第 27 节
作者:青涩春天      更新:2021-02-27 02:38      字数:9320
  from the standpoint of the counting…house; learning and
  university instruction are a species of skilled labour; to be
  hired at competitive wages and to turn out the largest
  merchantable output that can be obtained by shrewd bargaining
  with their employees; whereas; of course; in point of fact and of
  its place in the economic system; the pursuit of learning is a
  species of leisure; and the work of instruction is one of the
  modes of a life so spent in 〃the increase and diffusion of
  knowledge among men。〃 It is to be classed as 〃leisure〃 only in
  such a sense of that term as may apply to other forms of activity
  that have no economic; and more particularly no pecuniary; end or
  equivalence。 It is by no means hereby intended to imply that such
  pursuit of knowledge is an aimless or indolent manner of life;
  nothing like dissipation has a legitimate place in it; nor is it
  〃idle〃 in any other sense than that it is extra…economic; not
  without derogation to be classed as a gainful pursuit。 Its aim is
  not the increase or utilization of the material means of life;
  nor can its spirit and employment be bought with a price。 Any
  salary; perquisites; or similar emoluments assigned the scholars
  and scientists in the service of civilization; within the
  university or without; are (should be) in the nature of a
  stipend; designed to further the free use of their talent in the
  prosecution of this work; the value of which is not of a
  pecuniary kind。 But under the stress of businesslike management
  in the universities the drift of things sets toward letting the
  work of science and scholarship to the lowest bidder; on a
  roughly applicable piece…wage plan。 The result is about such a
  degree of inefficiency; waste and stultification as might fairly
  be expected; whereof there are abundantly many examples; that
  humble the pride of the scholars and rejoice the heart of the
  captains of erudition。
  The piece…wage plan never goes into effect in set form; or
  has not hitherto done so;  although there are schools of
  nominally university grade in which there is a recognized and
  avowed endeavour so to apportion the weekly hours of class…room
  exercises to the pay of the teachers as to bring the pay per
  class…hour per semester to a passably uniform level for the
  general body of the staff。 That the piece…wage plan has so little
  avowed vogue in the academic wage scheme may at first sight seem
  strange; the body of academic employees are as defenceless and
  unorganized as any class of the wage…earning population; and it
  is among the unorganized and helpless that the piece…wage plan is
  commonly applied with the best effect; at the same time the
  system of scholastic accountancy; worked out for other purposes
  and already applied both to instructors; to courses of
  instruction; and to divisions of the school year; has already
  reduced all the relevant items to such standard units and
  thorough equivalence as should make a system of piece…wages
  almost a matter of course。 That it has not formally been put in
  practice appears to be due to tradition; and to that long…term
  common sense appreciation of the nature of learning that will
  always balk at rating this work as a frankly materialistic and
  pecuniary occupation。 The academic personnel; e。 g。; are unable
  to rid themselves of a fastidious  perhaps squeamish
  persuasion that they are engaged in this work not wholly for
  pecuniary returns; and the community at large are obscurely; but
  irretrievably and irresponsibly; in the same suspicious frame of
  mind on that head。 The same unadvised and unformulated persuasion
  that academic salaries are after all not honestly to be rated as
  wages; is doubtless accountable for certain other features of
  academic management touching the pay…roll; notably the failure of
  the employees to organize anything like a trades…union; or to
  fall into line on any workable basis of solidarity on such an
  issue as a wage…bargain; as also the equivocal footing on which
  the matter of appointments and removals is still allowed to
  stand; hence also the unsettled ethics of the trade in this
  respect。
  For divers reasons; but mainly reasons of competitive
  statistics; which resolve themselves; again; in the main into
  reasons of expedient publicity; it is desired that the enrolment
  should be very large and should always and unremittingly
  increase;  due regard being always had; of course; to the
  eminent desirability of drawing into the enrolment many students
  from the higher levels of gentility and pecuniary merit。 To this
  end it is well; as has already been remarked above; to announce a
  very full schedule of instruction and a free range of elective
  alternatives; and also to promote a complete and varied line of
  scholastic accessories; in the way of athletics; clubs;
  fraternities; 〃student activities;〃 and similar devices of
  politely blameless dissipation。
  These accessories of college life have been strongly on the
  increase since the business r間ime has come in。 They are held to
  be indispensable; or unavoidable; not for scholarly work; of
  course; but chiefly to encourage the attendance of that
  decorative contingent who take more kindly to sports; invidious
  intrigue and social amenities than to scholarly pursuits。
  Notoriously; this contingent is; on the whole; a serious drawback
  to the cause of learning; but it adds appreciably; and adds a
  highly valued contribution; to the number enrolled; and it gives
  also a certain; highly appreciated; loud tone (〃college spirit〃)
  to the student body; and so it is felt to benefit the corporation
  of learning by drawing public attention。 Corporate means expended
  in provision for these academic accessories  〃side shows;〃 as
  certain ill…disposed critics have sometimes called them  are
  commonly felt to be well spent。 Persons who are not intimately
  familiar with American college life have little appreciation of
  the grave solicitude given to these matters。
  During some considerable number of years past; while the
  undergraduate enrolment at the universities has been increasing
  rapidly; the attitude of the authorities has progressively been
  undergoing a notable change touching these matters of
  extra…scholastic amenity。 It is in great measure a continuation
  of changes that have visibly been going forward in the older
  universities of the country for a longer period; and it is
  organically bound up with the general shifting of ground that
  marks the incursion of business principles。
  While the authorities have turned their attention primarily
  to the undergraduate division and its numerical increase; they
  have at the same time; and largely with the same end in view;
  endeavoured to give it more of the character of a 〃gentleman's
  college〃; that is to say; an establishment for the cultivation of
  the graces of gentility and a suitable place of residence for
  young men of spendthrift habits。 The improvement sought in these
  endeavours is not so much the increase and acceleration of
  scholarly pursuits; as a furthering of 〃social〃 proficiency。 A
  〃gentleman's college〃 is an establishment in which scholarship is
  advisedly made subordinate to genteel dissipation; to a grounding
  in those methods of conspicuous consumption that should engage
  the thought and energies of a well…to…do man of the world。 Such
  an ideal; more or less overtly; appears to be gaining ground
  among the larger universities; and; needless to say; it is
  therefore also gaining; by force of precedent and imitation;
  among the younger schools engaged in more of a struggle to
  achieve a secure footing of respectability。
  Its bearing on the higher learning is; of course;
  sufficiently plain; and its intimate connection with business
  principles at large should be equally plain。 The scheme of
  reputability in the pecuniary culture comprises not only the
  imperative duty of acquiring something more than an equitable
  share of the community's wealth; but also the dutiful privilege
  of spending this acquired wealth; and the leisure that goes with
  it; in a reputably conspicuous way; according to the ritual of
  decorum in force for the time being。 So that proficiency in the
  decorously conspicuous waste of time and means is no less
  essential in the end than proficiency in the gainful conduct of
  business。 The ways and means of reputably consuming time and
  substance; therefore; is by prescriptive necessity to be included
  in