Allthatisrequiredistheabolitionoftheacademicexecutiveandofthegoverningboard。Anythingshortofthisheroicremedyisboundtofail，becausetheevilssoughttoberemediedareinherentintheseorgans，andintrinsictotheirfunctioning。
Evengrantingthepossibilityofmakingsuchamove，inthefaceofpopularprejudice，itwilldoubtlessseemsuicidal，onfirstthought，totakesoradicaladeparture;inthatitwouldbeheldtocripplethewholeacademicorganizationandsubverttheschemeofthingsacademic，forgoodandall:——which，bytheway，ispreciselywhatwouldhavetobeaimedat，sinceitisthepresentschemeandorganizationthatunavoidablyworkthemischief，andsince，also（astouchestheinterestofthehigherlearning），theyworknothingbutmischief。
Itshouldbeplain，onreflection，toanyonefamiliarwithacademicmattersthatneitheroftheseofficialbodiesservesanyusefulpurposeintheuniversity，insofarasbearsinanywayonthepursuitofknowledge。Theymayconceivablybothbeusefulforsomeotherpurpose，foreignoralientothequestoflearning;butwithinthelinesoftheuniversity’slegitimateinterestbotharewhollydetrimental，andverywastefullyso。
Theyareneedless，excepttotakecareofneedsandemergenciestowhichtheirownpresencegratuitouslygivesrise。Insofarastheseneedsanddifficultiesthatrequireexecutivesurveillancearenotsimplyandflagrantlyfactitious，——as，e。g。，theonerousdutiesofpublicity——theyarealtogethersuchneedsasariseoutofanexcessivesizeandagratuitouslycomplexadministrativeorganization;bothofwhichcharacteristicsoftheAmericanuniversityarecreatedbythegoverningboardsandtheirexecutiveofficers，fornobetterpurposethanavaingloriousself—complacency，andwithnobetterjustificationthananuncriticalprepossessiontotheeffectthatlargesize，complexorganization，andauthoritativecontrolnecessarilymakeforefficiency;whereas，inpointoffact，intheaffairsoflearningthesethingsunavoidablymakefordefeat。
Objectiontoanysuchmeasureofabolitionisnottobegroundedintheirimpracticabilityortheirinefficiency，——
supposingonlythattheycouldbecarriedoutinthefaceoftheprejudicesoftheignorantandoftheselfishlyinterestedparties;theobstaclestoanysuchmoveliesimplyinthepopularprejudicewhichputsimplicitfaithinlarge，complicated，andformidableorganizations，andinthatappetiteforpopularprestigethatanimatestheclassofpersonsfromwhichtheboardsandexecutivesaredrawn。
Thisunreasoningfaithinlargeanddifficultcombinationshasbeeninducedinthemoderncommunitybyitsexperiencewiththelarge—scaleorganizationofthemechanicalindustries，andstillmoreparticularlybytheconvincingpecuniaryefficiencyoflargecapital，authoritativecontrol，anddeviousmethods，inmodernbusinessenterprise;andofthispopularprejudicetheboardsofcontrolandtheirexecutiveofficershaveatleasttheirfullshare，——indeedtheyowetheirplaceandpoweringreatparttotheirbeinganimatedwithsomethingmorethananequitableshareofthispopularprepossession。Itisundeniable，indeeditisamatterofcourse，thatsolongastheuniversitycontinuestobemadeup，asisnowcustomary，ofanaggregationofdiversandsundryschools，colleges，divisions，etc。，eachandseveralofwhichareengagedinamoreorlessovertrivalry，duetotheirbeingsoaggregatedintoameaninglesscoalition，——solongwillsomethingformidableinthewayofacentralizedandarbitrarygovernmentbeindispensabletotheconductoftheuniversity’saffairs;butitislikewisepatentthatnoneoftheseveralconstituentschools，colleges，etc。，areanythebetteroff，inrespectoftheirwork，forbeingsoaggregatedinsuchanarbitrarycollectiveorganization。Thedutiesoftheexecutive——
asidefromthecallsofpublicityandself—aggrandizement——areinthemainadministrativedutiesthathavetodowiththeinterstitialadjustmentsofthecompositeestablishment。Theseresolvethemselvesintoaco—ordinatedstandardizationoftheseveralconstituentschoolsanddivisions，onamechanicallyspecifiedroutineandscale，whichcommonlydoesviolencetotheefficientworkingofallthesediverseandincommensurableelements;withnogainatanypoint，exceptingagaininthefacilityofcontrolcontrolforcontrol’ssake，atthebest。Muchoftheofficialapparatusandroutineoffice—workistakenupwiththisfutilecontrol。Beyondthis，andrequisitetothedueworkingofthiscontrolandstandardization，thereisthecontrolofthepersonnelandthechecking—upoftheirtaskwork;togetherwiththediscipliningofsuchasdonotsufficientlyconformtotheresultingscheduleofuniformityandmediocrity。
Thesedutiesare，allandseveral，createdbytheimpositionofacentralcontrol，andintheabsenceofsuchcontroltheneedofthemwouldnotarise。Theyareessentiallyextraneoustotheworkonwhicheachandseveraloftheconstituentschoolsareengaged，andtheironlysubstantialeffectonthatworkistoforceitintocertainextraneousformalitiesofroutineandaccountancy，suchastodivertandretardtheworkinhand。Soalsothecontrolexercisedmoreatlargebythegoverningboard;
exceptinsofarasitisthemeremischief—makinginterferenceofignorantoutsiders，itislikewisedirectedtothekeepingofabalancebetweenunitsthatneednobalancingasagainstoneanother;exceptfortheneedwhichsoisgratuitouslyinducedbydrawingtheseunitsintoanincongruouscoalitionunderthecontrolofsuchaboard;whosedutiesofofficeinthiswayarisewhollyoutofthecreationoftheiroffice。
Thegreatandconspicuouseffectofabolishingtheacademicexecutiveandthegoverningboardwouldbe，ofcourse，thattheuniversityorganizationasnowknownwouldincontinentlyfalltopieces。Theseveralconstituentschoolswouldfallapart，sincenothingholdsthemtogetherexceptthestronghandofthepresentcentralgovernment。Thiswould，ofcourse，seemamonstrousandpainfuloutragetoallthosepersonswhoareinfatuatedwithavenerationofbigthing;towhoma"great"——thatistosayvoluminous——universityisanobjectofprideandloyalaffection。Thisclassofpersonsisaverylargeone，andtheyarecommonlynotgiventoreJectiononthemeritsoftheirpreconceivedidealsof"greatness。"Sothatthedissolutionofthis"trust"—likeuniversitycoalitionwouldbitterlyhurttheirfeelings。Sointolerablewouldtheshocktothispopularsentimentpresumablybe，indeed，thatnoprojectofthekindcanhaveanyreasonablechanceofahearing。
Apartfromsuchlossof"prestigevalue"intheeyesofthosewhosepridecentresonmagnitude，themoveinquestionwouldinvolvenosubstantialloss。Thechiefdirectandtangibleeffectwouldbeaconsiderablesavingin"overheadcharges，"inthatthegreaterpartofthepresentvolumeofadministrativeworkwouldfallaway。Thegreaterpart——say，three—fourths——ofthepresentofficersofadministration，withtheirclericalstaff，wouldbelost;underthepresentsystemthesearechieflyoccupiedwiththecorrelationandcontrolofmattersthatneedcorrelationandcontrolonlywithaviewtocentralizedmanagement。
Theaggregateofforcesengagedandtheaggregatevolumeofworkdoneintheschoolswouldsuffernosensiblediminution。
Indeed，thecontemplatedchangeshouldbringaveryappreciablyheightenedefficiencyofalltheworkingunitsthatarenowtiedupintheuniversitycoalition。Eachoftheseunitswouldbefreetofollowitsowndevices，withinthelinesimposedbytheworkinhand，sincenoneofthemwouldthenberequiredtowalkinlock—stepwithseveralotherswithwhichithadnomorevitalarticulationthanthelock—stepinquestion。
Articulationandco—ordinationisgoodandrequisitewhereandsofarasitisintrinsictotheworkinhand;butitallcomestonothingbetterthansystematizedlag，leakandfriction，sosoonasitisarticulationandcoordinationinothertermsandforotherendsthantheperformanceoftheworkinhand。Itisalsotrue，thecoalitionoftheseseveralschoolunitsintoapseudo—aggregateunderacentralizedcontrolgivesadeceptiveappearanceofamassiveengineworkingtosomecommonend;but，again，massmovementcomestonothingbetterthaninhibitionandmisdirectionwhenitinvolvesacoalitionofworkingunitswhoseworkisnecessarilytobedoneinseveralty。
Lefttothemselvestheseveralschoolswouldhavetotakecareeachofitsownaffairsandguideitsendeavoursbytheexigenciesofitsownpowersandpurposes，withsuchregardtointer—collegiatecomityandcourtesyaswouldberequiredbythesubstantialrelationsthensubsistingbetweenthem，byvirtueoftheircommonemploymentinacademicwork。
Inwhathasjustbeensaid，itisnotforgottenthattheburdenoftheirownaffairswouldbethrownbackontheinitiativeandcollectivediscretionoftheseveralfaculties，sosoonastheseveralschoolshadonceescapedfromthetrust—likecoalitioninwhichtheyarenowheld。Ashasabundantlyappearedinlatterdaypractice，thesefacultieshaveinsuchmattersprovedthemselvesnotablechieflyforfutiledisputation;whichdoesnotgivemuchpromiseofcompetentself—directionontheirpart，incasetheyweregivenafreehand。Itistoberecalled，however，thatthislatterdayexperienceofconfirmedincompetencehasbeengatheredundertheovershadowingpresenceofasurreptitiouslyandirresponsiblyautocraticexecutive，vestedwithpowerofuseandabuse，andservedbyacorpsofadroitparliamentariansandlobbyists，everathandtodivertthefaculty’sactionfromanymeasurethatmightpromisetohaveasubstantialeffect。Byforceofcircumstances，chiefofwhichistheexecutiveoffice，thefacultieshavebecomedeliberativebodieschargedwithpowertotalk。Theirseriousattentionhasbeentakenupwithschemesforweighingimponderablesandcorrelatingincommensurables，withsuchadegreeofverisimilitudeaswouldkeepthestatisticsandaccountancyofthecollectiveadministrationincountenance，andstillleavesomeplayinthejointsofthesystemforthepersonalrelationofteacheranddisciple。Itisaniceprobleminself—deception，chieflynotableforanendlessproliferation。
Atthesametimeitiswellknown——toowellknowntocommandparticularattention——thatincurrentpractice，andofnecessity，theactualeffectiveorganizationofeachoftheseconstituentschoolunitsdevolvesontheworkingstaff，insofarasregardstheeffectualworktobedone。eventotheselectionofitsworkingmembersandtheapportionmentofthework。Itisalldone"byauthority"ofcourse，andmustallbearrangeddiscreetly，withanulteriorviewtoitssanctionbytheexecutiveanditsduearticulationwiththeschemeofpublicityatlarge;butinallthesematterstheexecutivehabituallycomesintobearingonlyasa（powerful）extraneousandalieninterference，——almostwhollyinhibitory，ineffect，eventhoughwithashowofinitiativeandcreativeguidance。Andthisinhibitorysurveillanceisexercisedchieflyongroundsofconciliatorynotorietytowardstheoutside，ratherthanongroundsthattouchtheefficiencyofthestafffortheworkinhand。Suchefficiencyiscommonlynotbarred，itisbelieved，solongasitdoesnothindertheexecutive’squestofthegreaterglory。Thereis，ineffect，aninhibitoryvetopowertouchingtheworkanditswaysandmeans。
Butevenwhentakenatitsbest，andwhenrelievedoftheinhibitionanddeflectionworkedbytheexecutive，suchanacademicbodycandoubtlessbecountedontomanageitscollectiveaffairssomewhatclumsilyandincompetently。Therecanbenohopeoftrenchantpolicyandefficientcontrolattheirhands;and，itshouldbeadded，thereneedbenogreatfearofsuchanoutcome。Theresultshould，insofar，benearlycleargain，asagainstthecurrenthighlyefficientmanagementbyanexecutive。Relativelylittleadministrationorcontrolwouldbeneededintheresultingsmall—scaleunits;exceptinsofarastheymightcarryoverintothenewr間imeanappreciableburdenofextra—scholastictrafficinthewayofathletics，fraternities，studentactivities，andthelike;andexceptsofarasregardsthoseschoolsthatmightstillcontinuetobe"gentlemen’scolleges，"devotedtothecultivationoftheirregularitiesofadolescenceandtotheirtransfusionwithaconventionalelegance;theselatter，beingofthenatureofpenalsettlements，wouldnecessarilyrequiregovernmentbyafirmhand。
Thatworkofintimatelypersonalcontactandguidance，inacommunityofintellectualenterprise，thatmakesupthesubstanceofefficientteaching，would，itmightfairlybehoped，notbeseriouslyhinderedbytheill—co—ordinatedeffortsofsuchanacademicassembly，evenifitsmembershadcarriedoveragoodshareofthemechanisticframeofmindinducedbytheirexperienceunderther間imeofstandardizationandaccountancy。
Indeed，theremightevenbegroundtohopethat，onthedissolutionofthetrust，theunderlyingacademicunitswouldreturntothatancientfootingofsmall—scaleparcelmentandpersonalcommunionbetweenteacherandstudentthatoncemadetheAmericancollege，withallitshandicapofpoverty，chauvinismanddenominationalbias，oneofthemosteffectiveagenciesofscholarshipinChristendom。
Thehope——ordelusion——wouldbethatthestaffineachoftheresultingdisconnectedunitsmightbelefttoconductitsownaffairs，andthattheywouldproveincapableofmuchconcertedactionordetailedcontrol。Itshouldbeplainthatnootherandextraneouspower，suchastheexecutiveorthegoverningboards，isascompetent——or，indeed，competentinanydegree——totakecareofthesematters，asarethestaffwhohavetheworktodo。
Allthisisevidenttoanyonewhoisatallconversantwiththerunofacademicaffairsascurrentlyconductedonthegrandscale;inasmuchasitisaltogetheramatterofcourseandofcommonnotorietywithintheprecincts，thatthisispreciselywhattheseconstituentschoolsandunitsnowhavetodo，eachandseveral;withthesolequalificationthattheynowhavetotakecareofthesemattersundertheinhibitorysurveillanceoftheexecutiveandhisextraneousinterests，andundertheexactionsofasuper—imposedschemeofmechanicalstandardizationandaccountancythataccountsfornothingbutitssuperimposition。Atthesametimetheworkingforceofthestaffishamperedwithaloadofdeadtimberimportedintoitsbodytoadministeraroutineofcontrolandaccountancyexactedbytheexecutive’sneedofacreditablepublicity（15*）
Thishighlyconjecturaltracingofconsequencestofollowfromthishypotheticaldissolutionofthetrust，mayaswellbepursuedintoapointortwoofdetail，astouchesthoseunitsoftheuniversitycoalitionthathaveanimmediateinterestinpointofscholarship，——theCollegiate（"Arts"）divisionandtheGraduateSchool。Theformerbeinglefttoitsowndevicesand，itmightbehoped，beingpurifiedofexecutivemegalomania，itshouldseemprobablethatsomethingofareversionwouldtakeeffect，inthedirectionofthatsimplerschemeofscholarshipthatprevailedinthedaysbeforethecomingofelectives。Itwasintheintroductionofelectives，andpresentlyofalternativesandhighlyflexiblecurricula，thatthemovefirstsetinwhichcarriedtheAmericancollegeoffitsfootingasaschoolofprobationandintroductiontothescholarlylife，andhasleftitajob—lotofostensiblyconclusiveshort—cutsintothetradesandprofessions。Itneednotfollowthattheancientcurriculumwouldbere—established，butitshouldseemreasonablethatamovewouldtakeeffectinthedirectionofsomethinglikeamodernequivalent。TheGraduateSchool，ontheotherhand，havinglostthedragofthecollegiatedivisionandthevocationalschools，shouldcomeintoactionasashelterwherethesurvivingremnantofscholarsandscientistsmightpursuetheirseverallinesofadventure，inteachingandininquiry，withoutdisturbancetoorfromtheworldly—wisewhoclamourforthegreaterglory。
Now，allthisspeculationastowhatmighthappenhas，ofcourse，littleelsethanaspeculativevalue。Itisnotintended，seriouslyandasapracticalmeasure，toproposetheabolitionofthepresident’soffice，orofthegoverningboard;norisitintendedtointimatethatthecaptainoferuditioncanbedispensedwithinfact。Heistoodeartothecommercializedpopularimagination，andhefitstooconvincinglyintothebusinessmen’spreconceivedschemeofthings，topermitanysuchsanguinehopeofsurceasefromskilledmalpracticeandmalversation。Allthatishereintendedtohesaidisnothingmorethantheobiterdictumthat，asseenfromthepointofviewofthehigherlearning，theacademicexecutiveandallhisworksareanathema，andshouldbediscontinuedbythesimpleexpedientofwipinghimofftheslate;andthatthegoverningboard，insofarasitpresumestoexerciseanyotherthanvacantlyperfunctoryduties，hasthesamevalueandshouldwithadvantagebelostinthesameshuffle。
NOTES:
1。"Hehasstifledallmanlyindependenceandindividualitywhereverithasexhibiteditselfatcollege。Allnobleidealism，andallthegracesofpoetryandarthavebeenshrivelledbyhisbrutalandtriumphantpower。Hehasmademechanicalefficiencyandadministrativeroutinethegoaloftheuniversity’sendeavour。Thenoblerendsofacademiclifewillneverbeservedsolongasthisspokesmanofmaterialismremainsinpower。"
Historywillrelatethatoneoftheeminentcaptains，throughanincumbencyofmorethanaquarterofacentury，inauniversityofeminentwealthandvolume，hasfollowedasettledpolicyofdefeatinganyovertmovelookingtoscientificorscholarlyinquiryonthepartofanymemberofhisfaculty。
Shouldamanofscholarlyproclivitiesbyanychancesiftthroughthecensorshipexercisedinvirtueoftheexecutive’sappointingpower，asmighthappen，sincethecaptainwashimselfnotqualifiedtopassagroundedopiniononanyman’squalificationsinthatrespect;andshouldhethengiveevidenceofcontinuingtospendtimeandthoughtonmattersofthatnature，hisburdenofadministrativeandclass—roomtaskswouldpresentlybeincreasedsufficientlytosubduehiswaywardbent;or，inanincorrigiblecase，theoffenderagainsttheruleofacademicsterilitywouldeventuallyberetiredbyseveranceofhisconnectionwiththisseatoflearning。
InsomesinistersensethecasereflectscreditontheAmericanacademiccommunityatlarge，inthat，bythecloseofthisquarter—centuryofpreventiveregimen，theresultingacademicstaffhadbecomeabywordofnugatoryintrigueandvacantpedantry。
2。Sofarhasthispredilectionmadeitswayinthecounselsofthe"educators"thatmuchofthecurrentdiscussionofdesiderandainacademicpolicyreadslikecontroversialargumenton"efficiencyengineering，"——an"efficiencyengineer"isanaccountantcompetenttoadvisebusinessconcernshowbesttoincreasetheirsaleableoutputperunitofcost。Andtherehas，indeed，beenatleastonetourofinspectionofAmericanuniversitiesbysuchan"efficiencyengineer，"undertakenintheserviceofanestablishmentfoundedwithaviewtoacademicwelfareandgovernedbyaboardofuniversitypresidents。Thereportsubmittedbytheinquiryinquestiondulyconformstothecustomarylinesof"scientificmanagement。"
3。"Educationistheonekindofhumanenterprisethatcannotbebroughtundertheactionoftheeconomiclawofsupplyanddemand。Itcannotbeconductedon’businessprinciples。’Thereisno’demand’foreducationintheeconomicsense……Societyistheonlyinterestthatcanbesaidtodemandit，andsocietymustsupplyitsowndemand。Thosewhofoundeducationalinstitutionsorpromoteeducationalenterpriseputthemselvesintheplaceofsocietyandassumetospeakandactforsociety，notforanyeconomicinterest。"——LesterF。Ward，PureSociology，p。575。
4。Indeed，theresemblanceisvisible。Asamongprofessionalpoliticians，soalsoasregardsincumbentsandaspirantsforacademicoffice，itisnotatallunusual，nordoesitcausesurprise，tofindsuchpersonsvisiblyaffectedwiththosecharacteristicpathologicalmarksthatcomeofwhatisconventionallycalled"highliving"——latehours，unseasonablevigils，surfeitofvictualsanddrink，thefatigueofsedentaryennui。Aflabbyhabitofbody，hypertrophyoftheabdomen，varicoseveins，particularlyofthefacialtissues，ableareyeandacolourationsuggestiveofbileandapoplexy，——whenthisunwholesomebulkisdulywrappedinaconventionallydecorouscostumeitisacceptedratherasamarkofweightandresponsibility，andsoservestodistinguishthepillarsofurbanesociety。Norshoulditbeimaginedthatthesegravemenofaffairsanddiscretionareinanypeculiardegreepronetoexcessesofthetableortonerve—shatteringboutsofdissipation。Theexigenciesofpublicity，however，are，bycurrentuseandwont，suchastoenjoinnotindulgenceinsuchexcursionsofsensualperversity，somuchasagentlemanlyconformitytoalargeroutineofconspicuousconvivialities。
"Indulgence"inostensiblygluttonousboutsofthiskind——
banquets，dinners，etc。——isnotsomuchamatteroftasteasofastutepublicity，designedtokeepthecelebrantsinreputeamongalaitywhosesimplestandmostassuredawardofesteemproceedsonevidenceofwastefulabilitytopay。Butthepathologicalconsequences，physicalandotherwise，areofmuchthesamenatureineithercase。
5。Seepp。68—73，79—81，above。
6。Asbearingonthis"hired—man’sloyalty"oftheacademicstaffandthemeansofmaintainingit，see，e。g。，apaperbyGeorgeCramCookintheForumforOctober，1913，on"TheThirdAmericanSex，"especiallypp。450—455。
7。Unfortunately，thelanguagewantsacompetentdesignationforpublic—mindedpersonagesofthisclass;whichcomprisessomethingappreciablymorethanthehomileticaluniversityexecutivesalludedtoabove，andtheirunderstudies，whileitisalsonotstrictlyinclusiveofalltheseexecutives。Thereisindeedafairlyobviouscontingentcomesinfromamongthoseminorpoliticiansandclergymenwhocravethebenefitofaninoffensivenotoriety，andwhoareatthesametimesolicitoustokeeptheirfellow—meninmindoftheunforgottencommonplaces。Onewillnecessarilyhavemisgivingsaboutputtingforwardanewtechnicaltermforadoptionintoavocabularythatisalreadytop—heavywithtechnicalinnovations。"Philandropist"hasbeensuggested。
Itisnotalargeinnovation，andithasthemeritofbeingobviouslyself—explanatory。Atthesametimeitsphoneticresemblancetoanolderterm，alreadywellacceptedinthelanguage，shouldrecommendittothemembersofthecraftwhomitisdesignedtosignalize，andwithwhomphoneticconsiderationsarehabituallyallowedweight。Thepuristswilldoubtlessfind"philandropist"abarbarism;butthatisaninfirmitythathasattachedtomanytechnicaldesignationsattheirinception，withoutpermanentlyhinderingtheiracceptanceandserviceability;itisalsonotwhollyunfittingthatthetermchosenshouldbeofsuchacharacter。
8。"Thetimehascome，thewalrussaid，Totalkofmanythings。"
Withinthelastfewyearsoneofthemoreillustriousandfluentofthecaptainsoferuditionhitupontheexpedientofhavingatrustedlocumtenensappointedtotakeoverthefunctionsofthehomeofficeforatermofyears，whilethecaptainhimself"takestheroad"——onanappreciablyaugmentedsalary——tospeakhismindeloquentlyonmanytopics。Thedevicecan，however，scarcelyyetbesaidtohavepassedtheexperimentalphase。Thisillustriousexponentofphilandropismcommandsanextraordinaryrangeofhomilyandisaraconteurofquiteexceptionalmerit;
andadevicethatcommendsitselfinthisspecialcase，therefore，mayormaynotproveafeasibleplaningeneralandordinaryusage。Butinanycaseitindicatesafeltneedofsomemeasureofrelief，suchaswillenabletherunofpresidentialspeechtogainalittlesomethinginamplitudeandfrequency。
9。So，e。g。，acertainnotablyself—possessedandenergeticcaptainoferuditionhasbeeninthehabitofrepeating（"onthespurofthemoment"）ahomilyononeofthestapleChristianvirtues。
10。Theseresultingcanonsofblamelessanilitywillreactonthecharacteroftheacademicpersonnelinatwo—foldway:negativelyandbyindirectiontheyworkoutinan（uncertainbuteffectual）
selectiveeliminationofsuchpersonsasareworthwhileinpointofscholarshipandinitiative;whilepositivelyandbydirectincitementitresultsthatthetribeofLoBasswoodhasbeenelectedtofillthestaffwithvacancy。
Atthesametimethecaseisnotunknown，norisitaltogetherachanceoccurrence，wheresuchanexecutivewithplenarypowers，driventouncommonlyfatuouslengthsbythiscalculusofexpedientnotoriety，andintentonputtinganeededpatchontheseatofhishonour，hasendeavouredtosavesomeremnantofgood—willamonghisacademicacquaintancebyprotesting，instrictandconfidentialprivacy，thathiscourseofactiontakeninconformitywiththesecanonswastakenforthesakeofpopulareffect，andnotbecausehedidnotknowbetter。
apparentlyhavingbyfamiliarusecometothepersuasionthataknaveismoretobeesteemedthanafool，andoverlookingthegreateasewithwhichhehasbeenabletocombinethetwocharacters。
11。Inallfairnessitshouldbenoted，asacautionagainsthastyconclusions，thatinbothofthesecasesthisinitialscholarlyintentionhasbeenquestioned——ordenied——bymenwellinformedastothelaterstateofthingsineitherofthetwouniversitiesinquestion。Anditmayaswellbeadmittedwithoutmuchreservationthatthelaterstateofthingshascarriednobroadhintofaninitialphaseinthelife—historyoftheseschools，inwhichidealsofscholarshipweregivenfirstconsideration。Yetitistobetakenasunequivocalfactthatsuchwasthecase，inbothinstances;thisisknownasanassuredmatterofmemorybymencompetenttospeakfromfamiliaracquaintancewiththerelevantfactsatthetime。Inbothcases，itisonlyintheoutcome，onlyafterthepressureofcircumstanceshashadtimetoact，thataroundedmeretriciouspolicyhastakeneffect。Whathasmisledhastyandlate—comeobserversinthismatteristherelativelyverybrief——
inconspicuouslybrief——timeintervalduringwhichitwasfoundpracticabletolettheacademicpolicybeguidedprimarilybyscholarlyideals。
12。Asacommentaryontheforceofcircumstancesandtheacademicvalueoftheexecutiveoffice，itisworthnotingthat，inthecasecited，anadministrationguidedbyaforceful，ingeniousandintrepidpersonality，initiallyimbuedwithscholarlyidealsofasort，hasrunacourseofscarcelyinterruptedacademicdecay;whilethesucceedingreignofastutevacuityandquietismastouchesallmattersofscholarshipandsciencehas，onthewhole，andtodate，lefttheuniversityinanincreasinglyhopefulpostureasaseminaryofthehigherlearning。AllofwhichwouldappeartosuggestaparallelwiththeclassicinstanceofKingStorkandKingLog，Indeed，attheperiodofthesuccessionalludedto，thecaseofthesefabledmajestieswasspecificallycalledtomindbyoneandanotheroftheacademicstaff。Itwouldappearthattheacademicstaffwilltakecareofitsostensibleworkwithbettereffectthelesseffectuallyitsmembersareinterferedwithandsubornedbyanenterprisingcaptainoferudition。
13。Thereisawordtoadd，astothemeasureofsuccessachievedbytheseenterprisesalongtheirchosenlinesofendeavour。Bothoftheestablishmentsspokenofareschoolsofsomevalueinmanydirections，andbothhavealsoachievedalargereputationamongthelaity。Indeed，thecaptainsunderwhosemanagementthetwoschoolshaveperforcecarriedontheirwork，arecommonlyheldinconsiderableesteemashavingachievedgreatthings。Thereisnodesireheretounderstatethecase;butitshouldbeworthnoting，asbearingontheuseandacademicvalueofthepresidentialoffice，thatthedisposalofverylargemeans——
meansofunexampledmagnitude——hasgonetothisachievement。A
considerationoftheseresults，whetherinpointofscholarshiporofnotoriety，ascomparedwiththemeanswhichthecaptainshavedisposedof，willleaveoneindoubt。Itshouldseemdoubtfuliftheresultscouldhavebeenlessexcellentorlessstriking，giventhefreedisposalofanendowmentof20or30
millions，andupward，evenundertheundistinguishedanduneventfulmanagementofcommonplacehonestyandacademictraditionswithouttheguidanceofa"strongman。"Itis，indeed，noteasytobelievethatlesscouldhavebeenachievedwithoutthecaptain’shelp。Thereisalsoevidencetohandthatthelossofthe"strongman"hasentailednosensiblelosseitherintheefficiencyorinthegoodreputeoftheacademicestablishment;
ratherthereverse。
14。Withintheprecincts，itisnotunusualtomeetwithaharsherandmorepersonalnoteofappraisalofwhatareratedasthefrailtiesoftheexecutive。Therearemanyexpressionstobemetwith，touchingthismatter，ofacolloquialturn。Thesewillcommonlyhavesomethingofanunderbredair，asmayhappeninunguardedcolloquialspeech;butifitbekeptinmindthattheirpersonalincidenceisdulytobereadoutofthem，theirtenormayyetbeinstructive，andtheirscantelegancemaybeover—lookedforonce，inviewofthatcertaincandourthatisscarcelytobehadwithoutacolloquialturn。Theyshouldservebetterthanmanyelaboratephrasestothrowintoreliefthekindandmeasureofesteemaccordedthesematureincumbentsofexecutiveofficebythemenwhoassistbehindthescenes。So，inboldbutintelligiblemetaphor，onehears，"Heisalargepersonfullofsmallpotatoes，""Theonlywhitethingabouthimishisliver，""Half—a—peckofpusillanimity，""Afour—flusher。"
Somethingafterthiskindisthisaphoristicwisdomcurrentintheacademiccommunity，insofarasitrunssafelyabovethelevelofscurrility。Inpointoftaste，itwouldbeoutofthequestiontofollowthesamestrainofdiscourteousexpressionsintothatlargervolumeofmoreoutspokenappraisalthatliesbelowthatlevel;andevenwhathassobeensparinglycitedinillustrationcan，ofcourse，notclaimasympathetichearingasbeinginanywayagracefulpresentmentofthesenseintendedtobeconveyedinthesefiguresofspeech。Yettheapologymaybeaccepted，thatitconveysthissenseintelligiblyevenifnotelegantly。
Indeed，apersonwidelyconversantwithcurrentopinionanditsexpressionamongthepersonnelofthestaff，astouchesthecharacterandacademicvalueofacapableandbusinesslikeexecutive，mightunguardedlycometothepersuasionthatthetypicalacademichead，undertheselatterdayconditions。willbeafeeblemindedrogue。Suchis，doubtless，farfrombeingtheactualvaluationunderlyingthesemanyartlessexpressionsthatonemeetswith。Anddoubtless，themostthatcouldbesaidwouldbethat，inpointoforientation，thetypicalexecutive，quaexecutive，tendstofallinwiththelinessoindicated;thattheexigenciesoftheexecutiveofficeareofakindthatwouldconvergeuponsuchanissue"inthelongrun"and"intheabsenceofdisturbingcauses";notthattheeffectualrunofcircumstanceswillatallcommonlypermitaconsummationofthatkindanddegree。
"Indeed……wemaysayasDrBotelersaidofstrawberries。
’DoubtlessGodcouldhavemadeabetterberry，butdoubtlessGodneverdid。’"
15。Itwillbeobjected，andwithmuchreason，thattheseunderlying"schoolunits"thatgotomakeupthecompositeAmericanuniversityhabituallyseenogreatevilinsobeingabsorbedintothetrust。Theylendthemselvesreadily，ifnoteagerly，toschemesofcoalition;theyareinfactpronetodrawinundertheaegisoftheuniversitycorporationby"annexation，"
"affiliation。""absorption，"etc。Anyonewhocarestotakestockofthatmatterandisinapositiontoknowwhatisgoingoncaneasilyassurehimselfthatthereasonswhichdecideinsuchacasearenotadvisedlyacceptedreasonsintrinsictotheneedsofefficiencyfortheworkinhand，butratherreasonsofcompetitiveexpediency，ofcompetitiveadvantageandofprestige;
exceptinsofarasitmayallbe——asperhapsitcommonlyis——
mereunreflectingconformitytothecurrentfashion。Inthisconnectionitistoberemarked，however，thatevenifthecurrentusagehasnointrinsicadvantage，asagainstanotherwayofdoing，failuretoconformwiththecurrentwayofdoingwillalwaysentailadisadvantage。