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circumstances come to constitute the public； as seen in the
perspective of the itinerant philandropist。
The executive and all his works and words must avoid blame
from any source from which criticism might conceivably affect the
traffic with which he is occupied；such is the first of those
politic principles that govern the conduct of competitive
business。 The university must accordingly be managed with a first
view to a creditable rating in those extraneous respects；
touching which that select laity that make up the executive's
effective public are competent to hold convictions。 The resulting
canons of management will be chiefly of the nature of tabus；
since blame is best avoided by a code of avoidance。 and since the
forum in which these tabus are audited is a forum in which the
matronly negations of piety； propriety and genteel usage take
precedence of work； whether scholarly or otherwise； a misdirected
cowardice not infrequently comes to rule the counsels of the
captains of erudition； misdirected not only in the more
obvious sense that its guidance is disserviceable to the higher
learning； but also （what is more to the immediate point） in the
sense that it discredits the executive and his tactics in the
esteem of that workday public that does not habitually give
tongue over the cups at five…o'clock。（10*）
It is perhaps unnecessary； as it would assuredly be
ungraceful； to pursue this quasi…personal inquiry into the
circumstances that so determine that habitual attitude of the
executive。 The difficulties of such an ambiguous position should
be sufficiently evident； and the character of the demands which
this position makes on the incumbent should be similarly evident；
so far as regards conduciveness to clean and honest living within
the premises of this executive office。 It may； however； not be
out of place to call to mind one or two significant； and perhaps
extenuating； traits among those conventions that go to make up
the situation。 Unlike what occurs in the conduct of ordinary
business and in the professions； there has hitherto been worked
out no code of professional ethics for the guidance of men
employed in this vocation； with the sole exception of that
mandatory inter…presidential courtesy that binds all members of
the craft to a strict enforcement of the academic black…list；
all of which leaves an exceptionally broad field for casuistry。
So that； unlike what happens in the business community at large；
no standardization has here determined the limits of legitimate
prevarication； nor can such a standardization and limit be worked
out so long as the executive is required； in effect； to function
as the discretionary employer of his academic staff and hold them
to account as agents for whom he is responsible； at the same time
that he must； in appearance； be their confidential spokesman and
their colleague in the corporation of learning。 And it is
impossible to forego either of these requirements； since the
discretionary power of use and abuse is indispensable to the
businesslike conduct of the enterprise； while the appearance of
scholarly co…partnery with the staff is indispensable to that
prestige on which rests the continued exercise of this power。 And
so also it has similarly proved unavoidable （perhaps as an issue
of human infirmity） that the executive be guided in effect by a
meretricious subservience to extra…scholastic conventions； all
the while that he must profess an unbiassed pursuit of 〃the
increase and diffusion of knowledge among men。〃
IV
With all due endeavour to avoid the appearance of a study in
total depravity； the foregoing analysis has come； after all； to
converge on the growth and derivation of those peculiar
ambiguities and obliquities that give character to the typical
academic executive。 Not that all academic executives； without
exception； are （in the historical present） to be found fully
abreast of that mature phase of the type that would so be
reflected by the exigencies of their office as outlined above。
Nor need it be believed or argued that no man may enter on these
duties of office but such as are specially fitted； by native gift
and previous training； for just such an enterprise in
meretricious notoriety as these official duties enjoin。 The
exceptions to such a rule are not altogether rare； and the
incumbent may well have entered on the duties of office with
preconceptions and aims somewhat at variance with what its
discipline inculcates。 But； it should be called to mind； the
training that makes a typical executive comes with the most
felicitous and indefeasible effect not in the predisposing
discipline of candidature but in the workday conduct of office。
And so consistent and unremitting is this drift of the duties of
office； overt and covert； that； humanly speaking； any one who
submits to its discipline through an appreciable period of years
must unavoidably come to conform to type。 Men of unmanageably
refractory temperament； such as can not by habituation be indued
with the requisite deviation and self…sufficiency； will of
necessity presently be thrown out； as being incompetent for this
vocation。 Instances of such rejection after trial will come to
mind； but such instances are； after all； not so frequent or so
striking as to throw doubt on the general rule。 The discipline of
executive office will commonly shape the incumbent to its uses。
It should seem beyond reason to expect that a decade of exposure
to the exigencies of this high office will leave the incumbent
still amenable to the dictates of commonplace tolerance and
common honesty。
As intimated above； men with ingrained scholarly ideals and a
consistent aim to serve the ends of learning will still
occasionally be drawn into the executive office by force of
circumstances particularly by force of the slow…dying
preconception that the preferences of the academic staff should
count for something in the choice of their senior member； and
this will happen in spite of the ubiquitous candidature of
aspirants who have prepared themselves for this enterprise by
sedulous training in all the arts of popularity and by a well
organized backing of influential 〃friends。〃 The like happened
more frequently a quarter of a century ago； at the time when the
current situation was taking shape under the incipient incursion
of business principles into university policy。 But it does not
appear that those incumbents who so enter on these duties； will
fare notably otherwise in the end than do the others whose
previous training has already bent them to the typical policy of
deviation； from the outset。
An illustrative instance or two may well be to the point。 And
the same illustrations will perhaps also serve to enforce the
view that anything like an effectual university a seminary of
the higher learning； as distinct from an assemblage of vocational
schools is not a practicable proposition in America under
current conditions。 Such seems to be the conclusion vouched for
by the two most notable attempts of the kind during the past
quarter…century。 The two instances in question should appear to
afford clear experimental evidence to that effect； though it is
always possible to allege that personal or local conditions may
so far have affected these experimental instances as still to
leave the case in doubt。
In these two instances； in the Middle West and in the Far
West； the matter has been tried out under conditions as
favourable to the cause of learning as the American community may
hope to offer； barring only the possible inhibition due to an
untoward local colour of sentiment。 Each of these two great
establishments has been favoured with an endowment of such
magnitude as would be adequate to the foundation of an effectual
university； sufficient to the single…minded pursuit of the higher
learning； with all the 〃modern appliances〃 requisite to
scientific and scholarly work； if only their resources had been
husbanded with a single mind to that end； and in either case the
terms of the endowment have been sufficiently tolerant to admit
such pursuit of knowledge without arri鑢e pens閑。 The directive
hands； too； under whose discretionary control each of these
establishments entered on its adventures and attained its
distinctive character； were men who； at one point or a