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SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. XV. No. 374. 



more difficult. It is, therefore, doubly im- 

 portant that an appointment should be 

 made with great deliberation and with a 

 full realization of the gravity of the act. It 

 is not, however, the process of appointing 

 that I wish especially to speak of, though 

 much that is interesting to university cir- 

 cles might be said on this subject. It is 

 rather the principles that are involved. 

 What constitutes a good professor ? What 

 kind of men are the universities looking 

 for? Is the supply of this kind of men 

 equal to the demand? These are some of 

 the questions that suggest themselves in 

 this connection. Let me attempt to answer 

 them briefly. 



The development of universities in this 

 country has created a demand for a kind of 

 professor somewhat different from that de- 

 manded by the college. It would not be 

 difficult to describe the ideal university pro- 

 fessor, but we should gain little in this 

 way. I shall assume that he has the per- 

 sonal traits that are of such importance in 

 those who are called upon to teach. A man 

 of bad or questionable character, or of weak 

 character, is no more fit to be a university 

 professor than to be a college professor or a 

 teacher in a school. That is self-evident. 

 At least it seems so to me. Leaving these 

 personal matters out of consideration, the 

 first thing that is essential in a university 

 professor is a thorough knowledge of the 

 subject he teaches and of the methods of in- 

 vestigation applicable to that subject; the 

 second is the ability to apply these methods 

 to the enlargement of the field of knowl- 

 edge; and the third is the ability to train 

 others in the use of these methods. But a 

 knowledge of the methods, the ability to 

 apply them, and the ability to train others 

 in their use, will not suffice. The professor, 

 if he is to do his duty, must actually be en- 

 gaged in carrying on investigations both on 

 his own account and with the cooperation 

 of his most advanced students. This is 



fundamental. It may be said, and this can- 

 not be denied, that there is much research 

 work done that is of little value to the 

 world, that, in fact, much of that which is 

 done by our graduate students is trivial 

 judged by high standards. It would be 

 better, no doubt, if every professor and 

 every advanced student were engaged upon 

 some problem of great importance to the 

 world. But this is out of the question in 

 any country. Few men possess that clear- 

 ness of vision and that sldll in devising 

 methods, combined with the patience and 

 power of persistent application that enable 

 them to give the world great results. If 

 only those who can do great things were 

 permitted to work, the advancement of 

 knowledge would be slow indeed. The 

 great is built upon the little. The modest 

 toiler prepares the way for the great dis- 

 coverer. A general without his offieei-s and 

 men would be helpless. So would the great 

 thinker and skillful experimenter without 

 the patient worker, ' the hewer of wood and 

 drawer of water.' 



Of so-called research work there are all 

 grades. A man may reveal his intellectual 

 power as well as his mental defects by his 

 investigations. But it remains true that 

 the university professor must be carrying 

 on research work or he is failing to do what 

 he ought to do. It is part of his stock in 

 trade. He cannot properly train his stu- 

 dents without doing such work and without 

 helping his students to do such work. One 

 of the best results of carrying on this re- 

 search work is the necessary adoption of 

 world standards. A man may teach his 

 classes year after year and gradually lose 

 touch with others working in the same 

 branch. Nothing is better calculated to 

 keep him alive than the carrying on of a 

 piece of work and the publication of the 

 results in some well-known journal. This 

 stimulates him to his best efforts, and it 

 subjects him to the criticism of those who 



