchingthismatterofchildren，butitisnolongerthepatriarchal—barbarianquestionastoeventualgainsthatmaybeexpectedtoaccruetotheparentorthefamily。Exceptintheviewofthosestatesmenofthebarbarianlinewhoseethematterofbirth—ratefromthehighergroundofdynasticpolitics，achildbornisnotratedasameans，butasanend。Atleastconventionally，itisnolongeraquestionofpecuniarygainfortheparentbutofexpediencyforthechild。Nomotherasksherselfifherchildwillpay。
Civilizedmenshrinkfromanythinglikeratingchildrenasacontrivanceforuseinthe\"round—aboutprocessoftheproductionofgoods。\"Andinmuchthesamespirit，andinthelastanalysisonmuchthesamegrounds，althoughinalesssecureandmorelooselyspeculativefashion，menalsolooktothehigherlearningastheripefulfilmentofmaterialcompetency，ratherthanasameanstomaterialsuccess。Intheirthoughtfulintervals，themostbusinesslikepragmatistswillavowsuchanideal。Butinworkdaydetail，whenthequestionturnsconcretelyontheadvisabilityofthehighereducation，theworkdayhabitofpecuniarytrafficassertsitself，andthematteristhenlikelytobearguedinpecuniaryterms。Thebarbariananimus，habitualtothequestofgain，reverts，andthedeliberationturnsonthegainfulnessofthiseducation，whichhasinallsobrietybeenacknowledgedthedueendofcultureandendeavour。Sothat，inworkingoutthedetails，thisendoflivingismadeameans，andthemeansismadeanend。
Nodoubt，whatchieflyurgesmentothepursuitofknowledgeistheirnativebentofcuriosity，——animpulsiveproclivitytomasterthelogicoffacts;justasthechiefincentivetotheachievementofchildrenhas，nodoubt，alwaysbeentheparentalbent。Butverymuchastheboorishelementinthepresentandrecentgenerationswillletthepecuniaryuseofchildrencomeinasalargesubsidiarygroundofdecision，andastheyhaveevenavowedthistobetheirchiefconcerninthematter;so，inalikespirit，mentrainedtothebusinesssystemofcompetitivegainandcompetitivespendingwillnotbecontenttofindthattheycanaffordthequestofthatknowledgewhichtheirhumanpropensityincitesthemtocultivate，buttheymustbackthispropensitywithashamefacedapologyforeducationonthepleaofitsgainfulness。
Whatisheresaidofthebusinesslikespiritofthelatterday\"educators\"isnottobetakenasreflectingdisparaginglyonthemortheirendeavours。Theyrespondtothecallofthetimesasbesttheycan。Thattheydoso，andthatthecallofthetimesisofthischaracter，isafactofthecurrentdriftofthings;
whichonemaycommendordeprecateaccordingasonehasthefortunetofallinwithoneortheothersideofthecase;thatistosayaccordingtoone’shabitualbent;butinanyeventitistobetakenasafactofthelatterdaysituation，andafactorofsomeforceandpermanenceinthedriftofthingsacademic，forthepresentandthecalculablefuture。Itmeansamoreorlesseffectualfurtherdiversionofinterestandsupportfromscienceandscholarshiptothecompetitiveacquisitionofwealth，andthereforealsotoitscompetitiveconsumption。Throughsuchadiversionofenergyandattentionintheschools，thepecuniaryanimusatlarge，andpecuniarystandardsofworthandvalue，standtogain，moreorless，atthecostofthoseothervirtuesthatare，bytheacceptedtraditionofmodernChristendom，heldtobeofgraverandmoreenduringimport。Itmeansanendeavourtosubstitutethepursuitofgainandexpenditureinplaceofthepursuitofknowledge，asthefocusofinterestandtheobjectiveendinthemodernintellectuallife。