December 26, 1913] 



SCIENCE 



913 



and equipment — apparatus, supplies, li- 

 brary — are duplicated, the natural rela- 

 tions of fields of knowledge are subordi- 

 nated to the practical application of 

 specific facts and laws, college walls and 

 college interests intervene to prevent the 

 student from following co-related subjects 

 in which he is interested, professional in- 

 terests and professional ideals begin early 

 to narrow the student's vision and to sub- 

 stitute professional tradition and practise 

 for sound judgment and an open mind. 

 All this is unfortunate. The professions 

 should foster but not confine their appren- 

 tices. A student preparing for profes- 

 sional work should have the advantage of 

 the traditions and practises prevailing in 

 the profession, but those traditions and 

 practices should not constitute limitations 

 on his opportunities, his enterprise or his 

 initiative. 



A third evil tendency in our universities 

 is the growing complexity of administrative 

 organization. Good results can not be 

 secured by relying chiefly on a system of 

 checks and safeguards. These can not re- 

 place capability, honesty and a genuine in- 

 terest in the university's welfare. Checks 

 and safeguards can at best only prevent 

 some abuses, while they certainly place ob- 

 stacles in the way of men who would do 

 honest work. It is of doubtful value to set 

 a sheep dog to keep cats from killing young 

 chickens — especially when the main busi- 

 ness of the university is not to raise either 

 sheep or chickens but to rear men. There 

 is a constant danger that good men will be 

 obliged to kotow to administrative officials 

 who ought to be servants but who proclaim 

 themselves masters. To appoint capable 

 men and to place confidence in their con- 

 cordant judgment would at once prevent 

 the abuses and secure the desirable ends. 



FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES UPON WHICH UNI- 

 VERSITY ORGANIZATION SHOULD REST 



The functions of a university are three. 

 First, to bring together teachers and stu- 

 dents under such conditions that the whole 

 field of knowledge is opened to the student 

 and he is offered competent and reliable 

 advice and assistance in his studies. The 

 second function arises from the responsi- 

 bility for the competent direction of the 

 student's work. The university must exam- 

 ine the foundations of its authority by 

 making original investigations to test, cor- 

 rect and enlarge the existing body of knowl- 

 edge. No institution which neglects to pros- 

 ecute research in as many fields as prac- 

 tical conditions permit, is worthy of the 

 name of university. The third function of 

 a university is to make its store of knowl- 

 edge practically available to its community 

 and patrons and to stimulate in the mem- 

 bers of the community an interest in the 

 further acquisition of knowledge. 



The university is thus concerned with 

 knowledge and its applications. University 

 organization exists for the purpose of secur- 

 ing suitable conditions for research and 

 teaching, for the acquisition and the appli- 

 cation of knowledge. Certain of the condi- 

 tions of successful work in a university may 

 be laid down without argument. First, 

 that each individual instructor or student 

 should enjoy freedom and bear responsi- 

 bility in his work, i. e., he should be judged 

 by his achievements. Second, the recogni- 

 tion of the facts that dealing with knowl- 

 edge is the central function of the univer- 

 sity; that all organization must contribute 

 to this end; that the teacher, the student 

 and the research worker are the sole per- 

 sons of primary value in the university: 

 that all administrative officers are accessory 

 machinery; that all organization should 

 spring from those primarily engaged in the 



