The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-02-12

the salaries connected with the assis- tant professorships range from $3,O00 down to $500, the average standing at $2rl6O,52. The one teacher who goes by the official title of tutor, class that was much larger in the earlier days of the college, has a salary that in 19OS-4 amounted to $1,11S44. The lecturers average s7s1,25 each, while the compensation to instructors ranges from $2,000 down to S100, with an aver age of $9s9.23, The assistants. a class composed for the most part of young men who are being tried out for the hgiher positions, or getting themselves ready to teach elsewhere, receive any where from $1,200 down toN$2O, the average last year being s32S,06.
 These salaries from the point of view of prosperous Harvard graduates are very low, considering the duties and responsibilities involved and the ardu- ous work of preparation that a man of good natural endowment must go through In order to get a chance to teach in Harvard College; and consid- ering furthermore, the kind of people with whom a teacher necessarily comes into contact while he holds a position in the service of the University. Men do not teach at Harvard--or at any other American university of good , Btanding-for the sake of the money ! there is in teaching. Anybody who is competent to be a full professor in charge of department of Harvard College should be capable of securing several times the income of his profess sorship in some other line of work. But there are teachers who do not measure their services by a financial standard. The spirit of Louis Agassiz, who re- fused to go into a commercial scheme, because he had no time to make money is still very strong at Harvard. The faculty list contains the names of not few men of international reputation who by merely signifying that they were on the lookout for something bet ter could step at once into better-paid positions than they now hold, but who prefer to remain, even at a pecuniary sacrifice, where they believe they can do the best that Is in them.
 It Is notable that the movement for an increase of salaries has not come from among the teaching force, but that 1t was started and is being pushed among the alumni by disinterested graduates who believe that the efn. cheney, not only of Harvard, but, be. cause of the effect exerted throughout the country. of every other American college. will be promoted by the estab. lishment of higher standard of com pensation.
 Until recently the scale of salaries in Harvard College advanced rather rapidly from generation to generations though never perhaps in proportion to the advance in the emoluments of the other professions and commercial oc- equations into which college graduates ordinarily go. That Is to say, 1t is probably true that in colonial days the Harvard teacher was quite on a flnan- cial equality with the successful law yer and the prosperous butcher or baker-as today he certainly is not, and was not in the greater part of the nine teenth century.
 In the very earliest years of the college the salaries were small and un- certain-just as everything financial was small and uncertain in that period of beginnings. Even the Presidents stipend of eighty or ninety pounds was not fixed but. as 1t was paid out of the State rates, depended upon the faith fitness of the tax-gatherer and the financial condition of the taxpayers. In the eighteenth century, however, conditions became to an extent settled, professorshlps were endowed-such as the Hollis professorship of divinity in I721-and the Harvard professor re- ceived compensation which, considering the spending power of money and the prevailing standards of living. was very fair At the beginning of the Revolu- ton the officers of the college con sisted of the president. with a salary of $1,50O; three professors averaging S1 ,00O each; four tutors. with perhaps half as much. treasurer who received $4OO and a librarian $500. A family could live reasonably well in those days on an income of S1,000.
 The war with Great Britain naturally disturbed the finances of Harvard but after prosperity was renewed under the first presidents of the United States the college salaries through good endow- ments, good investments and increase in the number of students were gradu- ally raised. In 1840 President Quincy received 82,235; Prof. Walker, S2 GOO; Prof Channing, s2.O00; Prof. Beck. $1,SO0; Prof. Felton, S1,8O0; Prof. Pierce s2.O00: Prof. LongfeIlow, $500. Such amounts were not munificent in that day, but there are a number of full professors in the college today who get little if any more, to say nothing of the whole class of assistant profess sors who are nearly all men in the ma turity of their powers.
 In 1888, according to tables prepared by Mir. Allen Danforth, controller, the salaries of full professors in the col lege ranged from S3,s00 down to SS3S.32 with an average of S2,273.00: of tutors from $1,7o0 to $S75. averaging S1,097.22; instructors from s1.000 to S10O, averag- ing s54s.s1. The two assistants at that time in service received respectively ss75 and si1s.s7. These figures prove