The Washington herald., 1920-05-17
University of Illinois Divided
Ooer Telling Public of Hardships
Teachers Suffer on Slim Salaries


attached to the ouestiopnaire:
we use butter substitutes.
run a garden and sole the family's
shoes. Ny wife makes all her own
clothing"
unable to take vacations or trips
to relatives who live at distance
Buy no books. only clothing alb
solutely necessary. Self-denial in
almost everything imaginable" is
the epitomiZed story of No. 20.
Roomers figure with several fam
ilies. Cnpainted houses, where
teacher owns or is. paying for 1t. is
the rule. Postponement of dentaI
work is universal. In medical at
tention II is the same. One profes-
sor's wife has become incurable for
want of medical attention. Ser
wants are practically unknown and
have been for years in the profess
sional families at IFbana. After
reciting facts about menial labor at
home one writes:
During the summer vacation of
1918 l found II necessary to seek
employment in a factory at SIS a
week in order to keep pace with liv-
ing expenses"
Must Work Outside,
Another explains how he is COM
PEELED to do outside work and how
he has not had a new overcoat since
1915 nor many other clothes. we
have been unable to even purchase
playthings which are essential to
the normal and tapPy development
of children" he says. The corre-
spondent had declined an outside
position paying $4,000 when his
university salary was $500.
Assistant professors have had
just as hard times in making ends
meet as the other classes. Every
thing has been cut to the bone
and this includes food clothing, rec
| reations. travel. books, etc.
have stayed away from all So
cial functions because the only
clothes / have are those / wear in
the laboratory" writes one.
After detailing the postponement
| of dental and medical service, No, S
| writes:
Adoption of a vegetarian diet,
with nut butter for substitute. Cut
ting hair of children: resoling shoes
| at home. Doing without all per-
sonal service in the home, for odd
jobs as we'll as regular help. No
laundry service since 1917"
Writes an associate professor.
My life for 25 years has been
one of denial and retrenchment at
every point"
The wife of another does her own
washing. while No. , helps his with
! the family washing. The latter
wears a suit in the class room which
was made in 1914, discarded in 1916
and revamped in 1919. No new
clothes since 1915 and he admits
that he attends church.
1t would be expected that full
professors with the highest grade
of salaries would be outside OF the
realms cf questionnaires but not so.
Here is typical case:
interior grades of clothing; food
of inferior quality. / avoid travel
ing. l avoid purcasing books that
would like. Get along without
help. Have rented rooms. Wife
makes own and childrens clothes.
Unable to Save.
Life as reflected in the re-
marks of others is cpitomized as
follows: staying at home in sum-
mer. Don't care to state the sub
terfuges and exprdients resorted t..
Use butter only once a day. No
savings possible. Wear old clothes.
Buy meat once a week. New suit
of clothes every other year Have
been able to save only what l have
made from outside sources"
Among those who have risen from
| assistant to instructors grade one
says he dresses like a tramp. An
other. with tinge of,irony, writes
Il can save perhaps 500 per year
out of my salary and still have the
| necessities and an occasional lux
ury Zone which is usually consid-
cred q necessity by the unskilled or
mechanically skilled laborer)."
THE report as made" said Prof.
kempner. lis not overdrawn nor
had the committee any desire to
appear sensational. We have not
broadcasted the OF estionnaire, yet,
at the same time, think the pub
lie should be made acquainted with
the desperate flight of the [. aching
profession. no different here, no
doubt, than elsewhere. The great
majority of. professors will stick to
their callings at very much less
money than they could get else
were not because II is less arduous
work, but because II is both duty
and pleasure. Yet they must live.
1t is up to an aroused public opin-
ion to see that the teachers get
justice and that our educational
system Is not wrecked.
g. w. AXLESON.