i22 POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



THE STATUS OF AMERICAN COLLEGE PROFESSORS. 



By Professor JOHN J. STEVENSON, 



NEW YORK UNIVERSITY. 



r I THREE months ago, the colleges and universities opened for the 

 -*- new year. In most instances, telegrams from the institutions 

 were jubilant, announcing that the entering class is the largest in the 

 history of the college, but some were apologetic, as one or another de- 

 partment showed decrease. Editors rejoiced in the ' era of education/ 

 pointing with pride to the four hundred and fifty colleges, more or 

 less, with about 15,000 instructors and about ten times as many stu- 

 dents and a total income for all purposes approaching $25,000,000. 

 Unquestionably, there is much in this of which to be proud, but the 

 broad statement, as given in the journals, fails to emphasize the fact 

 that this great fabric of higher education owes its existence, in great 

 measure, to the willingness of college professors to bear a great part of 

 the cost. It is true that college professors have never received salaries 

 such as to arouse envy in men of other professions, but, at one time, the 

 calling offered great attractions to those who cared more for study than 

 for money. Appointments were made for life or good behavior, the 

 calling was honorable above all others, as in Germany of to-day, and 

 there was that ' literary leisure ' which could be devoted to investiga- 

 tion. Many imagine that there has been no change in these condi- 

 tions; this error should be corrected. 



The scope of instruction, especially on the scientific side, but 

 measurably on all sides, has been widened and the hours have been 

 scattered so as practically to cover the available day. The kind of 

 knowledge required is very different from that of even thirty years ago, 

 when students had hardly any source of information outside of the 

 text-book and classroom and the courses were truly elementary. 

 Immediate preparation required little time and the professor's close 

 study was within a chosen field of investigation ; but now he must read 

 carefully the literature in all portions of the field covered by his chair 

 merely to meet the exigencies of the classroom, for the elementary 

 courses of little more than thirty years ago belong to the common stock 

 of knowledge; popular magazines deal with discoveries in science and 

 archeology, as though they belong to familiar discourse, and daily 

 papers indulge in editorial discussions of subjects which, twenty-five 

 years ago, were in the province of specialists alone. There remains 

 for the college professor hardly a trace of ' literary leisure,' and even 

 the university professor is apt to find the stress of outside duties con- 



