202 SCIENCE PROGRESS 



of the British universities are managed by business men, who 

 adopt commercial methods for making as big a show as possible 

 out of their receipts, and succeed in this chiefly by sweating 

 their scientific and learned employees in the manner described \ 

 and we may add in passing that any reform in this respect 

 should include a very strict reform as to the persons who are 

 allowed to obtain positions upon the councils of these universities, 

 and who at present are frequently men who have not even 

 benefited their institutions by considerable pecuniary grants, 

 much less distinguished themselves by any achievements in 

 science and art. 



Regarding the very difficult subject of security of tenure — 

 i (d) of the programme — we had better merely remark at present 

 that it implies an adjustment between two different interests, 

 namely that of the university or institution and that of the 

 individual. It is certainly the case that many individuals who 

 find themselves in too secure a position thereupon cease to do 

 good work; but, on the other hand, the absence of security 

 tends to impair the working efficiency of the individual. Pro- 

 bably the best way is to retain more power for the discharge 

 of members of the staff on condition that such power can be 

 exercised only on compensation by means of a bonus or pension 

 graduated according to length of past service. Thus a university 

 should be able to insist upon superannuation in consequence of 

 failure of powers at any given age, but should not be allowed 

 to do so without giving suitable compensation as defined. 



Another principle should be held in mind. Most teachers 

 and workers at the universities are at present often obliged 

 to shift from one institution to another, because, in fact, 

 academical life is becoming a kind of general public service. 

 At present such shifts frequently imply a loss of seniority ; and 

 arrangements should be made to avoid this. Indeed, the 

 Federated Superannuation System for Universities just referred 

 to has already considered the point ; and the question arises 

 whether the whole of the academical profession should not be 

 converted into a Government service, or at least into a service 

 which is very carefully controlled by Government. Until 

 something like this is done, cases of exploitation or hardship 

 are likely to continue. 



Prof. Soddy has suggested a scheme, well worthy of attention, 

 for directly stimulating research in university departments by 



