Makch 18, 1910] 



SCIENCE 



403 



teen men (15 per cent.) hold the degree of 

 bachelor only; 28 (25 per cent.) hold none 

 above master; while 65 (58 per cent.) hold 

 that of doctor. Two only, whose work is in 

 a special branch of technology, hold no 

 degree. 



63.5 per cent, received assistance in pur- 

 suing their studies, in the form of scholar- 

 ships, fellowships, teaching fellowships, as- 

 sistantships, student instructorships, etc. 

 The amount varied from a single year's 

 free tuition to a net equivalent of $2,000. 

 No average can be struck of these or of 

 their financial value. 36.5 per cent, re- 

 ceived no such aid. 53.5 per cent, incurred 

 no indebtedness for their education. 

 46.5 per cent, did incur such indebtedness, 

 the average amount being $885. Of those 

 who incurred this indebtedness, 82 per 

 cent, have discharged it. The average sum 

 was $800, and the average time required 

 was 3.6 years. The remaining 18 per cent., 

 whose debt average $1,261, have not yet 

 succeeded in paying it off, although in 

 some eases it has been running six, eight 

 and even ten years. The depressing nature 

 of such a burden need not be dwelt upon. 



With the facts before him which these 

 replies have brought, the writer is deeply 

 impressed by the deplorable effect of the 

 system of scholarships, etc., which do not 

 entirely support the recipient, but act as 

 bait and encourage him to go on with grad- 

 uate study, while piling up an indebtedness 

 which, under prevailing conditions, will 

 ride his shoulders like a veritable old man 

 of the sea. It is a good way to break 

 hearts. 



These histories disclose the fact that it is 

 a pretty serious matter for a man to go 

 even $1,000 into debt in order to enter the 

 career of university teaching. The manip- 

 ulation of fellowships for the purpose of 

 "building up a strong {i. e., large) gradu- 

 ate department" lies dangerously near the 



immoral ; and this is doubly true when the 

 fellowship carries with it burdensome 

 teaching duties which make of it but a 

 disguised, underpaid instructorship. This 

 is making one hand wash the other in a 

 way worthy of financial wizards. Nor can 

 the practise of some professors of looking 

 upon "their" fellows as a sort of intellec- 

 tual valets, be too strongly condemned. A 

 genuine fellowship will carry sufficient 

 stipend to bear the entire burden of the 

 recipient's cost of living on a modest scale, 

 leave his time wholly free for his studies, 

 and will take its sole return in deferred 

 service to be rendered to society at large. 

 We next come to the question of the pro- 

 fessorial experience of these men. The total 

 teaching service in all ranks averages 10.3 

 years. Nine years is the medium period, 

 just half having served a shorter time, and 

 the other half a longer time than this. On 

 the average they have served 5^ years in 

 the rank of assistant professor; 5 years is 

 also about the median period, 53 per cent, 

 having served a shorter term and 47 per 

 cent. 5 years or more. Twelve per cent, have 

 held the rank for ten years or more. This 

 service is shown in Table III. 



TABLE in 



Years of Service as Assistant Professor 



(One Reply Lacking) 



Years 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 16 18 30 



Number 1120 17 10 14 6776415111 



58 

 under 5 years. 



53 

 5 years or over. 



Of the 112, 83 (74 per cent.) are mar- 

 ried and 29 (26 per cent.) are unmarried. 

 Table IV. shows the number and distribu- 

 tion of children in this group of men. No 

 comment, beyond a reminder that the aver- 

 age age of these men is 36.8 years, is neces- 

 sary. 



The present average salary is $1,790. 



