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。