July 5, 1907] 



SCIENCE 



The president of moderately long service 

 has probably been concerned with the selec- 

 tion and actual appointment of a large 

 majority of the teaching staff in his insti- 

 tution. He has also probably had to do 

 with the step-by-step promotion of nearly 

 everybody connected with the institution. 

 For these reasons his wishes may have un- 

 due weight with the individual professor 

 who desires to make changes in his subjects 

 or methods of instrtiction. Some presi- 

 dents are, therefore, careful how they bring 

 any restrictive pressure to bear on teach- 

 ers; but others are careless in this respect, 

 or deliberately attempt to control the na- 

 ture or quality of the instruction given by 

 individual teachers, particularly in what 

 they regard as critical or dangerous sub- 

 jects. In American institutions few presi- 

 dents possess dangerous constitutional or 

 charter powers in this respect, and none 

 should exercise such powers. A president 

 may of course remonstrate with a professor 

 who seems to him to be exceeding the just 

 limits of academic freedom, and he may 

 properly give distinct advice when con- 

 sulted beforehand by any member of his 

 staff on a question relating to academic 

 freedom; but he should never attempt to 

 impose his judgment or his will on a 

 teacher. 



The real liberty of a teacher to teach as 

 he wishes to may be closely limited by the 

 customs or habitual usages of the institu- 

 tion with which he is connected, even more 

 than by the direct action of the constituted 

 authorities. Every earnest and progressive 

 teacher desires to be freed, as much as pos- 

 sible, from routine details which admit of 

 little variety, and have ceased" to be in- 

 structive or otherwise beneficial to himself. 

 If his habitual duties involve much work 

 of this character, his own rate of progress 

 in knowledge and efficiency will be checked, 

 and his enthusiasm may be chilled as the 



years go on. Routine is an enemy to 

 progress, and to real mental liberty. 

 Again, in every teacher's life there is apt 

 to be a large element of year-by-year repe- 

 tition. Year after year he reads the same 

 authors with his classes, or he deals with 

 the same subjects in his laboratory teach- 

 ing, and even with the same materials for 

 illustrating his subjects. He may be held 

 to an unreasonable degree of repetition by 

 the faculty, by his department, or by two 

 or three colleagues who refuse to exchange 

 with him. As years go on, it is easier for 

 him to follow a routine, or to i;se again his 

 manuscript notes grown yellow and brittle 

 with age, than to change his habits, or to 

 venture into comparatively new fields. 

 Routine and repetition have done their 

 work. They have limited his freedom, and 

 therefore his growth. In all teaching, at 

 whatever grades, there must be elements of 

 routine and repetition, but excess of these 

 indispensable elements is to be guarded 

 against in every possible way, both by the 

 teacher himself and by the authorities to 

 whom he is responsible; for the teacher's 

 efficiency depends primarily on the main- 

 tenance of his vitality and enthusiasm. 



The prudent teacher in school, college, 

 or university will keep a sharp lookout on 

 two other risks to which American teachers 

 are exposed ; they will beware of doing too 

 much teaching and of undertaking too 

 much administrative work. The teacher 

 for life absolutely needs to reseiwe time 

 and strength for continuous acquisition and 

 development on his own part. He must 

 not be always giving out information and 

 influence. He must have time to absorb, 

 to feed his own growing powers, and to 

 rekindle his own enthusiasms at the great 

 lamps of literature and science. The uni- 

 versity teacher ought to keep time and 

 strength to contribute a little to the ad- 

 vancement of his own subject. This he can 



