第 63 节
作者:青涩春天      更新:2021-02-27 02:38      字数:9320
  pieces。 The several constituent schools would fall apart; since
  nothing holds them together except the strong hand of the present
  central government。 This would; of course; seem a monstrous and
  painful outrage to all those persons who are infatuated with a
  veneration of big thing; to whom a 〃great〃  that is to say
  voluminous  university is an object of pride and loyal
  affection。 This class of persons is a very large one; and they
  are commonly not given to reJection on the merits of their
  preconceived ideals of 〃greatness。〃 So that the dissolution of
  this 〃trust〃…like university coalition would bitterly hurt their
  feelings。 So intolerable would the shock to this popular
  sentiment presumably be; indeed; that no project of the kind can
  have any reasonable chance of a hearing。
  Apart from such loss of 〃prestige value〃 in the eyes of those
  whose pride centres on magnitude; the move in question would
  involve no substantial loss。 The chief direct and tangible effect
  would be a considerable saving in 〃overhead charges;〃 in that the
  greater part of the present volume of administrative work would
  fall away。 The greater part  say; three…fourths  of the
  present officers of administration; with their clerical staff;
  would be lost; under the present system these are chiefly
  occupied with the correlation and control of matters that need
  correlation and control only with a view to centralized
  management。
  The aggregate of forces engaged and the aggregate volume of
  work done in the schools would suffer no sensible diminution。
  Indeed; the contemplated change should bring a very appreciably
  heightened efficiency of all the working units that are now tied
  up in the university coalition。 Each of these units would be free
  to follow its own devices; within the lines imposed by the work
  in hand; since none of them would then be required to walk in
  lock…step with several others with which it had no more vital
  articulation than the lock…step in question。
  Articulation and co…ordination is good and requisite where
  and so far as it is intrinsic to the work in hand; but it all
  comes to nothing better than systematized lag; leak and friction;
  so soon as it is articulation and coordination in other terms and
  for other ends than the performance of the work in hand。 It is
  also true; the coalition of these several school units into a
  pseudo…aggregate under a centralized control gives a deceptive
  appearance of a massive engine working to some common end; but;
  again; mass movement comes to nothing better than inhibition and
  misdirection when it involves a coalition of working units whose
  work is necessarily to be done in severalty。
  Left to themselves the several schools would have to take
  care each of its own affairs and guide its endeavours by the
  exigencies of its own powers and purposes; with such regard to
  inter…collegiate comity and courtesy as would be required by the
  substantial relations then subsisting between them; by virtue of
  their common employment in academic work。
  In what has just been said; it is not forgotten that the
  burden of their own affairs would be thrown back on the
  initiative and collective discretion of the several faculties; so
  soon as the several schools had once escaped from the trust…like
  coalition in which they are now held。 As has abundantly appeared
  in latterday practice; these faculties have in such matters
  proved themselves notable chiefly for futile disputation; which
  does not give much promise of competent self…direction on their
  part; in case they were given a free hand。 It is to be recalled;
  however; that this latterday experience of confirmed incompetence
  has been gathered under the overshadowing presence of a
  surreptitiously and irresponsibly autocratic executive; vested
  with power of use and abuse; and served by a corps of adroit
  parliamentarians and lobbyists; ever at hand to divert the
  faculty's action from any measure that might promise to have a
  substantial effect。 By force of circumstances; chief of which is
  the executive office; the faculties have become deliberative
  bodies charged with power to talk。 Their serious attention has
  been taken up with schemes for weighing imponderables and
  correlating incommensurables; with such a degree of
  verisimilitude as would keep the statistics and accountancy of
  the collective administration in countenance; and still leave
  some play in the joints of the system for the personal relation
  of teacher and disciple。 It is a nice problem in self…deception;
  chiefly notable for an endless proliferation。
  At the same time it is well known  too well known to
  command particular attention  that in current practice; and of
  necessity; the actual effective organization of each of these
  constituent school units devolves on the working staff; in so far
  as regards the effectual work to be done。 even to the selection
  of its working members and the apportionment of the work。 It is
  all done 〃by authority〃 of course; and must all be arranged
  discreetly; with an ulterior view to its sanction by the
  executive and its due articulation with the scheme of publicity
  at large; but in all these matters the executive habitually comes
  into bearing only as a (powerful) extraneous and alien
  interference;  almost wholly inhibitory; in effect; even though
  with a show of initiative and creative guidance。 And this
  inhibitory surveillance is exercised chiefly on grounds of
  conciliatory notoriety towards the outside; rather than on
  grounds that touch the efficiency of the staff for the work in
  hand。 Such efficiency is commonly not barred; it is believed; so
  long as it does not hinder the executive's quest of the greater
  glory。 There is; in effect; an inhibitory veto power touching the
  work and its ways and means。
  But even when taken at its best; and when relieved of the
  inhibition and deflection worked by the executive; such an
  academic body can doubtless be counted on to manage its
  collective affairs somewhat clumsily and incompetently。 There can
  be no hope of trenchant policy and efficient control at their
  hands; and; it should be added; there need be no great fear of
  such an outcome。 The result should; in so far; be nearly clear
  gain; as against the current highly efficient management by an
  executive。 Relatively little administration or control would be
  needed in the resulting small…scale units; except in so far as
  they might carry over into the new r間ime an appreciable burden
  of extra…scholastic traffic in the way of athletics;
  fraternities; student activities; and the like; and except so far
  as regards those schools that might still continue to be
  〃gentlemen's colleges;〃 devoted to the cultivation of the
  irregularities of adolescence and to their transfusion with a
  conventional elegance; these latter; being of the nature of penal
  settlements; would necessarily require government by a firm hand。
  That work of intimately personal contact and guidance; in a
  community of intellectual enterprise; that makes up the substance
  of efficient teaching; would; it might fairly be hoped; not be
  seriously hindered by the ill…co…ordinated efforts of such an
  academic assembly; even if its members had carried over a good
  share of the mechanistic frame of mind induced by their
  experience under the r間ime of standardization and accountancy。
  Indeed; there might even be ground to hope that; on the
  dissolution of the trust; the underlying academic units would
  return to that ancient footing of small…scale parcelment and
  personal communion between teacher and student that once made the
  American college; with all its handicap of poverty; chauvinism
  and denominational bias; one of the most effective agencies of
  scholarship in Christendom。
  The hope  or delusion  would be that the staff in each of
  the resulting disconnected units might be left to conduct its own
  affairs; and that they would prove incapable of much concerted
  action or detailed control。 It should be plain that no other and
  extraneous power; such as the executive or the governing boards;
  is as competent  or; indeed; competent in any degree  to take
  care of these matters; as are the staff who have the work to do。
  All this is evident to any one who is at all conversant with the
  run of academic affairs as currently conducted on the grand
  scale; inasmuch as it is altogether a matter of course and of
  commo