第37章 CHAPTER II(6)

What counts toward the advancement of learning and the scholarly character of the university is the graduate work， but what gives statistically formidable results in the way of a numerous enrolment， many degrees conferred， public exhibitions， courses of instruction -- in short what rolls up a large showing of turnover and output -- is the perfunctory work of the undergraduate department， as well as the array of vocational schools latterly subjoined as auxiliaries to this end. Hence the needs and possibilities of the undergraduate and vocational schools are primarily， perhaps rather solely， had in view in the bureaucratic organization of the courses of instruction， in the selection of the personnel， in the divisions of the school year， as well as in the various accessory attractions offered， such as the athletic equipment， facilities for fraternity and other club life， debates， exhibitions and festivities， and the customary routine of devotional amenities under official sanction.

The undergraduate or collegiate schools， that now bulk so large in point of numbers as well as in the attention devoted to their welfare in academic management， have undergone certain notable changes in other respects than size， since the period of that shifting from clerical control to a business administration that marks the beginning of the current r間ime. Concomitant with their growth in numbers they have taken over an increasing volume of other functions than such as bear directly on matters of learning. At the same time the increase in numbers has brought a change in the scholastic complexion of this enlarged student body， of such a nature that a very appreciable proportion of these students no longer seek residence at the universities with a view to the pursuit of knowledge， even ostensibly. By force of conventional propriety a "college course" -- the due term of residence at some reputable university， with the collegiate degree certifying honourable discharge -- has become a requisite of gentility. So considerable is the resulting genteel contingent among the students， and so desirable is their enrolment and the countenance of their presence， in the apprehension of the university directorate， that the academic organization is in great part， and of strategic necessity， adapted primarily to their needs.

This contingent， and the general body of students in so far as this contingent from the leisure class has leavened the lump， are not so seriously interested in their studies that they can in any degree be counted on to seek knowledge on their own initiative. At the same time they have other interests that must be taken care of by the school， on pain of losing their custom and their good will， to the detriment of the university's standing in genteel circles and to the serious decline in enrolment which their withdrawal would occasion. Hence college sports come in for an ever increasing attention and take an increasingly prominent and voluminous place in the university's life； as do also other politely blameless ways and means of dissipation， such as fraternities， clubs， exhibitions， and the extensive range of extra-scholastic traffic known as "student activities."At the same time the usual and average age of the college students has been slowly falling farther back into the period of adolescence； and the irregularities and uncertain temper of that uneasy period consequently are calling for more detailed surveillance and a more circumspect administration of college discipline. With a body of students whose everyday interest， as may be said without exaggeration， lies in the main elsewhere than in the pursuit of knowledge， and with an imperative tradition still standing over that requires the college to be (ostensibly at least) an establishment for the instruction of the youth， it becomes necessary to organize this instruction on a coercive plan， and hence to itemize the scholastic tasks of the inmates with great nicety of subdivision and with a meticulous regard to an exact equivalence as between the various courses and items of instruction to which they are to be subjected. Likewise as regards the limits of permissible irregularities of conduct and excursions into the field of sports and social amenities.

To meet the necessities of this difficult control， and to meet them always without jeopardizing the interests of the school as a competitive concern， a close-cut mechanical standardization， uniformity， surveillance and accountancy are indispensable. As regards the schedule of instruction， bona fide students will require but little exacting surveillance in their work， and little in the way of an apparatus of control. But the collegiate school has to deal with a large body of students， many of whom have little abiding interest in their academic work， beyond the academic credits necessary to be accumulated for honourable discharge， -- indeed their scholastic interest may fairly be said to centre in unearned credits.