ABSTRACT
It was a magnificent thing to have offered college training at public expense to veterans, but this was rather a gesture of gratitude to the G. I. than a reaffirmation of faith in the social value of higher education. Few Americans thought of the program as a great investment in the intellectual advancement of the nation. Having apparently ceased to believe that the fundamental disciplines of science and scholarship have any real value for society, Americans seem almost anxious for their investment in higher education to be wasted. Now, public opinion is not so perverse as to adopt such a view without cause. It is not that Americans are ignorant of the traditional claims of higher education. Rather, they refuse to take these claims seriously when they witness the gap between profession and performance. A multitude of such pseudo-subjects were introduced, not because they could advance fundamental knowledge, but because they might prepare groups of students for certain specified jobs.
