12 



SCIENCE 



[X. S. Vol. XXXII. No. 809 



large. Harvard is probably the only univer- 

 sity wbere the average salary of a full pro- 

 fessor is higher than ours. But there are a 

 number of institutions which offer individual 

 members of their professional staff who ean 

 ■do exceptionally good service salaries ranging 

 from $6,000 to $7,500. 



But why, it may be asked, has this differ- 

 ence been allowed to exist so long ? Why have 

 the best Yale professors only received $4,000, 

 or at most $5,000, while men of equal rank at 

 other institutions have obtained substantially 

 larger pecuniary returns? There are two 

 main causes for this, both of which, curiously 

 enough, have arisen within the professorial 

 body itself. One is the fact, wholly creditable 

 to our professors, that they have cared more 

 for the extension of their teaching facilities 

 than for the increase of their pay; the other 

 is the spirit of professional equality which is 

 zealous of all discriminations, no matter what 

 their ground may be. 



The permanent officers are quite ready to 

 allow some distinguished man of mature years 

 to be called from abroad with their approval 

 at a salary higher than their own. They are 

 rather unwilling to let some of their own as- 

 sociates, equally good, be given a similar sal- 

 ary by act of the corporation. They hold that 

 in general all the professors in the same fac- 

 ulty should have the same salary, because they 

 believe that this is the only way in which pro- 

 fessorial independence can be secured. 



It seems clear that the corporation has not 

 only the right but the duty to raise the salary 

 of a man who is now receiving $4,000 to $6,000 

 if that man clearly merits the increase, with- 

 out being thereby compelled to raise the sal- 

 ary of another man in similar position who is 

 rendering the institution little or no service. 

 The corporation which calls a man to Yale 

 as a professor agrees to pay him ^4,000 as 

 long as he is guilty of no grave dereliction 

 which warrants that body in demanding his 

 resignation. It does not agree that it will 

 always pay him as much as any of his col- 

 leagues ; nor does it agree that he and his col- 

 leagues in joint meeting shall have the right 

 and duty to decide upon his salary increase. 



It is essentially a matter between the corpora- 

 tion and the individual. 



If this principle is once accepted there will 

 be no difficulty in putting Yale on a full equal- 

 ity with her strongest competitors in the mat- 

 ter of professors' salaries. If this is not ac- 

 cepted, the only alternatives are to raise aU 

 salaries alike or to have the members of the 

 faculty discuss in one another's presence the 

 relative shares which each should have. The 

 first of these alternatives is unsatisfactory; 

 the second positively bad. It appears far less 

 dangerous, as well as far more practicable, to 

 let the corporation arrange salaries and salary 

 schedules with the advice of the deans or di- 

 rectors, with the full understanding that they 

 may deal with individual cases on their merits. 



The salaries which we pay assistant pro- 

 fessors have been characterized as low. It 

 may not improbably be desirable to raise 

 the rate of pay for the first appointment 

 as assistant professor from $1,800 to $2,000. 

 The case of the assistant professors in 

 their second term who are now receiving 

 $2,500 presents more difficulty. As we look 

 at each individual case the payment seems 

 conspicuously inadequate. Many of these 

 men have been teaching a dozen years; 

 most of them are married; some have fam- 

 ilies of considerable size. They are com- 

 petent scholars and devoted teachers. As 

 individuals they deserve higher pay. As a 

 policy, I am inclined to think that it would 

 be a mistake to give them higher pay. 



Why this apparent contradiction? Be- 

 cause it is bad both for the university and 

 for the man liimseK to make a subordinate 

 position too attractive for a man who is not 

 likely to reach the top. If a man after 

 eight years' work as an assistant pro- 

 fessor has not proved his claim to promo- 

 tion, the chances are that he never can 

 prove it. What shall we do? Eecognize his 

 merit by a moderate increase of salary which 

 will encourage him to stay, or indicate to him 

 frankly that he had better seek his fortune 

 elsewhere? The latter alternative is some- 

 times hard to put into effect, but I am con- 

 vinced that it is true kindness. 



