Evening star., 1922-09-16
Must Have Private Income tt
Teach Here if Married,

; northwestern University, in Evans
ton. just outside Chicago. opens its
school term with the doors of at least
one college closed to married instructors
unless they have incomes independ-
ent OF the S35 or $40 a week which the
, university pays undcrprofessors In
taking this step to meet a difficult
situation Northwestern, in the opin-
ion Of editors all over the country.
has taken what seems to be the easi-
est way, with very little comprehen-
sion, or apparent concern. as TO what
such action really means.
This precedent is established by a
university. which among the endow-
ed institutions ranks sixth in enroll
ment, seventh in the size of its teach
ing staff and eighteenth in the ex-
tent of It's endowment II is one of
the most important universities of the
middle west. and because of its rank
and popularity it's recent ruling is.
in editorial opinion. significant as
well as unfortunate
The dean of the College of Liberal
Arts. which is the college affected.
gives as his reason for the ruling
that Evanston is an aristocratic and
socially elevated community. where
there are good many calls upon in
tructors In social way: that be-
cause of the low salaries they receive
they are not able to maintain a social
standing, and that often instructors
wives contribute to the support of
the family. This. the dean says.
causes the college to lose PRESTIGE
Further. the men are harassed by the
financial burden Of family life in an
expensive community and their
teaching ability suffers. All Of which.
the Mobile Register says. contains
Ia good deal of TRUTH
Other writer's do not dispute the
truth Of the matter, but they do contend
that Northwestern, far from solving
the difficulty, has merely sdestapped
Il. almost certainly to it's own detri-
ment by limiting its staff of instructors
to unmarried men And is quite likely
to have no small effect. as some writers
see it, on another institution-rnarriag
Itself: The Parkersburg CIV. Va.) News,
Tor instance. suggests that the fiat
owner who bars the baby has now been
Joined by higher learning as a d;scour-
been contended that colleges for women
are unintentional discoura gers of matri-
mony. but it looks serious. indeed. when
universities oppose it openly for EN-
ployeS."
AS college enrollments continue to-
grow almost out of hand the tendency
mas been.' the Columbus Dispatch not tes
TO turn an increasing proportion of
the work of teaching over to young in
structors. rather than to increase the
number of professorships. If it is row
accepted as the regular policy to as
sumo that these instructors shall be I'M
married men, with salaries admittedly
only sufficient to support that status
the sure result will be deterioration in
the quality OF men who can be persuaded
to accept such positions"
10 the Rochester Times Union the
plan savors strongly OF policy which
Will result in setting up democracy
OF clothes and housing and food over a
democracy of intelligence. The man
Dest quallned to teach. not the man
with the best bank account should be
chosen as teacher" If it is the Eek
pensive atmosphere In which the uni
versity is located that is responsible TOR
the dilemma that Northwestern finds
ltsef IN. the only other course that
suggests itself" to the Indianapolis Star
Is 10 move the college to town where
sibIe." N
1T must be remembered" the Rock
1ord lll) Register Gazette points
OUT. that for a young man to fit him
self for university work requires
many years of preparation, and the
average age at which a position is
thirty. Another five years as instruc-
tor would bring the teacher unduly
close to middle age before he could
secure his appointment as assistant
professor. and so become eligible for
marriage And if financial worry
and hazardous family budget, with
too great gap between income and
outgo, makes the young Instructor
unfit to teach," how much more fit
will he be, thesSan Francisco Cali in
quires. when he is forced to teach, to
work for a doctors degree. and keep
young woman waiting and hopeful,
all at the same timer" And the Cali
wonders If highly educated wisdom
in Northwestern. University can an
swer that question satisfactorily to
the young professor" Already "the
drawbacks to a career in the colleges
are diverting many bright minds from
the profession" the ST. Joseph News
Press says. and 'if celibacy is to be
added to these the task of securing
able teachers will be made even more
entirely Of celibates'' would undoubt-
entirely of celebrates" would undoubt-
edly distinguish the school," the
Rocky Mountain News doubts that it
is ''the sort of distinction that col
lege should desire"
"This pitifui act Of great uni