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SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XXXI. No. 794 



suits. Casting out replies of those whose 

 service was but for part time and special 

 in kind (chiefly those holding clinical posi- 

 tions with nominal salaries and slight ad- 

 ministrative connection), there remained 

 112 replies from 20 institutions. The 

 initial step was to tabulate the answers to 

 the first 17 questions, and from that tabu- 

 lation the following results were compiled. 

 The first point is that of the present age of 

 the men replying. Table I. gives the re- 

 sult: 



men temporarily occupying the rank on 

 their march toward full professorship. If 

 this point be well taken— and the writer 

 fully believes it so to be — an entire read- 

 justment of attitude toward the assistant 

 professor is due. Compensation based 

 upon the old conception will be found in- 

 adequate, and old forms of faculty or- 

 ganization and departmental administra- 

 tion will be found unduly repressive and 

 subordinating toward amply tried and ex- 

 perienced men. 



TABLE I 



Present Age of Assistant Professors 



(Two Replies Blank) 



Age 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 51 58 



Number 1016548656 10 10 4647 1652251 1211 



Group 1 

 36 median age. 52 under, 48 over. 

 Average age, 36.8 years. 



Group 2 

 24.6 per cent, of total. 



Age at Appointment as Assistant Professor 

 (Five Replies, Age not Given) 

 Age 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 47 



Number 2416 12 9 10 8 10 10 6674211112121 



Group 1 

 31 median age. 52 under, 45 over. 

 Average age at appointment, 31.25 years. 



Group 2 

 9.33 per cent, of total. 



The average age is 36.8 years; 36 may 

 also be considered the median age, as 52 of 

 the men were under this age, while 58 were 

 36 years or older. Two did not state their 

 age. Just here I wish to call attention to 

 evidence offered by this table on an im- 

 portant point. The men fall into two main 

 groups, one under 40 and one over 40. 

 The existence of this second group (24.6 

 per cent, of the total) with ages running 

 from 40 to 58, points decidedly toward the 

 existence of a class of permanent assistant 

 professors. This is an important matter, 

 and must seriously modify the prevailing 

 view that assistant professors are young 



Bearing further on this point of age is 

 Table II., which shows the age at which 

 these men attained assistant professorship. 



The average age of appointment is 31.25 

 years. 31 is also the median age, 52 being 

 appointed at an earlier age than this and 

 55 at this or a later one. In considering 

 some of the subsequent facts, it may be 

 well to bear in mind that the years from 

 31 to 37 may properly be regarded as 

 the cream of a man's life. "Wbo is not 

 at twenty, does not at thirty, has not at 

 forty, never vsdll be, do, or have. ' ' 



The average time spent in collegiate or 

 graduate study has been 6.9 years. Seven- 



