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