第48章 CHAPTER II(17)

The subsidized clubs work， in these premises， to much the same effect as the fraternities； both are， in effect， designed to cultivate expensive habits of life. The same is true in a higher degree of athletic sports. The full round of sportsmanlike events， as well as the round schedule of social amenities for which the polite side of undergraduate life (partly subsidized)is designed to give a taste and training， are beyond the compass of men devoted to scholarship. In effect these things come in as alternatives to the pursuit of knowledge. These things call for a large expenditure of time and means， neither of which can be adequately met by the scientist or scholar. So that men who have been trained to the round of things that so go to make up the conventional scheme of undergraduate interests can not well look to a career in the higher learning as a possible outcome of their residence in college. On the other hand， young men habitually， and no doubt rightly， expect a business career to yield an income somewhat above the average of incomes in the community， and more particularly in excess of the commonplace incomes of academic men； such an income， indeed， as may afford the means to cover the conventional routine of such polite expenditures. So that， in the absence of an independent income， some sort of a business career that promises well in the pecuniary respect becomes the necessary recourse of the men to whom these amenities of expenditure have become habitual through their undergraduate training. With like effect the mental discipline exercised by these sports and polite events greatly favours the growth of tactful equivocation and a guarded habit of mind， such as makes for worldly wisdom and success in business， but which is worse than useless in the scholar or scientist. And further and perhaps more decisively， an undergraduate who does his whole duty in the way of sports， fraternities， clubs， and reputable dissipation at large， commonly comes through his undergraduate course with a scanty and superficial preparation for scholarly or scientific pursuits， if any. So that even in case he should still chance to harbour a penchant for the pursuit of learning he will be unfit by lack of training.

NOTES：

1. Cf. George T. Ladd， "The Need of Administrative Changes in the American University，" reprinted in University Control， by J.

McKeen Cattell； especially pp. 352-353.

2. Cf. George T. Ladd， as above， pp. 351-352.

3. Apart from the executive's need of satisfying the prejudices of the laity in this matter， there is no ground for this competition between the universities， either in the pecuniary circumstances of the several establishments or in the work they are to take care of. So much is admitted on all hands. But the fact remains that no other one motive has as much to do with shaping academic policy as this same competition for traffic. The cause of it appears to be very little if anything else than that the habits of thought induced by experience in business are uncritically carried over into academic affairs.

Critics of the present r間ime are inclined to admit that the colleges of the land are in great part so placed as to be thrown into competition by force of circumstances， both as to the acquisition of funds and as to the enrolment of students. The point may be conceded， though with doubt and reservation， as applies to the colleges； for the universities there is no visible ground of such rivalry， apart from unreflecting prejudice on the part of the laity， and an ambition for popular acclaim on the part of the university directorate.

4. An incumbent of executive office， recently appointed， in one of the greater universities was at pains a few years ago to speak his mind on this head， to the effect that the members of the academic staff are employees in the pay of the university and under the orders of its president， and as such they are bound to avoid all criticism of him and his administration so long as they continue on the pay-roll； and that if any member of the staff has any fault to find with the conduct of affairs he must first sever his connection with the university， before speaking his mind.

These expressions were occasioned by the underhand dismissal of a scholar of high standing and long service， who had incurred the displeasure of the president then in charge， by overt criticism of the administration. As to its general features the case might well have been the one referred to by Professor Ladd (University Control， as above， p. 359)， though the circumstances of the dismissal offer several details of a more discreditable character than Professor Ladd appears to have been aware of.