536 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XXIX. No. 744 



dation, we are not surprised to find that it 

 draws annually $14,365, and when the Cen- 

 tral University of Kentucky cuts itself off 

 nominally from its denominational control 

 in order that it may be accepted, we are not 

 surprised to find that three of its eleven 

 professors are immediately placed on the 

 foundation. 



It would, I believe, have been far bet- 

 ter if the foundation had undertaken to 

 hand over to each institution that had 

 adopted or would adopt a pension system 

 an endowment from the income of which 

 the professors' salaries could have been 

 maintained for life. Even if it were de- 

 cided to give a pension smaller than the 

 salary, the endowment might with equal 

 advantage be made once for all. The foun- 

 dation could in this case take up one insti- 

 tution after another and from its income 

 award a fund sufficient to endow a pension 

 scheme in each. Under these circumstances, 

 the income would never be completely tied 

 up, but could always be used in the way 

 most likely to promote the advancement of 

 teaching. The same plan might with great 

 advantage be pursued by the Carnegie 

 Institution of Washington. If instead of 

 attempting to administer from "Washington 

 scientific institutions in all parts of the 

 country, it would found and partly endow 

 such institutions, and then leave them to 

 local control and support, the money would 

 go much farther and the dangers of a 

 bureaucracy would be avoided. 



The drawbacks of a centralized pension 

 system may be illustrated by an example. 

 A professor has reached the age limit with 

 a salary of $4,000. He prefers to continue 

 his regular teaching and research and can 

 do so competently. If the institution had 

 to continue his salary, it would have no 

 inclination to relieve him of his duties, nor 

 would it care to do so if it had to pay a 

 pension of $2,400, for in this ease the 

 $1,600 released would not suffice for the 



salary of a new professor. But if the pay- 

 ment of the professor's pension can be put 

 off on the Carnegie Foundation, then the 

 president will reflect that he can obtain a 

 new man about equally competent for 

 $3,000. He will thus save $1,000, and the 

 institution will still have credit for the 

 work of the retired professor; the students 

 he attracts; the indirect teaching that a 

 man engaged in research at the university 

 can not fail to do; his valuable judgment 

 and counsel. The institution saves $1,000 

 and gets $2,400 more that it could not get 

 in any other way. At first sight it may 

 seem that no one suffers except the dis- 

 missed professor ; but in the end it wiU be 

 found that the institution and higher edu- 

 cation also suffer. 



The risks of the system for the professor 

 are increased by the scheme of retirement 

 after twenty-five years of service. Sixteen 

 of the most efficient professors in Harvard 

 University and fifteen in Columbia Univer- 

 sity are now liable to compulsory retire- 

 ment apart from age; and owing to the 

 great growth of these universities within 

 the past twenty years, the niunber of men 

 in this class will increase rapidly. These 

 institutions could take from the Carnegie 

 Foundation about $75,000 a year now by 

 retiring these men and probably two or 

 three times as much a few years hence. If 

 the emeritus professors maintained their 

 interest in the institution and continued 

 their research work, the university would 

 apparently lose but little in return for the 

 great financial gain. But the professors 

 would suffer, and ultimately the whole 

 academic life would be demoralized. 



The reasons leading to the adoption of 

 retirement after twenty-five years of service 

 are obscure to me, unless it is intended to 

 relieve institutions of men whom they do 

 not want to keep. Some few professors 

 having independent means or outside em- 

 ployment may like to retire on half salary ; 



