Perth Amboy evening news., 1921-12-27

WASHINGTON. Dec. ga col
lege professor rang for an elevator
in u lecture building the other day.
| After five minutes wait the eleva-
tor came W. The operator apollo
/ gized profISely FOR the delay, but
he felt that he haa a good excuse.
THE electricians are working here
today" he explained, and one OF
them wanted to go TO the basement
and you know their time costs a
lot"
What the college professor said
about his wasted time is not re-
corded. AS a matter of fact, the
electrician probably did cost the col
lege more Per hour than its teach
ers dc.
The elevator mans idea that pro-
fessors rank very low in the scale
| of earning ability has long been the
| popular attitude. But colleges are
! beginning 10 crusade for the rights
of their instructors. They realize
that a low salary scale for college
professors is a boomerang that
strikes back at the college in n of
/, two ways. Eithec the college can
| obtain only experienced or inferior
teachers, or else It holds the self
sacrificing experts who stay on and
divide their energies between their
classes ard some outside work to
make ends meet.
Either way, the college with un-
derpaid instructors is not getting ef-
fcicnt teaching.
Lately, several women's colleges
have been campaigning to make 1t
possible for their professors to earn
suitable salaries. 4 goal IS set, and
students and alumni so out and try
all the ways of earning money that
have been tested during the past
years of innumerable drives.
Each student pledges a sum, gen.
orally a large sum fer a girl still get
ting an education. And she prom
ises to pay this pledge by her w
efforts during the time allowed
perhaps two or three years.
Vassar Is now conducting such a
campaign. Her salary scale is lower
than that of any other woman's
college of similar standards. Vassar
shows that she has been able to keep
capable teachers only because they
~resorted to outside employment, as
college teachers everywhere are do
ing.
Practically every member of the
faculty at this college who has a
house takes in roomers, it is said. A
few college girls in q house may
liven things up fer the professor,
though facdlty members no doubt,
would prefer a more peaceful atmos-
phere at home.
How Teachers Make a Living
Some instructors write articles for
newspapers and magazines. Num-
bers of them teacn at summer
schools il different parts of the
country, when they need to be rest
ing or studying TO- the next years
WORK.
At Vassar there are 102 women
teachers and % men. The wives of
these men help. TOO. No longer is
the professors wife satisfied to sit
at home ana turn her husbands
coat and think of new ways to make
bread pudding. one. at this college,
Uns a shop where she sells baskets
and other craft work dime by noun
t~aineers. Another writes children's
books, and . third is q photographer.
But even these devices do not all
ways stretch a salary that was mea-
ger IN 1913 ove a 1921 expense ac-
count. Except where colleges have
conducted drivers AID raised salaries
instructors have scarcely received
any material increase in pay during
the boom Of salaries in most lines
Of work.
It is figured now that the cost of
living is still roughly rs per cent
higher in 1913. 1t was 10S per cent
higher in 1919, and it is still drop
ping a little But the dollar will
probably not reach the old 1913
level for some years again.
So the plan of Vassar TO raise its
salary scale 81 per cent barely puts
the college professor on his pre-war
living scale. Yet q 81 per cent raise
will bring this college to a point
where its salaries compare favorably
with those of other colleges in its
class. The college professors are be-
ginning to receive appreciation, but
they are still far from Easy Street,
The college girls set about these
salary campaigns with enthusiasm.
In progressive woL1en's colleges all
student activities are now regarded
as educational. The salary cam
pafgn is being used to teach the\stu-
dents things that they could not
learn in the academic lecture
courses.
Each girl at Vassar agreed to
pledge 500. 1t was further agreed
that the money was to be earned. No
girl was to write home for a check.
At once business ventures of every
sort began TO blossom out. In some
of the halls eide. barrels were in
stalled. and quantities of fresh cider
are still sold TO girls who feel in need
Of refreshment before or after class