my discovery of england-第12部分

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r　students　than　the　University　of　Toronto。　To　mention　Oxford　beside　the　26；000　students　of　Columbia　University　sounds　ridiculous。　In　point　of　money；　the　39；000；000　dollar　endowment　of　the　University　of　Chicago；　and　the　35；000；000　one　of　Columbia；　and　the　43；000；000　of　Harvard　seem　to　leave　Oxford　nowhere。　Yet　the　peculiar　thing　is　that　it　is　not　nowhere。　By　some　queer　process　of　its　own　it　seems　to　get　there　every　time。　It　was　therefore　of　the　very　greatest　interest　to　me；　as　a　profound　scholar；　to　try　to　investigate　just　how　this　peculiar　excellence　of　Oxford　arises。

It　can　hardly　be　due　to　anything　in　the　curriculum　or　programme　of　studies。　Indeed；　to　any　one　accustomed　to　the　best　models　of　a　university　curriculum　as　it　flourishes　in　the　United　States　and　Canada；　the　programme　of　studies　is　frankly　quite　laughable。　There　is　less　Applied　Science　in　the　place　than　would　be　found　with　us　in　a　theological　college。　Hardly　a　single　professor　at　Oxford　would　recognise　a　dynamo　if　he　met　it　in　broad　daylight。　The　Oxford　student　learns　nothing　of　chemistry；　physics；　heat；　plumbing；　electric　wiring；　gas…fitting　or　the　use　of　a　blow…torch。　Any　American　college　student　can　run　a　motor　car；　take　a　gasoline　engine　to　pieces；　fix　a　washer　on　a　kitchen　tap；　mend　a　broken　electric　bell；　and　give　an　expert　opinion　on　what　has　gone　wrong　with　the　furnace。　It　is　these　things　indeed　which　stamp　him　as　a　college　man；　and　occasion　a　very　pardonable　pride　in　the　minds　of　his　parents。

But　in　all　these　things　the　Oxford　student　is　the　merest　amateur。

This　is　bad　enough。　But　after　all　one　might　say　this　is　only　the　mechanical　side　of　education。　True：　but　one　searches　in　vain　in　the　Oxford　curriculum　for　any　adequate　recognition　of　the　higher　and　more　cultured　studies。　Strange　though　it　seems　to　us　on　this　side　of　the　Atlantic；　there　are　no　courses　at　Oxford　in　Housekeeping；　or　in　Salesmanship；　or　in　Advertising；　or　on　Comparative　Religion；　or　on　the　influence　of　the　Press。　There　are　no　lectures　whatever　on　Human　Behaviour；　on　Altruism；　on　Egotism；　or　on　the　Play　of　Wild　Animals。　Apparently；　the　Oxford　student　does　not　learn　these　things。　This　cuts　him　off　from　a　great　deal　of　the　larger　culture　of　our　side　of　the　Atlantic。　〃What　are　you　studying　this　year？〃　I　once　asked　a　fourth　year　student　at　one　of　our　great　colleges。　〃I　am　electing　Salesmanship　and　Religion；〃　he　answered。　Here　was　a　young　man　whose　training　was　destined　inevitably　to　turn　him　into　a　moral　business　man：　either　that　or　nothing。　At　Oxford　Salesmanship　is　not　taught　and　Religion　takes　the　feeble　form　of　the　New　Testament。　The　more　one　looks　at　these　things　the　more　amazing　it　becomes　that　Oxford　can　produce　any　results　at　all。

The　effect　of　the　comparison　is　heightened　by　the　peculiar　position　occupied　at　Oxford　by　the　professors'　lectures。　In　the　colleges　of　Canada　and　the　United　States　the　lectures　are　supposed　to　be　a　really　necessary　and　useful　part　of　the　student's　training。　Again　and　again　I　have　heard　the　graduates　of　my　own　college　assert　that　they　had　got　as　much；　or　nearly　as　much；　out　of　the　lectures　at　college　as　out　of　athletics　or　the　Greek　letter　society　or　the　Banjo　and　Mandolin　Club。　In　short；　with　us　the　lectures　form　a　real　part　of　the　college　life。　At　Oxford　it　is　not　so。　The　lectures；　I　understand；　are　given　and　may　even　be　taken。　But　they　are　quite　worthless　and　are　not　supposed　to　have　anything　much　to　do　with　the　development　of　the；　student's　mind。　〃The　lectures　here；〃　said　a　Canadian　student　to　me；　〃are　punk。〃　I　appealed　to　another　student　to　know　if　this　was　so。　〃I　don't　know　whether　I'd　call　them　exactly　punk；〃　he　answered；　〃but　they're　certainly　rotten。〃　Other　judgments　were　that　the　lectures　were　of　no　importance：　that　nobody　took　them：　that　they　don't　matter：　that　you　can　take　them　if　you　like：　that　they　do　you　no　harm。

It　appears　further　that　the　professors　themselves　are　not　keen　on　their　lectures。　If　the　lectures　are　called　for　they　give　them；　if　not；　the　professor's　feelings　are　not　hurt。　He　merely　waits　and　rests　his　brain　until　in　some　later　year　the　students　call　for　his　lectures。　There　are　men　at　Oxford　who　have　rested　their　brains　this　way　for　over　thirty　years：　the　accumulated　brain　power　thus　dammed　up　is　said　to　be　colossal。

I　understand　that　the　key　to　this　mystery　is　found　in　the　operations　of　the　person　called　the　tutor。　It　is　from　him；　or　rather　with　him；　that　the　students　learn　all　that　they　know：　one　and　all　are　agreed　on　that。　Yet　it　is　a　little　odd　to　know　just　how　he　does　it。　〃We　go　over　to　his　rooms；〃　said　one　student；　〃and　he　just　lights　a　pipe　and　talks　to　us。〃　〃We　sit　round　with　him；〃　said　another；　〃and　he　simply　smokes　and　goes　over　our　exercises　with　us。〃　From　this　and　other　evidence　I　gather　that　what　an　Oxford　tutor　does　is　to　get　a　little　group　of　students　together　and　smoke　at　them。　Men　who　have　been　systematically　smoked　at　for　four　years　turn　into　ripe　scholars。　　If　anybody　doubts　this；　let　him　go　to　Oxford　and　he　can　see　the　thing　actually　in　operation。　A　well…smoked　man　speaks；　and　writes　English　with　a　grace　that　can　be　acquired　in　no　other　way。

In　what　was　said　above；　I　seem　to　have　been　directing　criticism　against　the　Oxford　professors　as　such：　but　I　have　no　intention　of　doing　so。　For　the　Oxford　professor　and　his　whole　manner　of　being　I　have　nothing　but　a　profound　respect。　There　is　indeed　the　greatest　difference　between　the　modern　up…to…date　American　idea　of　a　professor　and　the　English　type。　But　even　with　us　in　older　days；　in　the　bygone　time　when　such　people　as　Henry　Wadsworth　Longfellow　were　professors；　one　found　the　English　idea；　a　professor　was　supposed　to　be　a　venerable　kind　of　person；　with　snow…white　whiskers　reaching　to　his　stomach。　He　was　expected　to　moon　around　the　campus　oblivious　of　the　world　around　him。　If　you　nodded　to　him　he　failed　to　see　you。　Of　money　he　knew　nothing；　of　business；　far　less。　He　was；　as　his　trustees　were　proud　to　say　of　him；　〃a　child。〃

On　the　other　hand　he　contained　within　him　a　reservoir　of　learning　of　such　depth　as　to　be　practically　bottomless。　None　of　this　learning　was　supposed　to　be　of　any　material　or　commercial　benefit　to　anybody。　Its　use　was　in　saving　the　soul　and　enlarging　the　mind。

At　the　head　of　such　a　group　of　professors　was　one　whose　beard　was　even　whiter　and　longer；　whose　absence　of　mind　was　even　still　greater；　and　whose　knowledge　of　money；　business；　and　practical　affairs　was　below　zero。　Him　they　made　the　president。

All　this　is　changed　in　America。　A　university　professor　is　now　a　busy；　hustling　person；　approximating　as　closely　to　a　business　man　as　he　can　do　it。　It　is　on　the　business　man　that　he　models　himself。　He　has　a　little　place　that　he　calls　his　〃office；〃　with　a　typewriter　machine　and　a　stenographer。　Here　he　sits　and　dictates　letters；　beginning　after　the　best　business　models；　〃in　re　yours　of　the　eighth　ult。；　would　say；　etc。；　etc。〃　He　writes　these　letters　to　students；　to　his　fellow　professors；　to　the　president；　indeed　to　any　people　who　will　let　him　write　to　them。　The　number　of　letters　that　he　writes　each　month　is　duly　counted　and　set　to　his　credit。　If　he　writes　enough　he　will　get　a　reputation　as　an　〃executive；〃　and　big　things　may　happen　to　him。　He