Annual Address by the President, 
15 
THE UNIVERSITY PROFESSOR AND ORIGINAL RESEARCH. 
Tliat an oppoTtnnity be afforded him to carry on original investigation 
is the'ichief desire of a university professor. 'Success in this direction 
gives him a reputation \yhich, in no small degree^ is shared by the institu- 
tion he serves. Yet he must recognize the fact that his first duty is to 
his students — ^they demand and they receive his energy, his time, his best 
thought. Whatever of research is done must be the work of spare mo- 
ments, time, it may be, stolen from his periods of rest. The character of 
the ivork undertaken depends, too, upon the facilities offered by the 
institution. In different parts of our 'country, and even in the best uni- 
versities, these vary greatly, but, no matter how great the facilities offered 
of a material kind, there is one thing 'that can effectively stifle investi- 
gation, and that is overwork. The trustees and even the presidents of 
many institutions fail to recognize that university work is exhaustive 
work, and especially in the line of science. A man can not labor in the 
class room and laboratory all day, prepare lectures at night, and success- 
fully carry on outside investigations. While it is true that the professors 
in Northern and Eastern universities are the more productive, the reason 
is not far to seek; not only have they better facilities, but they have 
more leisure. I believe that trustees and presidents are at times over- 
exacting; they expect productivity, publication and research by the pro- 
fessor, 'Wihen, on their part, the possibility of such work is not encourag- 
ed in any substantial manner. That they mean well in their official con- 
nection with universities need not be doubted — ^the difficulty, in most 
instances, is that, educated in other than scientific lines, members of the 
governing boards fail to understand that a scientific paper, involving re- 
search, may not be written as readily as a lawyer writes his brief or a 
preacher his sermon. Time and facility — granted that there be ability 
and training — are needed by most men to produce results worthy of pub- 
lication. Personally, I believe that research is a part of university work, 
and that it should be fostered in every conceivable and possible manner. 
I feel, also, that I am in no 'wise apologizing for my profession in plainly 
stating the facts. The trustees and executives of our institutions of 
learning should fairly meet the issue : that more investigation is not car- 
ried on and more worthy publications made is not altogether the fault of 
the professor. As I know them, university instructors are conscientious 
men who fully realize their responsibilities wihich are first of all to their 
students. If boards of trustees - would make even limited provision for 
research by ^suitable appropriations, improved facilities, and less exacting 
duties, the productivity of what now seems barren ground would, I vent- 
ure to say, be astonishing. 
