第 48 节
作者:
青涩春天 更新:2021-02-27 02:38 字数:9321
profession; and it is doubtless believed by its apologists to be
a useful profession; on the whole; but a body of lawyers somewhat
less numerous; and with a lower average proficiency in legal
subtleties and expedients; would unquestionably be quite as
serviceable to the community at large as a larger number of such
men with a higher efficiency; at the same time they would be less
costly; both as to initial cost and as to the expenses of
maintenance that come of that excessive volume and retardation of
litigation due to an extreme facility in legal technique on the
part of the members of the bar。
It will also be found true that both the schools of law and
those of commerce; and in a less degree the other vocational
schools; serve the advantage of one class as against another。 In
the measure in which these schools accomplish what they aim at;
they increase the advantage of such men as already have some
advantage over the common run。 The instruction is half…way
gratuitous; that is the purpose of placing these schools on a
foundation or maintaining them at the public expense。 It is
presumed to be worth more than its cost to the students。 The fees
and other incidental expenses do not nearly cover the cost of the
schools; otherwise no foundation or support from the public funds
would be required; and the universities would have no colourable
excuse for going into this field。 But even if the instruction and
facilities offered by these schools are virtually gratuitous; yet
the fees and incidental expenses; together with the expenditure
of time and the cost of living required for a residence at the
schools; make up so considerable an item of expense as
effectually to exclude the majority of those young men who might
otherwise be inclined to avail themselves of these advantages。 In
effect; none can afford the time and expense of this business
training; whether in Commerce; Law; or the other professions;
except those who are already possessed of something more than the
average wealth or average income; and none; presumably; take
kindly to this training; in commerce or law; e。g。; except those
who already have something more than the average taste and
aptitude for business traffic; or who have a promising 〃opening〃
of this character in sight。 So that this training that is desired
to serve the private advantage of commercial students is; for the
greater part; extended to a select body of young men; only such
applicants being eligible; in effect; as do not on any showing
need this gratuity。
In proportion to the work which it undertakes; the College of
Commerce is or it would be if it lived up to its professions
the most expensive branch of the university corporation。 In
this connection the case of the law school offers a significant
object…lesson of what to expect in the further growth of the
schools of commerce。 The law school is of older standing and
maturer growth; at the same time that its aims and circumstances
are of much the same general character as those that condition
the schools of commerce; and it is therefore to be taken as
indicating something of what must be looked for in the college of
commerce if it is to do the work for which it is established。 The
indications; then; are (a) that the instruction in the field of
commercial training may be expected gradually to fall into a more
rigidly drawn curriculum; which will discard all irrelevant
theoretical excursions and will diverge more and more widely from
the ways of scientific inquiry; in proportion as experience and
tactful organization bring the school to a maturer insight into
its purposes and a more consistent adherence to its chief purpose
of training expert men for the higher business practice; and (b)
that the personnel of its staff must increasingly be drawn from
among the successful businessmen; rather than from men of
academic training。
Among the immediate consequences of this latter feature; as
shown in the example of the law schools; is a relatively high
cost。 The schedule of salaries in the law schools attached to the
universities; e。 g。; runs appreciably higher than in the
university proper。 the reason being; of course; that men suitable
efficiently to serve as instructors and directive officials in a
school of law are almost necessarily men whose services in the
practice of the law would command a high rate of pay。 What is
needed in the law school (as in the school of commerce) is men
who are practically conversant with the ways and means of earning
large fees; that being the point of it all。 Indeed; the scale
of pay which their services will command in the open market is
the chief and ordinary test of their fitness for the work of
instruction。 The salaries paid these men of affairs; who have so
been diverted to the service of the schools; is commonly some
multiple of the salary assigned to men of a comparable ability
and attainments in the academic work proper。 The academic rank
assigned them is also necessarily; and for the like reason;
commensurate with their higher scale of pay; all of which throws
an undue preponderance of discretion and authority into the hands
of these men of affairs; and so introduces a disproportionate
bias in favour of unscientific and unscholarly aims and ideals in
the university at large。
Judged by the example of the law schools; then; the college
of commerce; if it is to live and thrive; may be counted on to
divert a much larger body of funds from legitimate university
uses; and to create more of a bias hostile to scholarly and
scientific work in the academic body; than the mere numerical
showing of its staff would suggest。 It is fairly to be expected
that capable men of affairs; drawn from the traffic of successful
business for this service; will require even a higher rate of
pay; at the same time that they will be even more cordially out
of sympathy with the ideals of scholarship; than the personnel of
the law schools。 Such will necessarily be the outcome; if these
schools are at all effectually to serve the purpose for which
they are created。
But for the present; as matters stand now; near the inception
of this enterprise in training masters of gain; such an outcome
has not been reached。 Neither have the schools of commerce yet
been placed on such a footing of expensiveness and authoritative
discretion as the high sanction of the quest of gain would seem
properly to assign them; nor are they; as at present organized
and equipped; at all eminently fit to carry out the work
entrusted to their care。 Commonly; it is to be admitted; the men
selected for the staff are men of some academic training; rather
than men of affairs who have shown evidence of fitness to give
counsel and instruction; by eminently gainful success in
business。 They are; indeed; commonly men of moderate rating in
the academic community; and are vested with a moderate rank and
authority; and the emoluments of these offices are also such as
attach to positions of a middling grade in academic work; instead
of being comparable with the gains that come to capable men
engaged in the large business outside。 Yet it is from among these
higher grades of expert businessmen outside that the schools of
commerce must draw their staff of instructors and their
administrative officers if they are to accomplish the task
proposed to them。 A movement in this direction is already visibly
setting in。
It is reasonably to be expected that one or the other result
should follow: either the college of commerce must remain;
somewhat as in practice it now is; something in the way of an
academic division; with an academic routine and standards; and
with an unfulfilled ambition to serve the higher needs of
business training; with a poorly paid staff of nondescript
academic men; not peculiarly fitted to lead their students into
the straight and narrow way of business success; nor yet
eminently equipped for a theoretical inquiry into the phenomena
of business traffic and their underlying causes so that the
school will continue to stand; in effect; as a more or less
pedantic and equivocal adjunct of a department of economics; or
the schools must be endowed and organized with a larger and
stricter regard to the needs of the higher business traffic; with
a personnel composed of men of the highest business talent and
attainments; tempted from such