Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 67.djvu/435

Rh than in 1898-9. The increased cost of living, however, during this time should be taken into consideration before a final conclusion is reached in regard to the real state of affairs.

Before leaving the discussion of this the most important of the plates, the reader should be warned against ascribing too great significance to the ordinary ups and downs of the curves. In the first place, the arithmetical mean leaves much to be desired as a single expression for giving an idea of a set of numbers that differ much among themselves. Secondly a rather slight change in number and salaries of the professorial staff of an institution will in some cases change the average out of proportion to the actual change. The scheme of giving the averages is, however, the best that can be used, and when the trend of the curves for a period of years is taken into consideration, it is believed that they very fairly represent the situation.

Naturally an inspection of the complete data from which the curves were plotted reveals many interesting and important points which the curves themselves fail to show. For instance, one interesting feature that presents itself is that in the majority of the institutions there appears to be a 'normal' salary for men of full professorial rank; that is, a sum which all professors receive unless there be a special reason for their getting more or less. This is inferred from the following figures taken from the data for 1904-5, but typical of the whole period: In Kansas 57 per cent, of the professors are receiving $2,200 each; in Nebraska 47 per cent, receive $2,100; in Minnesota 48 per cent, receive $2,400; Indiana pays 53 per cent. $2,500; and in Ohio 40 per cent, get $2,250. (In 1905-6, 36 per cent, will receive $2,500.) In Wisconsin 33 per cent, receive $2,500 and 20 per cent. $2,000. Wisconsin has apparently two 'normal' salaries, a condition not presented by any of the others. In the cases of Missouri and Illinois no considerable proportion of the faculty receive the same salary. These so-called 'normal' salaries do not coincide with the average salary, they being sometimes higher and sometimes lower and differing in maximum by over $200 from the average.

In regard to high salaries, Wisconsin heads the list. In this institution, in 1904—5, ten deans and professors are receiving from $3,000 to $4,500. The lowest recorded salary, $1,000, is also on Wisconsin's list. Illinois and Missouri are the only other universities of the eight that pay a professor more than $3,000. All of them are paying some men $2,500 and in four of them this is the highest salary paid. All but one, Indiana, pay some of their professors less than $2,000. It should be borne in mind that these figures refer to salaries of men of full professorial rank and do not include associate and assistant professors.

Taking the period beginning with 1898-9 and closing with the present academic year, 1904—5, it is seen from the complete data that