SCIENCE AND THE STATE 203 



increasing the grants for each department pro rata according 

 to the research work done in them. There are of course diffi- 

 culties to be met, but these are probably not insuperable; and 

 something of the nature should be considered at an early date. 

 We are all of us familiar with certain departments in which no 

 research at all is done, and also, fortunately, with those which 

 distinguish themselves greatly by it ; and it is not fair that 

 payment should be on the same scale in both. Of course, in 

 many departments research is not obligatory at all ; and we 

 would suggest that where it is made obligatory it should 

 certainly be specially paid for in addition to the payments made 

 for teaching by itself. Otherwise such proposals will merely 

 result in further sweating. 



The suggestion under heading 3 of the programme is a 

 difficult but weighty one. It can properly be met only by 

 attention to the suggestions already made regarding State- 

 supervision of the universities. In most countries on the con- 

 tinent of Europe a professor is an important person, because 

 he is supposed to possess the most detailed knowledge possible 

 of his subject. In Britain and America, however, a university 

 professor appears to be ranked with "professors" of boxing and 

 dancing, and to be looked upon with some indulgent contempt. 

 At the same time, little care is exercised with us in the selection 

 of men for these posts— which are often given to local candidates 

 of not much account, or to any person who possesses the savoir 

 faire to apply himself to the proper persons. The wh'ole system 

 of election is faulty — as was well pointed out in a paper pub- 

 lished some years ago in the University Review. At present 

 vacancies are generally advertised in the press, and applicants 

 are told to send in testimonials, however important the post 

 may be. Thus a number of applicants are kept on tenterhooks 

 of doubt for months, and are also obliged to tout amongst 

 eminent men for testimonials, and to go to the expense of 

 printing them afterwards. As only one of the candidates obtains 

 the coveted post, this amounts to quite a serious infliction ; and 

 it is time that the system is changed for appointment by invita- 

 tion, supervised by some censorship by, say, the Board of 

 Education. Indeed, we think that the whole status of the 

 professor should be raised by placing every professorship upon 

 something like a regius standing, with a selection ultimately 

 approved by Government, and fixity of tenure guarded by a 



