第70章 CHAPTER V(8)

It applies only in so far as the principles of competitive enterprise control the selection of the personnel， and even then only with exceptions. There is no intention to depreciate the work of those many eminent scholars， of scientific animus and intellectual grasp， whose endeavours are given to this range of inquiry. Its application， indeed， is intended to reach no farther than may serve to cover the somewhat tactful and quietistic attitude of the moral sciences in the universities. As they are cultivated in the great seminaries of learning， these sciences are commonly of a somewhat more archaic complexion than the contemporary material sciences； they are less iconoclastic， have a greater regard for prescriptive authority and authenticity， are more given to rest their inquiry on grounds of expediency， as contrasted with grounds of cause and effect. They are content to conclude that such and such events are expedient or inexpedient， quite as often and as easily as that such are the causes or the genetic sequence of the phenomena under discussion. In short， under this official leadership these sciences will have an attitude toward their subject of inquiry resembling that taken by the material sciences something like a century ago.

To the credit of this academic leadership in the social sciences， then， it should be said that both the leaders and their disciples apply themselves with admirable spirit to these inquiries into the proper， expedient， and normal course of events； and that the conclusions arrived at also shed much salutary light on what is proper， expedient， and normal in these premises. Inquiries carried on in this spirit in the field of human institutions belong， of course， in the category of worldly wisdom rather than of science. "Practical" questions occupy these scientists in great part， and practical， or utilitarian， considerations guide the course of the inquiry and shape the system of generalizations in these sciences， to a much greater extent than in the material sciences with which they are here contrasted. An alert sense of the practical value of their inquiries and their teaching is one of the chief requisites for official recognition in the scientists who occupy themselves with these matters， and it is one of the chief characteristics of their work. So that， in so far as it all conforms to the principles of competitive business， the line of demarcation between worldly wisdom and theoretical validity becomes peculiarly indistinct in this province of science. And， it may be remarked by the way， the influence of this academic science， both in its discipline and in its tenets， appears to be wholly salutary； it conduces， on the whole， to a safe and sane， if not an enthusiastic， acceptance of things as they are， without undue curiosity as to why they are such.

What has here been said of the place and use of the scientist under the current r間ime of competitive enterprise describes what should follow from the unrestrained dominion of business principles in academic policy， rather than what has actually been accomplished in any concrete case； it presents an ideal situation rather than a relation of events， though without losing touch with current facts at any point. The run of the facts is， in effect， a compromise between the scholar's ideals and those of business， in such a way that the ideals of scholarship are yielding ground， in an uncertain and varying degree， before the pressure of businesslike exigencies.

NOTES：

1. Cf. also J. J. Chapman， paper on "Professional Ethics，" in University Control， as above， for an estimate of the inefficiency of academic opinion as a corrective of the executive power on his head.

2. "The lambs play always， they know no better， They are only one times one."3. "He was a trusted and efficient employee of an institution made possible and maintained by men of great wealth， men who not only live on the interest of their money， but who expend millions in the endowment of colleges and universities in which enthusiastic young educators... find lucrative and honourable employment." -- Editorial on the dismissal of Dr. Nearing， in the Minneapolis Journal， August II， 1915.