PARTISAN REVIEW
103
time ago he had discovered Malcolm's weakness for Lewis Carroll
and
J.
M. Manie, and the Milne stuff, things Malcolm finally con–
fessed in absolute confidence that he read at night instead of detec–
tive stories. Malcolm had shown
him
his Beerbohrnish parodies of
the children's classics, fey, sparkling little things, colored by cute
adult sexual innuendos.
"I'm absolutely washed out," Malcolm said, paving the way.
"Must have been a rough meeting."
"Nasty."
Rollie didn't want to push. Malcolm was a liberal humanist.
H
there had been injury at the meeting he would talk. He recalled
Malcolm standing up at a faculty meeting,
his
voice shrill with
passion, to defend on principle the hearing rights of a dismissed in–
structor. The weak, the lame, the halt, the unprotected brought
Malcolm to the ramparts.
"There was a heated discussion," Malcolm said, after a while.
"Yes." Rollie grouped factions quickly. He was sure of at least
three people. But there was Buckley and his Renaissance Puritanism,
a cold, murderously isolated man who despised students.
"Well, I might
as
well tell you." Malcolm clasped and
un–
clasped
his
hands.
"Buckley wants us to
sign
a Code of Ethics, something like a
loyalty oath.
I
think teachers have an important function.
In loco
parentis
has
been a motto of mine. But
this
has the odor of
McCarthyism."
"What does he want?"
"I'm not at liberty to say just yet. But
I
can tell you
this.
He
feels tenure should not be given
if
the candidate doesn't measure
up to the code. My goodness, right now I'm committing a terrible
breach of ethics."
"What
are
you not at liberty to say?"
"Well, you know."
"What do
1
know?"
"I
can't
say."
"The idea of an ethics code has merit." Rollie said, lighting
up a cigarette and swiveling in a wide slow tum.
"As
a department
of Civilization we should be committed to a philosophy. Heidegger's
Dasein,
his
being-in-the-worldness is a form of action ethics, a restora–
tion of a condition upset by the Cartesian dichotomy. The mind-body
