The “Salary ” of the Lecturer

Abstract

MAY I venture to direct attention to a curious inconsistency which appears to have escaped the notice of scientific men as much as it has that of the general public? Men of science and educationists are emphasising the need for a larger number of men and women with scientific training to carry out research, technical and academic, and to aid in the ordinary conduct of affairs, both now and after the war; while, judging from official educational advertisements, men with the highest qualifications are expected to train this new generation for a “salary ” that compares most unfavourably with the “wages ” of a factory hand. We demand that many shall receive a sound scientific education, and that able teachers for the purpose shall be provided; but either we are not prepared to pay a price which will attract any but mediocre or inefficient teachers, or we expect that those who teach will do so for the love of teaching alone, and will obtain elsewhere the wherewithal to live.