Sibylla : $b or, The revival of prophecyMace, C. A. (Cecil Alec)
Philosophy
Sibylla : $b or, The revival of prophecy
Mace, C. A. (Cecil Alec)
Civilization; Progress
The invention of the Press made possible the novelist. The novelist
found himself adopted as guide, philosopher, and friend. The younger
generation now-a-days acquires its general outlook from the novelists
and playwrights, who exercise an almost sacerdotal influence. Personal
guidance is offered by the psychoanalyst. He exercises the priestly
functions of the confessional and of exorcizing demons; whilst Coué
and his disciples offer a new technique of prayer. The validity of
these practices is not here my subject, but the fact that people
are getting what they want. Such new ways of meeting old demands
are continually being found, and may not the Universities soon find
themselves in the position of the Church? Several things would make the
suggestion plausible.
In the first place, education is already being purveyed as a commercial
product. Quite apart from the self-educators produced fortnightly
by the Press, there are Mind-training Institutes and Correspondence
Colleges. Universities at the present time can afford to ignore this
competition. They have, they think, the pull in traditional prestige,
the advantages of the tutorial system, the general atmosphere of
culture, and they have, we trust, at present the most distinguished
scholars. But traditional prestige is a slippery foundation for any
institution now-a-days. The test that is being applied is that of
practical efficiency. Already happy-go-lucky methods in University
finance are being examined by Royal Commissions and by financial
experts. The next thing will be that they will start to scrutinize
the educational methods being employed. Already, moreover, the newer
institutions are being forced to mould themselves upon the model of
an up-to-date business office. Soon they will adopt those well-proven
adjuncts of commercial progress――modern methods of advertisement, for
instance.
When the printing press arose, priests, no doubt, preserved their
self-assurance by reliance upon the peculiar efficiency of the
spoken word. They clung to the sermon and scorned the weapon of the
pamphleteers. When comparing themselves with the Correspondence
Colleges, the Universities resort to a similar argument. One day,
however, the Correspondence Colleges will realize the possibilities in
wireless as an adjunct to their methods.
When with the assistance of its influential board of directors some
national broadcasting company finally secures its charter, the
following situation will arise. Phenomenal salaries will attract
the most distinguished exponents of the various arts and sciences
to the central broadcasting stations. District Colleges staffed by
automatic invigilators will call the roll of students at the various
lectures. These will be delivered by a loud speaker synchronized with
a televisual cinema projecting the lecturer’s blackboard and other
illustrative material.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account