第 38 节
作者:青涩春天      更新:2021-02-27 02:38      字数:9321
  dinner; or the grandstand on some red…letter day of
  intercollegiate athletics。(4*) For the purposes of a reputable
  notoriety the everyday work of the classroom and laboratory is
  also not so effective as lectures to popular audiences outside;
  especially; perhaps; addresses before an audience of devout and
  well…to…do women。 Indeed; all this is well approved by
  experience。 In many and devious ways; therefore; a university man
  may be able to serve the collective enterprise of his university
  to better effect than by an exclusive attention to the scholastic
  work on which alone he is ostensibly engaged。
  Among the consequences that follow is a constant temptation
  for the members of the staff to take on work outside of that for
  which the salary is nominally paid。 Such work takes the public
  eye; but a further incentive to go into this outside and
  non…academic work; as well as to take on supernumerary work
  within the academic schedule; lies in the fact that such outside
  or supernumerary work is specially paid; and so may help to eke
  out a sensibly scant livelihood。 So far as touches the more
  scantily paid grades of university men; and so far as no alien
  considerations come in to trouble the working…out of business
  principles; the outcome may be schematized somewhat as follows。
  These men have; at the outset; gone into the university
  presumably from an inclination to scholarly or scientific
  pursuits; it is not probable that they have been led into this
  calling by the pecuniary inducements; which are slight as
  compared with the ruling rates of pay in the open market for
  other work that demands an equally arduous preparation and an
  equally close application。 They have then been apportioned rather
  more work as instructors than they can take care of in the most
  efficient manner; at a rate of pay which is sensibly scant for
  the standard of (conspicuous) living conventionally imposed on
  them。 They are; by authority; expected to expend time and means
  in such polite observances; spectacles and quasi…learned
  exhibitions as are presumed to enhance the prestige of the
  university。 They are so induced to divert their time and energy
  to spreading abroad the university's good repute by creditable
  exhibitions of a quasi…scholarly character; which have no
  substantial bearing on a university man's legitimate interests;
  as well as in seeking supplementary work outside of their
  mandatory schedule; from which to derive an adequate livelihood
  and to fill up the complement of politely wasteful expenditures
  expected of them。 The academic instruction necessarily suffers by
  this diversion of forces to extra…scholastic objects; and the
  work of inquiry; which may have primarily engaged their interest
  and which is indispensable to their continued efficiency as
  teachers; is; in the common run of cases; crowded to one side and
  presently drops out of mind。 Like other workmen; under pressure
  of competition the members of the academic staff will endeavour
  to keep up their necessary income by cheapening their product and
  increasing their marketable output。 And by consequence of this
  pressure of bread…winning and genteel expenditure; these
  university men are so barred out from the serious pursuit of
  those scientific and scholarly inquiries which alone can;
  academically speaking; justify their retention on the university
  faculty; and for the sake of which; in great part at least; they
  have chosen this vocation。 No infirmity more commonly besets
  university men than this going to seed in routine work and
  extra…scholastic duties。 They have entered on the academic career
  to find time; place; facilities and congenial environment for the
  pursuit of knowledge; and under pressure they presently settle
  down to a round of perfunctory labour by means of which to
  simulate the life of gentlemen。(5*)
  Before leaving the topic it should further be remarked that
  the dissipation incident to these polite amenities; that so are
  incumbent on the academic personnel; apparently also has
  something of a deteriorative effect on their working capacity;
  whether for scholarly or for worldly uses。 Prima facie evidence
  to this effect might be adduced; but it is not easy to say how
  far the evidence would bear closer scrutiny。 There is an
  appreciable amount of dissipation; in its several sorts; carried
  forward in university circles in an inconspicuous manner; and not
  designed for publicity。 How far this is induced by a loss of
  interest in scholarly work; due to the habitual diversion of the
  scholars' energies to other and more exacting duties; would be
  hard to say; as also how far it may be due to the lead given by
  men…of…the…world retained on the faculties for other than
  scholarly reasons。 At the same time there is the difficulty that
  many of those men who bear a large part in the ceremonial
  dissipation incident to the enterprise in publicity are retained;
  apparently; for their proficiency in this line as much as for
  their scholarly attainments; or at least so one might infer; and
  these men must be accepted with the defects of their qualities。
  As bearing on this whole matter of pomp and circumstance;
  social amenities and ritual dissipation; quasi…learned
  demonstrations and meretricious publicity; in academic life; it
  is difficult beyond hope of a final answer to determine how much
  of it is due directly to the masterful initiative of the strong
  man who directs the enterprise; and how much is to be set down to
  an innate proclivity for all that sort of thing on the part of
  the academic personnel。 A near view of these phenomena leaves the
  impression that there is; on the whole; less objection felt than
  expressed among the academic men with regard to this routine of
  demonstration; that the reluctance with which they pass under the
  ceremonial yoke is not altogether ingenuous; all of which would
  perhaps hold true even more decidedly as applied to the faculty
  households。(6*) But for all that; it also remains true that
  without the initiative and countenance of the executive head
  these boyish movements of sentimental spectacularity on the part
  of the personnel would come to little; by comparison with what
  actually takes place。 It is after all a matter for executive
  discretion; and; from whatever motives; this diversion of effort
  to extra…scholastic ends has the executive sanction;(7*) with the
  result that an intimate familiarity with current academic life is
  calculated to raise the question whether make…believe does not;
  after all; occupy a larger and more urgent place in the life of
  these thoughtful adult male citizens than in the life of their
  children。
  NOTES:
  1。 It was a very wise and adroit politician who found out that
  〃You can not fool all the people all the time。〃
  2。  La gloria di colui che tutto muove;
  Per l'universo pen閠ra e risplende
  In una parte pi* e meno altr'ove。
  3。 In a certain large and enterprising university; e。g。; the pay
  of the lowest; and numerous; rank regularly employed to do full
  work as teachers; is proportioned to that of the highest  much
  less numerous  rank about as one to twelve at the most; perhaps
  even as low as one to twenty。 And it may not be out of place to
  enter the caution that the nominal rank of a given member of the
  staff is no secure index of his income; even where the salary
  〃normally〃 attached to the given academic rank is known。 Not
  unusually a 〃normal〃 scale of salaries is formally adopted by the
  governing board and spread upon their records; and such a scale
  will then be surreptitiously made public。 But departures from the
  scale habitually occur; whereby the salaries actually paid come
  to fall short of the 〃normal〃 perhaps as frequently as they
  conform to it。
  There is no trades…union among university teachers; and no
  collective bargaining。 There appears to be a feeling prevalent
  among them that their salaries are not of the nature of wages;
  and that there would be a species of moral obliquity implied in
  overtly so dealing with the matter。 And in the individual
  bargaining by which the rate of pay is determined the directorate
  may easily be tempted to seek an economical way out; by offering
  a low rate of pay coupled with a higher academic rank。 The plea
  is always ready to hand that the university is in want of the
  necessary funds and is constrained to economize where it can。 So
  an adv