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nature； and in that it is incumbent on both alike to deal in a
dispassionate； not to say impersonal； way each with the
particular segment of apparatus and process entrusted to his
care； as is right and good for any official entrusted with given
details of bureaucratic routine。
The exacting duties that remain personally incumbent on the
academic executive； and claiming his ordinary and continued
attention； therefore； are those of his own official prestige on
the one hand； and the selection； preferment； rejection and
proscription of members of the academic staff。 These two lines of
executive duty are closely correlated； not only in that the staff
is necessarily to be selected with a view to their furthering the
prestige of their chief and his university； but also in that the
executive's experience in the course of this enterprise in
publicity goes far to shape his ideals of scholarly endeavour and
to establish his standards of expediency and efficiency in the
affairs of learning。
By usage； guided； no doubt； by a shrewd sense of expediency
in the choice of means； it has； in the typical case； come to be
the settled policy of these incumbents of executive office to
seek the competitively requisite measure of public prestige
chiefly by way of public oratory。 Now and again his academic
rank； backed by the slow…dying tradition that his office should
be filled by a man of scholarly capacity； will bring the
incumbent before some scientific body or other； where he commonly
avoids offence。 But； as has been remarked above； it is the laity
that is to be impressed and kept propitiously in mind of the
executive and his establishment； and it is therefore the laity
that is to be conciliated with presidential addresses； it is also
to the laity that the typical academic executive is competent to
speak without stultification。 Hence the many edifying addresses
before popular audiences； at commencements； inaugurations；
dedications； club meetings； church festivals； and the like。 So
that an executive who aspires to do his whole duty in these
premises will become in some sort an itinerant dispensary of
salutary verbiage； and university presidents have so come to be
conventionally indispensable for the effusion of graceful speech
at all gatherings of the well…to…do for convivial deliberation on
the state of mankind at large。（7*）
Throughout this elocutionary enterprise there runs the
rigorous prescription that the speaker must avoid offence； that
his utterances must be of a salutary order； since the purpose of
it all is such conciliation of goodwill as will procure at least
the passive good offices of those who are reached by the
presidential run of language。 But； by and large； it is only
platitudes and racy anecdotes that may be counted on to estrange
none of the audiences before which it is worth while for the
captains of erudition to make their plea for sanity and renown。
Hence the peculiarly； not to say exuberantly； inane character of
this branch of oratory； coupled with an indefatigable optimism
and good…nature。 This outcome is due neither to a lack of
application nor of reflection on the part of the speakers； it is；
indeed； a finished product of the homiletical art and makes up
something of a class of its own among the artistic achievements
of the race。 At the same time it is a means to an end。（8*）
However； the clay sticks to the sculptor's thumb； as the
meal…dust powders the miller's hair and the cobbler carries
sensible traces of the pitch that goes into his day's work； and
as the able…bodied seaman 〃walks with a rolling gait。〃 So also
the university executive； who by pressure of competitive
enterprise comes to be all things to all audiences； will come
also to take on the colour of his own philandropic
pronouncements； to believe； more or less conveniently； in his own
blameless utterances。 They necessarily commit him to a pro forma
observance of their tenor； they may； of course； be desired as
perfunctory conciliation； simply； but in carrying conviction to
the audience the speaker's eloquence unavoidably bends his own
convictions in some degree。 And not only does the temper of the
audience sympathetically affect that of the speaker； as does also
his familiar contact with the same range of persons； such as goes
with and takes a chief place in this itinerant edification； but
there is also the opportunity which all this wide…ranging
itinerary of public addresses affords for feeling out the state
of popular sentiment； as to what ends the university is expected
to serve and how it is expected best to serve them。 Particularly
do the solemn amenities of social intercourse associated with
this promulgation of lay sermons lend themselves felicitously to
such a purpose； and this contact with the public and its
spokesmen doubtless exercises a powerful control over the
policies pursued by these academic executives； in that it affords
them the readiest； and at the same time the most habitual；
indication as to what line of policy and what details of conduct
will meet with popular approval； and what will not。
Since； then； it is necessarily the endeavour of the
competitive executives to meet the desires of their public as
best they can； consistently with the demands of magnitude and
閏lat imposed by their position as chiefs of these competitive
concerns； it becomes a question of some moment what the character
of this select public opinion may be； to which their
peregrinations expose them； and how far and with what limitations
the public opinion that so habitually impinges on their
sensibilities and shapes their canons of procedure may be taken
as reflecting the sentiments of the public at large； or of any
given class of the population。
The public that so contributes to the habitual bent of the
academic executives is necessarily a select fraction of the
laity； of course； self…selected by virtue of membership in the
various clubs； churches and other like organizations under whose
auspices the edification and amenities in question are commonly
brought into bearing； or by virtue of voluntary attendance at
these occasions of quasi…culture and gentility。 It is somewhat
exclusive fragment of the public； pecuniarily of a middling
grade； as is indeed also its case in other than the pecuniary
respect。 Apart from the （very consequential） convivial gatherings
where businessmen will now and again come together and lend a
genial ear to these executive spokesmen of philandropism； it will
be found that at the audiences； and at their attendant
solemnities of hospitality； the assembly is made up of very much
the same elements as make up the effective constituency of the
moderately well…to…do churches。（9*） Neither the small minority of
the wholly idle rich； nor the great majority who work with their
hands； are present in appreciable force； particularly not the
latter； who are busy elsewhere； nor do the learned class come in
evidence in this connection； except； of course； the 〃scholars
by appointment；〃 within whose official competency lie precisely
such occasions of public evidence。
Doubtless； the largest； tone…giving and effective；
constituent in this self…selected public on whose temper the
university president typically leans； and from whose bent his
canons of circumspection are drawn； is the class of moderately
well…to…do and serious…minded women who have outlived the
distractions of maternity； and so have come to turn their
parental solicitude to the common good； conceived as a
sterilization of the proprieties。 The controlling ideals of
efficiency and expediency in the affairs of the higher learning
accordingly； in so far as they are not a precipitate of
competitive business principles simply； will be chiefly of this
derivation。 Not that the captains of erudition need intimately
harbour precisely those notions of scholarship which this
constituency would enjoin upon them； and for which they dutifully
speak in their conciliatory sermons before these audiences； but
just as happens in all competitive retail business that has to
deal with a large and critical constituency； so here； the
captains find themselves constrained in their management of the
affairs of learning to walk blamelessly in the sight of this
quasi…public spirited wing of the laity that has by force of
circumstances come to constitute the public； as se