Allthatisrequiredistheabolitionoftheacademicexecutiveandofthegoverningboard。Anythingshortofthisheroicremedyisboundtofail,becausetheevilssoughttoberemediedareinherentintheseorgans,andintrinsictotheirfunctioning。
Evengrantingthepossibilityofmakingsuchamove,inthefaceofpopularprejudice,itwilldoubtlessseemsuicidal,onfirstthought,totakesoradicaladeparture;inthatitwouldbeheldtocripplethewholeacademicorganizationandsubverttheschemeofthingsacademic,forgoodandall:——which,bytheway,ispreciselywhatwouldhavetobeaimedat,sinceitisthepresentschemeandorganizationthatunavoidablyworkthemischief,andsince,also(astouchestheinterestofthehigherlearning),theyworknothingbutmischief。
Itshouldbeplain,onreflection,toanyonefamiliarwithacademicmattersthatneitheroftheseofficialbodiesservesanyusefulpurposeintheuniversity,insofarasbearsinanywayonthepursuitofknowledge。Theymayconceivablybothbeusefulforsomeotherpurpose,foreignoralientothequestoflearning;butwithinthelinesoftheuniversity’slegitimateinterestbotharewhollydetrimental,andverywastefullyso。
Theyareneedless,excepttotakecareofneedsandemergenciestowhichtheirownpresencegratuitouslygivesrise。Insofarastheseneedsanddifficultiesthatrequireexecutivesurveillancearenotsimplyandflagrantlyfactitious,——as,e。g。,theonerousdutiesofpublicity——theyarealtogethersuchneedsasariseoutofanexcessivesizeandagratuitouslycomplexadministrativeorganization;bothofwhichcharacteristicsoftheAmericanuniversityarecreatedbythegoverningboardsandtheirexecutiveofficers,fornobetterpurposethanavaingloriousself—complacency,andwithnobetterjustificationthananuncriticalprepossessiontotheeffectthatlargesize,complexorganization,andauthoritativecontrolnecessarilymakeforefficiency;whereas,inpointoffact,intheaffairsoflearningthesethingsunavoidablymakefordefeat。
Objectiontoanysuchmeasureofabolitionisnottobegroundedintheirimpracticabilityortheirinefficiency,——
supposingonlythattheycouldbecarriedoutinthefaceoftheprejudicesoftheignorantandoftheselfishlyinterestedparties;theobstaclestoanysuchmoveliesimplyinthepopularprejudicewhichputsimplicitfaithinlarge,complicated,andformidableorganizations,andinthatappetiteforpopularprestigethatanimatestheclassofpersonsfromwhichtheboardsandexecutivesaredrawn。
Thisunreasoningfaithinlargeanddifficultcombinationshasbeeninducedinthemoderncommunitybyitsexperiencewiththelarge—scaleorganizationofthemechanicalindustries,andstillmoreparticularlybytheconvincingpecuniaryefficiencyoflargecapital,authoritativecontrol,anddeviousmethods,inmodernbusinessenterprise;andofthispopularprejudicetheboardsofcontrolandtheirexecutiveofficershaveatleasttheirfullshare,——indeedtheyowetheirplaceandpoweringreatparttotheirbeinganimatedwithsomethingmorethananequitableshareofthispopularprepossession。Itisundeniable,indeeditisamatterofcourse,thatsolongastheuniversitycontinuestobemadeup,asisnowcustomary,ofanaggregationofdiversandsundryschools,colleges,divisions,etc。,eachandseveralofwhichareengagedinamoreorlessovertrivalry,duetotheirbeingsoaggregatedintoameaninglesscoalition,——solongwillsomethingformidableinthewayofacentralizedandarbitrarygovernmentbeindispensabletotheconductoftheuniversity’saffairs;butitislikewisepatentthatnoneoftheseveralconstituentschools,colleges,etc。,areanythebetteroff,inrespectoftheirwork,forbeingsoaggregatedinsuchanarbitrarycollectiveorganization。Thedutiesoftheexecutive——
asidefromthecallsofpublicityandself—aggrandizement——areinthemainadministrativedutiesthathavetodowiththeinterstitialadjustmentsofthecompositeestablishment。Theseresolvethemselvesintoaco—ordinatedstandardizationoftheseveralconstituentschoolsanddivisions,onamechanicallyspecifiedroutineandscale,whichcommonlydoesviolencetotheefficientworkingofallthesediverseandincommensurableelements;withnogainatanypoint,exceptingagaininthefacilityofcontrolcontrolforcontrol’ssake,atthebest。Muchoftheofficialapparatusandroutineoffice—workistakenupwiththisfutilecontrol。Beyondthis,andrequisitetothedueworkingofthiscontrolandstandardization,thereisthecontrolofthepersonnelandthechecking—upoftheirtaskwork;togetherwiththediscipliningofsuchasdonotsufficientlyconformtotheresultingscheduleofuniformityandmediocrity。
Thesedutiesare,allandseveral,createdbytheimpositionofacentralcontrol,andintheabsenceofsuchcontroltheneedofthemwouldnotarise。Theyareessentiallyextraneoustotheworkonwhicheachandseveraloftheconstituentschoolsareengaged,andtheironlysubstantialeffectonthatworkistoforceitintocertainextraneousformalitiesofroutineandaccountancy,suchastodivertandretardtheworkinhand。Soalsothecontrolexercisedmoreatlargebythegoverningboard;
exceptinsofarasitisthemeremischief—makinginterferenceofignorantoutsiders,itislikewisedirectedtothekeepingofabalancebetweenunitsthatneednobalancingasagainstoneanother;exceptfortheneedwhichsoisgratuitouslyinducedbydrawingtheseunitsintoanincongruouscoalitionunderthecontrolofsuchaboard;whosedutiesofofficeinthiswayarisewhollyoutofthecreationoftheiroffice。
Thegreatandconspicuouseffectofabolishingtheacademicexecutiveandthegoverningboardwouldbe,ofcourse,thattheuniversityorganizationasnowknownwouldincontinentlyfalltopieces。Theseveralconstituentschoolswouldfallapart,sincenothingholdsthemtogetherexceptthestronghandofthepresentcentralgovernment。Thiswould,ofcourse,seemamonstrousandpainfuloutragetoallthosepersonswhoareinfatuatedwithavenerationofbigthing;towhoma\"great\"——thatistosayvoluminous——universityisanobjectofprideandloyalaffection。Thisclassofpersonsisaverylargeone,andtheyarecommonlynotgiventoreJectiononthemeritsoftheirpreconceivedidealsof\"greatness。\"Sothatthedissolutionofthis\"trust\"—likeuniversitycoalitionwouldbitterlyhurttheirfeelings。Sointolerablewouldtheshocktothispopularsentimentpresumablybe,indeed,thatnoprojectofthekindcanhaveanyreasonablechanceofahearing。
Apartfromsuchlossof\"prestigevalue\"intheeyesofthosewhosepridecentresonmagnitude,themoveinquestionwouldinvolvenosubstantialloss。Thechiefdirectandtangibleeffectwouldbeaconsiderablesavingin\"overheadcharges,\"inthatthegreaterpartofthepresentvolumeofadministrativeworkwouldfallaway。Thegreaterpart——say,three—fourths——ofthepresentofficersofadministration,withtheirclericalstaff,wouldbelost;underthepresentsystemthesearechieflyoccupiedwiththecorrelationandcontrolofmattersthatneedcorrelationandcontrolonlywithaviewtocentralizedmanagement。
Theaggregateofforcesengagedandtheaggregatevolumeofworkdoneintheschoolswouldsuffernosensiblediminution。
Indeed,thecontemplatedchangeshouldbringaveryappreciablyheightenedefficiencyofalltheworkingunitsthatarenowtiedupintheuniversitycoalition。Eachoftheseunitswouldbefreetofollowitsowndevices,withinthelinesimposedbytheworkinhand,sincenoneofthemwouldthenberequiredtowalkinlock—stepwithseveralotherswithwhichithadnomorevitalarticulationthanthelock—stepinquestion。
Articulationandco—ordinationisgoodandrequisitewhereandsofarasitisintrinsictotheworkinhand;butitallcomestonothingbetterthansystematizedlag,leakandfriction,sosoonasitisarticulationandcoordinationinothertermsandforotherendsthantheperformanceoftheworkinhand。Itisalsotrue,thecoalitionoftheseseveralschoolunitsintoapseudo—aggregateunderacentralizedcontrolgivesadeceptiveappearanceofamassiveengineworkingtosomecommonend;but,again,massmovementcomestonothingbetterthaninhibitionandmisdirectionwhenitinvolvesacoalitionofworkingunitswhoseworkisnecessarilytobedoneinseveralty。
Lefttothemselvestheseveralschoolswouldhavetotakecareeachofitsownaffairsandguideitsendeavoursbytheexigenciesofitsownpowersandpurposes,withsuchregardtointer—collegiatecomityandcourtesyaswouldberequiredbythesubstantialrelationsthensubsistingbetweenthem,byvirtueoftheircommonemploymentinacademicwork。
Inwhathasjustbeensaid,itisnotforgottenthattheburdenoftheirownaffairswouldbethrownbackontheinitiativeandcollectivediscretionoftheseveralfaculties,sosoonastheseveralschoolshadonceescapedfromthetrust—likecoalitioninwhichtheyarenowheld。Ashasabundantlyappearedinlatterdaypractice,thesefacultieshaveinsuchmattersprovedthemselvesnotablechieflyforfutiledisputation;whichdoesnotgivemuchpromiseofcompetentself—directionontheirpart,incasetheyweregivenafreehand。Itistoberecalled,however,thatthislatterdayexperienceofconfirmedincompetencehasbeengatheredundertheovershadowingpresenceofasurreptitiouslyandirresponsiblyautocraticexecutive,vestedwithpowerofuseandabuse,andservedbyacorpsofadroitparliamentariansandlobbyists,everathandtodivertthefaculty’sactionfromanymeasurethatmightpromisetohaveasubstantialeffect。Byforceofcircumstances,chiefofwhichistheexecutiveoffice,thefacultieshavebecomedeliberativebodieschargedwithpowertotalk。Theirseriousattentionhasbeentakenupwithschemesforweighingimponderablesandcorrelatingincommensurables,withsuchadegreeofverisimilitudeaswouldkeepthestatisticsandaccountancyofthecollectiveadministrationincountenance,andstillleavesomeplayinthejointsofthesystemforthepersonalrelationofteacheranddisciple。Itisaniceprobleminself—deception,chieflynotableforanendlessproliferation。
Atthesametimeitiswellknown——toowellknowntocommandparticularattention——thatincurrentpractice,andofnecessity,theactualeffectiveorganizationofeachoftheseconstituentschoolunitsdevolvesontheworkingstaff,insofarasregardstheeffectualworktobedone。eventotheselectionofitsworkingmembersandtheapportionmentofthework。Itisalldone\"byauthority\"ofcourse,andmustallbearrangeddiscreetly,withanulteriorviewtoitssanctionbytheexecutiveanditsduearticulationwiththeschemeofpublicityatlarge;butinallthesematterstheexecutivehabituallycomesintobearingonlyasa(powerful)extraneousandalieninterference,——almostwhollyinhibitory,ineffect,eventhoughwithashowofinitiativeandcreativeguidance。Andthisinhibitorysurveillanceisexercisedchieflyongroundsofconciliatorynotorietytowardstheoutside,ratherthanongroundsthattouchtheefficiencyofthestafffortheworkinhand。Suchefficiencyiscommonlynotbarred,itisbelieved,solongasitdoesnothindertheexecutive’squestofthegreaterglory。Thereis,ineffect,aninhibitoryvetopowertouchingtheworkanditswaysandmeans。
Butevenwhentakenatitsbest,andwhenrelievedoftheinhibitionanddeflectionworkedbytheexecutive,suchanacademicbodycandoubtlessbecountedontomanageitscollectiveaffairssomewhatclumsilyandincompetently。Therecanbenohopeoftrenchantpolicyandefficientcontrolattheirhands;and,itshouldbeadded,thereneedbenogreatfearofsuchanoutcome。Theresultshould,insofar,benearlycleargain,asagainstthecurrenthighlyefficientmanagementbyanexecutive。Relativelylittleadministrationorcontrolwouldbeneededintheresultingsmall—scaleunits;exceptinsofarastheymightcarryoverintothenewr間imeanappreciableburdenofextra—scholastictrafficinthewayofathletics,fraternities,studentactivities,andthelike;andexceptsofarasregardsthoseschoolsthatmightstillcontinuetobe\"gentlemen’scolleges,\"devotedtothecultivationoftheirregularitiesofadolescenceandtotheirtransfusionwithaconventionalelegance;theselatter,beingofthenatureofpenalsettlements,wouldnecessarilyrequiregovernmentbyafirmhand。
Thatworkofintimatelypersonalcontactandguidance,inacommunityofintellectualenterprise,thatmakesupthesubstanceofefficientteaching,would,itmightfairlybehoped,notbeseriouslyhinderedbytheill—co—ordinatedeffortsofsuchanacademicassembly,evenifitsmembershadcarriedoveragoodshareofthemechanisticframeofmindinducedbytheirexperienceunderther間imeofstandardizationandaccountancy。
Indeed,theremightevenbegroundtohopethat,onthedissolutionofthetrust,theunderlyingacademicunitswouldreturntothatancientfootingofsmall—scaleparcelmentandpersonalcommunionbetweenteacherandstudentthatoncemadetheAmericancollege,withallitshandicapofpoverty,chauvinismanddenominationalbias,oneofthemosteffectiveagenciesofscholarshipinChristendom。
Thehope——ordelusion——wouldbethatthestaffineachoftheresultingdisconnectedunitsmightbelefttoconductitsownaffairs,andthattheywouldproveincapableofmuchconcertedactionordetailedcontrol。Itshouldbeplainthatnootherandextraneouspower,suchastheexecutiveorthegoverningboards,isascompetent——or,indeed,competentinanydegree——totakecareofthesematters,asarethestaffwhohavetheworktodo。
Allthisisevidenttoanyonewhoisatallconversantwiththerunofacademicaffairsascurrentlyconductedonthegrandscale;inasmuchasitisaltogetheramatterofcourseandofcommonnotorietywithintheprecincts,thatthisispreciselywhattheseconstituentschoolsandunitsnowhavetodo,eachandseveral;withthesolequalificationthattheynowhavetotakecareofthesemattersundertheinhibitorysurveillanceoftheexecutiveandhisextraneousinterests,andundertheexactionsofasuper—imposedschemeofmechanicalstandardizationandaccountancythataccountsfornothingbutitssuperimposition。Atthesametimetheworkingforceofthestaffishamperedwithaloadofdeadtimberimportedintoitsbodytoadministeraroutineofcontrolandaccountancyexactedbytheexecutive’sneedofacreditablepublicity(15*)
Thishighlyconjecturaltracingofconsequencestofollowfromthishypotheticaldissolutionofthetrust,mayaswellbepursuedintoapointortwoofdetail,astouchesthoseunitsoftheuniversitycoalitionthathaveanimmediateinterestinpointofscholarship,——theCollegiate(\"Arts\")divisionandtheGraduateSchool。Theformerbeinglefttoitsowndevicesand,itmightbehoped,beingpurifiedofexecutivemegalomania,itshouldseemprobablethatsomethingofareversionwouldtakeeffect,inthedirectionofthatsimplerschemeofscholarshipthatprevailedinthedaysbeforethecomingofelectives。Itwasintheintroductionofelectives,andpresentlyofalternativesandhighlyflexiblecurricula,thatthemovefirstsetinwhichcarriedtheAmericancollegeoffitsfootingasaschoolofprobationandintroductiontothescholarlylife,andhasleftitajob—lotofostensiblyconclusiveshort—cutsintothetradesandprofessions。Itneednotfollowthattheancientcurriculumwouldbere—established,butitshouldseemreasonablethatamovewouldtakeeffectinthedirectionofsomethinglikeamodernequivalent。TheGraduateSchool,ontheotherhand,havinglostthedragofthecollegiatedivisionandthevocationalschools,shouldcomeintoactionasashelterwherethesurvivingremnantofscholarsandscientistsmightpursuetheirseverallinesofadventure,inteachingandininquiry,withoutdisturbancetoorfromtheworldly—wisewhoclamourforthegreaterglory。
Now,allthisspeculationastowhatmighthappenhas,ofcourse,littleelsethanaspeculativevalue。Itisnotintended,seriouslyandasapracticalmeasure,toproposetheabolitionofthepresident’soffice,orofthegoverningboard;norisitintendedtointimatethatthecaptainoferuditioncanbedispensedwithinfact。Heistoodeartothecommercializedpopularimagination,andhefitstooconvincinglyintothebusinessmen’spreconceivedschemeofthings,topermitanysuchsanguinehopeofsurceasefromskilledmalpracticeandmalversation。Allthatishereintendedtohesaidisnothingmorethantheobiterdictumthat,asseenfromthepointofviewofthehigherlearning,theacademicexecutiveandallhisworksareanathema,andshouldbediscontinuedbythesimpleexpedientofwipinghimofftheslate;andthatthegoverningboard,insofarasitpresumestoexerciseanyotherthanvacantlyperfunctoryduties,hasthesamevalueandshouldwithadvantagebelostinthesameshuffle。
NOTES:
1。\"Hehasstifledallmanlyindependenceandindividualitywhereverithasexhibiteditselfatcollege。Allnobleidealism,andallthegracesofpoetryandarthavebeenshrivelledbyhisbrutalandtriumphantpower。Hehasmademechanicalefficiencyandadministrativeroutinethegoaloftheuniversity’sendeavour。Thenoblerendsofacademiclifewillneverbeservedsolongasthisspokesmanofmaterialismremainsinpower。\"
Historywillrelatethatoneoftheeminentcaptains,throughanincumbencyofmorethanaquarterofacentury,inauniversityofeminentwealthandvolume,hasfollowedasettledpolicyofdefeatinganyovertmovelookingtoscientificorscholarlyinquiryonthepartofanymemberofhisfaculty。
Shouldamanofscholarlyproclivitiesbyanychancesiftthroughthecensorshipexercisedinvirtueoftheexecutive’sappointingpower,asmighthappen,sincethecaptainwashimselfnotqualifiedtopassagroundedopiniononanyman’squalificationsinthatrespect;andshouldhethengiveevidenceofcontinuingtospendtimeandthoughtonmattersofthatnature,hisburdenofadministrativeandclass—roomtaskswouldpresentlybeincreasedsufficientlytosubduehiswaywardbent;or,inanincorrigiblecase,theoffenderagainsttheruleofacademicsterilitywouldeventuallyberetiredbyseveranceofhisconnectionwiththisseatoflearning。
InsomesinistersensethecasereflectscreditontheAmericanacademiccommunityatlarge,inthat,bythecloseofthisquarter—centuryofpreventiveregimen,theresultingacademicstaffhadbecomeabywordofnugatoryintrigueandvacantpedantry。
2。Sofarhasthispredilectionmadeitswayinthecounselsofthe\"educators\"thatmuchofthecurrentdiscussionofdesiderandainacademicpolicyreadslikecontroversialargumenton\"efficiencyengineering,\"——an\"efficiencyengineer\"isanaccountantcompetenttoadvisebusinessconcernshowbesttoincreasetheirsaleableoutputperunitofcost。Andtherehas,indeed,beenatleastonetourofinspectionofAmericanuniversitiesbysuchan\"efficiencyengineer,\"undertakenintheserviceofanestablishmentfoundedwithaviewtoacademicwelfareandgovernedbyaboardofuniversitypresidents。Thereportsubmittedbytheinquiryinquestiondulyconformstothecustomarylinesof\"scientificmanagement。\"
3。\"Educationistheonekindofhumanenterprisethatcannotbebroughtundertheactionoftheeconomiclawofsupplyanddemand。Itcannotbeconductedon’businessprinciples。’Thereisno’demand’foreducationintheeconomicsense……Societyistheonlyinterestthatcanbesaidtodemandit,andsocietymustsupplyitsowndemand。Thosewhofoundeducationalinstitutionsorpromoteeducationalenterpriseputthemselvesintheplaceofsocietyandassumetospeakandactforsociety,notforanyeconomicinterest。\"——LesterF。Ward,PureSociology,p。575。
4。Indeed,theresemblanceisvisible。Asamongprofessionalpoliticians,soalsoasregardsincumbentsandaspirantsforacademicoffice,itisnotatallunusual,nordoesitcausesurprise,tofindsuchpersonsvisiblyaffectedwiththosecharacteristicpathologicalmarksthatcomeofwhatisconventionallycalled\"highliving\"——latehours,unseasonablevigils,surfeitofvictualsanddrink,thefatigueofsedentaryennui。Aflabbyhabitofbody,hypertrophyoftheabdomen,varicoseveins,particularlyofthefacialtissues,ableareyeandacolourationsuggestiveofbileandapoplexy,——whenthisunwholesomebulkisdulywrappedinaconventionallydecorouscostumeitisacceptedratherasamarkofweightandresponsibility,andsoservestodistinguishthepillarsofurbanesociety。Norshoulditbeimaginedthatthesegravemenofaffairsanddiscretionareinanypeculiardegreepronetoexcessesofthetableortonerve—shatteringboutsofdissipation。Theexigenciesofpublicity,however,are,bycurrentuseandwont,suchastoenjoinnotindulgenceinsuchexcursionsofsensualperversity,somuchasagentlemanlyconformitytoalargeroutineofconspicuousconvivialities。
\"Indulgence\"inostensiblygluttonousboutsofthiskind——
banquets,dinners,etc。——isnotsomuchamatteroftasteasofastutepublicity,designedtokeepthecelebrantsinreputeamongalaitywhosesimplestandmostassuredawardofesteemproceedsonevidenceofwastefulabilitytopay。Butthepathologicalconsequences,physicalandotherwise,areofmuchthesamenatureineithercase。
5。Seepp。68—73,79—81,above。
6。Asbearingonthis\"hired—man’sloyalty\"oftheacademicstaffandthemeansofmaintainingit,see,e。g。,apaperbyGeorgeCramCookintheForumforOctober,1913,on\"TheThirdAmericanSex,\"especiallypp。450—455。
7。Unfortunately,thelanguagewantsacompetentdesignationforpublic—mindedpersonagesofthisclass;whichcomprisessomethingappreciablymorethanthehomileticaluniversityexecutivesalludedtoabove,andtheirunderstudies,whileitisalsonotstrictlyinclusiveofalltheseexecutives。Thereisindeedafairlyobviouscontingentcomesinfromamongthoseminorpoliticiansandclergymenwhocravethebenefitofaninoffensivenotoriety,andwhoareatthesametimesolicitoustokeeptheirfellow—meninmindoftheunforgottencommonplaces。Onewillnecessarilyhavemisgivingsaboutputtingforwardanewtechnicaltermforadoptionintoavocabularythatisalreadytop—heavywithtechnicalinnovations。\"Philandropist\"hasbeensuggested。
Itisnotalargeinnovation,andithasthemeritofbeingobviouslyself—explanatory。Atthesametimeitsphoneticresemblancetoanolderterm,alreadywellacceptedinthelanguage,shouldrecommendittothemembersofthecraftwhomitisdesignedtosignalize,andwithwhomphoneticconsiderationsarehabituallyallowedweight。Thepuristswilldoubtlessfind\"philandropist\"abarbarism;butthatisaninfirmitythathasattachedtomanytechnicaldesignationsattheirinception,withoutpermanentlyhinderingtheiracceptanceandserviceability;itisalsonotwhollyunfittingthatthetermchosenshouldbeofsuchacharacter。
8。\"Thetimehascome,thewalrussaid,Totalkofmanythings。\"
Withinthelastfewyearsoneofthemoreillustriousandfluentofthecaptainsoferuditionhitupontheexpedientofhavingatrustedlocumtenensappointedtotakeoverthefunctionsofthehomeofficeforatermofyears,whilethecaptainhimself\"takestheroad\"——onanappreciablyaugmentedsalary——tospeakhismindeloquentlyonmanytopics。Thedevicecan,however,scarcelyyetbesaidtohavepassedtheexperimentalphase。Thisillustriousexponentofphilandropismcommandsanextraordinaryrangeofhomilyandisaraconteurofquiteexceptionalmerit;
andadevicethatcommendsitselfinthisspecialcase,therefore,mayormaynotproveafeasibleplaningeneralandordinaryusage。Butinanycaseitindicatesafeltneedofsomemeasureofrelief,suchaswillenabletherunofpresidentialspeechtogainalittlesomethinginamplitudeandfrequency。
9。So,e。g。,acertainnotablyself—possessedandenergeticcaptainoferuditionhasbeeninthehabitofrepeating(\"onthespurofthemoment\")ahomilyononeofthestapleChristianvirtues。
10。Theseresultingcanonsofblamelessanilitywillreactonthecharacteroftheacademicpersonnelinatwo—foldway:negativelyandbyindirectiontheyworkoutinan(uncertainbuteffectual)
selectiveeliminationofsuchpersonsasareworthwhileinpointofscholarshipandinitiative;whilepositivelyandbydirectincitementitresultsthatthetribeofLoBasswoodhasbeenelectedtofillthestaffwithvacancy。
Atthesametimethecaseisnotunknown,norisitaltogetherachanceoccurrence,wheresuchanexecutivewithplenarypowers,driventouncommonlyfatuouslengthsbythiscalculusofexpedientnotoriety,andintentonputtinganeededpatchontheseatofhishonour,hasendeavouredtosavesomeremnantofgood—willamonghisacademicacquaintancebyprotesting,instrictandconfidentialprivacy,thathiscourseofactiontakeninconformitywiththesecanonswastakenforthesakeofpopulareffect,andnotbecausehedidnotknowbetter。
apparentlyhavingbyfamiliarusecometothepersuasionthataknaveismoretobeesteemedthanafool,andoverlookingthegreateasewithwhichhehasbeenabletocombinethetwocharacters。
11。Inallfairnessitshouldbenoted,asacautionagainsthastyconclusions,thatinbothofthesecasesthisinitialscholarlyintentionhasbeenquestioned——ordenied——bymenwellinformedastothelaterstateofthingsineitherofthetwouniversitiesinquestion。Anditmayaswellbeadmittedwithoutmuchreservationthatthelaterstateofthingshascarriednobroadhintofaninitialphaseinthelife—historyoftheseschools,inwhichidealsofscholarshipweregivenfirstconsideration。Yetitistobetakenasunequivocalfactthatsuchwasthecase,inbothinstances;thisisknownasanassuredmatterofmemorybymencompetenttospeakfromfamiliaracquaintancewiththerelevantfactsatthetime。Inbothcases,itisonlyintheoutcome,onlyafterthepressureofcircumstanceshashadtimetoact,thataroundedmeretriciouspolicyhastakeneffect。Whathasmisledhastyandlate—comeobserversinthismatteristherelativelyverybrief——
inconspicuouslybrief——timeintervalduringwhichitwasfoundpracticabletolettheacademicpolicybeguidedprimarilybyscholarlyideals。
12。Asacommentaryontheforceofcircumstancesandtheacademicvalueoftheexecutiveoffice,itisworthnotingthat,inthecasecited,anadministrationguidedbyaforceful,ingeniousandintrepidpersonality,initiallyimbuedwithscholarlyidealsofasort,hasrunacourseofscarcelyinterruptedacademicdecay;whilethesucceedingreignofastutevacuityandquietismastouchesallmattersofscholarshipandsciencehas,onthewhole,andtodate,lefttheuniversityinanincreasinglyhopefulpostureasaseminaryofthehigherlearning。AllofwhichwouldappeartosuggestaparallelwiththeclassicinstanceofKingStorkandKingLog,Indeed,attheperiodofthesuccessionalludedto,thecaseofthesefabledmajestieswasspecificallycalledtomindbyoneandanotheroftheacademicstaff。Itwouldappearthattheacademicstaffwilltakecareofitsostensibleworkwithbettereffectthelesseffectuallyitsmembersareinterferedwithandsubornedbyanenterprisingcaptainoferudition。
13。Thereisawordtoadd,astothemeasureofsuccessachievedbytheseenterprisesalongtheirchosenlinesofendeavour。Bothoftheestablishmentsspokenofareschoolsofsomevalueinmanydirections,andbothhavealsoachievedalargereputationamongthelaity。Indeed,thecaptainsunderwhosemanagementthetwoschoolshaveperforcecarriedontheirwork,arecommonlyheldinconsiderableesteemashavingachievedgreatthings。Thereisnodesireheretounderstatethecase;butitshouldbeworthnoting,asbearingontheuseandacademicvalueofthepresidentialoffice,thatthedisposalofverylargemeans——
meansofunexampledmagnitude——hasgonetothisachievement。A
considerationoftheseresults,whetherinpointofscholarshiporofnotoriety,ascomparedwiththemeanswhichthecaptainshavedisposedof,willleaveoneindoubt。Itshouldseemdoubtfuliftheresultscouldhavebeenlessexcellentorlessstriking,giventhefreedisposalofanendowmentof20or30
millions,andupward,evenundertheundistinguishedanduneventfulmanagementofcommonplacehonestyandacademictraditionswithouttheguidanceofa\"strongman。\"Itis,indeed,noteasytobelievethatlesscouldhavebeenachievedwithoutthecaptain’shelp。Thereisalsoevidencetohandthatthelossofthe\"strongman\"hasentailednosensiblelosseitherintheefficiencyorinthegoodreputeoftheacademicestablishment;
ratherthereverse。
14。Withintheprecincts,itisnotunusualtomeetwithaharsherandmorepersonalnoteofappraisalofwhatareratedasthefrailtiesoftheexecutive。Therearemanyexpressionstobemetwith,touchingthismatter,ofacolloquialturn。Thesewillcommonlyhavesomethingofanunderbredair,asmayhappeninunguardedcolloquialspeech;butifitbekeptinmindthattheirpersonalincidenceisdulytobereadoutofthem,theirtenormayyetbeinstructive,andtheirscantelegancemaybeover—lookedforonce,inviewofthatcertaincandourthatisscarcelytobehadwithoutacolloquialturn。Theyshouldservebetterthanmanyelaboratephrasestothrowintoreliefthekindandmeasureofesteemaccordedthesematureincumbentsofexecutiveofficebythemenwhoassistbehindthescenes。So,inboldbutintelligiblemetaphor,onehears,\"Heisalargepersonfullofsmallpotatoes,\"\"Theonlywhitethingabouthimishisliver,\"\"Half—a—peckofpusillanimity,\"\"Afour—flusher。\"
Somethingafterthiskindisthisaphoristicwisdomcurrentintheacademiccommunity,insofarasitrunssafelyabovethelevelofscurrility。Inpointoftaste,itwouldbeoutofthequestiontofollowthesamestrainofdiscourteousexpressionsintothatlargervolumeofmoreoutspokenappraisalthatliesbelowthatlevel;andevenwhathassobeensparinglycitedinillustrationcan,ofcourse,notclaimasympathetichearingasbeinginanywayagracefulpresentmentofthesenseintendedtobeconveyedinthesefiguresofspeech。Yettheapologymaybeaccepted,thatitconveysthissenseintelligiblyevenifnotelegantly。
Indeed,apersonwidelyconversantwithcurrentopinionanditsexpressionamongthepersonnelofthestaff,astouchesthecharacterandacademicvalueofacapableandbusinesslikeexecutive,mightunguardedlycometothepersuasionthatthetypicalacademichead,undertheselatterdayconditions。willbeafeeblemindedrogue。Suchis,doubtless,farfrombeingtheactualvaluationunderlyingthesemanyartlessexpressionsthatonemeetswith。Anddoubtless,themostthatcouldbesaidwouldbethat,inpointoforientation,thetypicalexecutive,quaexecutive,tendstofallinwiththelinessoindicated;thattheexigenciesoftheexecutiveofficeareofakindthatwouldconvergeuponsuchanissue\"inthelongrun\"and\"intheabsenceofdisturbingcauses\";notthattheeffectualrunofcircumstanceswillatallcommonlypermitaconsummationofthatkindanddegree。
\"Indeed……wemaysayasDrBotelersaidofstrawberries。
’DoubtlessGodcouldhavemadeabetterberry,butdoubtlessGodneverdid。’\"
15。Itwillbeobjected,andwithmuchreason,thattheseunderlying\"schoolunits\"thatgotomakeupthecompositeAmericanuniversityhabituallyseenogreatevilinsobeingabsorbedintothetrust。Theylendthemselvesreadily,ifnoteagerly,toschemesofcoalition;theyareinfactpronetodrawinundertheaegisoftheuniversitycorporationby\"annexation,\"
\"affiliation。\"\"absorption,\"etc。Anyonewhocarestotakestockofthatmatterandisinapositiontoknowwhatisgoingoncaneasilyassurehimselfthatthereasonswhichdecideinsuchacasearenotadvisedlyacceptedreasonsintrinsictotheneedsofefficiencyfortheworkinhand,butratherreasonsofcompetitiveexpediency,ofcompetitiveadvantageandofprestige;
exceptinsofarasitmayallbe——asperhapsitcommonlyis——
mereunreflectingconformitytothecurrentfashion。Inthisconnectionitistoberemarked,however,thatevenifthecurrentusagehasnointrinsicadvantage,asagainstanotherwayofdoing,failuretoconformwiththecurrentwayofdoingwillalwaysentailadisadvantage。