Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 67.djvu/439

Rh with it, in many cases at least, certain perquisites in the way of rooms, board, etc., in the university buildings; and if in an indirect way opportunities are not offered for large fees for expert consultation work, etc., thus very materially raising the real income.

In regard to the first of these items relating to house and board, it may be said to be entirely negligible. In some of these eight institutions the president receives his house in addition to his salary, but no professor is thus favored. A discussion of the second item, sources of income attracted by the position, is impossible because of lack of data. Some few professors do receive at times large fees for expert work. Others, to eke out a meager salary, do a certain amount of routine work. Still others receive something in the way of royalties on their books. An estimate of the general average addition to the income through these sources would, however, be nothing but a guess and will therefore not be attempted. It should be said, though, in regard to all such work, that it is done in addition to the regular duties and is to be looked upon as that much extra labor accomplished ofttimes by taking time from much needed vacation periods.

Looking back over the above figures, it is seen that the average pecuniary attraction in the field of state university work is $2,315 per year plus an indefinite amount that may be made by extra work. It is further seen that this sum is increasing, but at such a slow rate as to leave it an open question as to whether the increase is keeping pace with the increased cost of living. In comparison with the salaries or incomes of men of like training, age and experience in other professional lines such as law, medicine, engineering, etc., it is small, being perhaps not more than one third or one fourth as much. Some of this great difference might be accounted for by the fact that the university man enjoys longer vacations; but, assuming that no work at all is done during the time the university is not in session, and that the vacation time includes one fourth of the year, the salary of the professor would still be small in comparison with that of other professional men. In making these comparisons, it will possibly be objected by some that the average of the whole number of professors is compared with the incomes of the more successful men in other lines. To this it may be said that the salaries of all professors are not so compared. These eight universities are all large and rich institutions. Were one to collect statistics of the 150 to 200 small colleges in this region where the salaries are far lower than in the state universities, the general average professorial salary would undoubtedly drop to less than $1,800. It must be borne in mind then that it is entirely fair to compare the salary of the state university man with that of the more successful men in other lines.