Mat 14, 1909] 



SCIENCE 



787 



both pedagogic and disciplinary. Still 

 fewer, witli the men, means and reputa- 

 tion, say half a dozen in our whole coun- 

 try at first, will bravely lop off all collegi- 

 ate work as soon as it is adequately pro- 

 vided for elsewhere and stand forth as 

 full-fledged universities — places for the 

 purposes of true advanced education, for 

 real (not sham) investigation, and for the 

 training of leaders in thought, science and 

 action. Our nation does not yet seem to 

 make a strong demand for many of these, 

 judging by recent experience. What will 

 probably take place, along with more effi- 

 cient instruction, will be to make the 

 break between collegiate and university 

 work at the end of the present sophomore 

 year as the Germans practically do. There 

 are sound reasons for doing this both 

 from educational and from administrative 

 standpoints, and to these may be added 

 the strong economic argument that it will 

 place our young men and women — quite 

 as well trained as our present college 

 graduates— in the world of outside activ- 

 ities two years earlier in their lives. 



As to salaries, with these reforms car- 

 ried out, there can be no doubt of a con- 

 tinuation of the present trend toward 

 improvement with a hope of an ultimate 

 scale permitting a standard of living 

 within the line of suitable dignity and 

 comfort. The writer would again draw 

 attention to the fact, overlooked too long, 

 that the instructorship is the real key to 

 the situation of the improvement in higher 

 instructional efficiency, and that any fun- 

 damental improvement in conditions must 

 be begun in the treatment of this rank. 

 In disclosing the real state of affairs and 

 in guiding the institutions toward a 

 closer cooperation, and unification into an 

 efficient whole, the reports of President 

 Pritchett, of the Carnegie Foundation, 

 have already proved to be of extreme 

 value. Further reports along the lines 



already indicated will undoubtedly but 

 add to the indebtedness of the educa- 

 tional world to this foundation. With its 

 trained staff and financial support it can 

 carry out investigations which, even with 

 the greatest industry and devotion, would 

 be impossible of achievement through in- 

 dividual effort. 



As a final paragraph, the writer would 

 call the attention of his fellow teachers to 

 the inspiring vision of this vast army of 

 young men and women coming forward 

 for training for the duties of life. Well 

 may we conceive a new respect for the im- 

 portance and significance of our calling, 

 and in all sincerity and humility dedicate 

 ourselves afresh to a life of unselfish serv- 

 ice in the cause of humanity; for to our 

 hands is entrusted no less a power than 

 that of effectively molding the controlling 

 ideals of our nation's immediate future. 

 Bacon says: 



We advise all men to think of the true ends of 

 knowledge, and that they endeavor not after it 

 for curiosity, contention or the sake of despising 

 others, nor yet for reputation or power or any 

 such inferior considerations, but solely for the 

 occasions and uses of life. 



The great heart of America is sound; 

 her ills of haste, diffusion and superficial- 

 ity are curable. Humanly speaking, the 

 key to the solution of all her problems lies 

 in the substitution of trained, clear 

 thought-processes for the still too preva- 

 lent slovenly-mindedness. 



GuiDO H. Marx 



Stanfoed Univeesitt 



SCIENTIFIC NOTES AND NEWS 

 A COMPLIMENTARY dinner was given on 

 April 17 at Hotel Somerset, Boston, in honor 

 of the seventieth birthday of Professor F. W. 

 Putnam, since 1886 professor of American 

 archeology and anthropology at Harvard Uni- 

 versity and for twenty-five years permanent 

 secretary and later president of the American 

 Association for the Advancement of Science. 



