Show i Communications cat 4 e 0 THE EDITOR OF THE CHRO CHRONICLE ICLE SIR In SIn In reply to your request to write something for your I send a few lines upon a text afforded by the perusal of ofa a paragraph in last weeks week's CHRONICLE re relating re- re lating to the use or misuse of the title The article in contained contained con con- u Professor question con contained much truth and common sense sense- Mr Mr is shorter than Professor Professor and andis is good enough for any person whatever may be his position in life when it is used as a salutation or address in ordinary oral conversation As a rule the families and intimate friends of the most eminent university university university uni uni- Professors address the Professors by the appellation Mr Mr or else by th the first name But Rut of course common politeness polite polite- ness demands that a Mr or something used in addressing addressing addressing address address- at least as respectful be ing any gentleman For one person to call another Brown or Jones or Smith as the case may be implies great familiarity familiarity famili famili- arity a familiarity which is not allowed except among very intimate friends Hence the use of such a term as Mr fr in speaking English-speaking nations and and Monsieur Monsieur Monsieur Mon Mon- in France Herr Herr in Germany t i ii and ana so forth But it must not be forgotten forgotten forgot forgot- r. r ten ten- that the title Professor is used and andis is intended to be used to denote a special y profession or occupation just justas as definitely as the titles of Doctor Engineer Foreman Foreman Foreman Fore Fore- man Director Superintendent Conductor Secretary and others that could he be named A person who fills a regularly established Professorship in a good University is expected to be possessed of special qualifications for that position and has special duties to perform as well as special responsibilities to assume His employers and himself must have some name for the position If it be not professor some other name namer r must be chosen Manifestly the title of G Mr will not s suffice There has to be bea a special name but of course that name J does not need to be used on all occasions in addressing the incumbent of the office L It cannot be teacher or instructor for forthe forthe the qualifications duties and responsibilities ties of a professor go far beyond those of ofa N r. r 9 a teacher or an instructor Teaching is undoubtedly a very important part of a professors professor's work but it is not the only rya function of a n University professor He f should be able to teach with success and andin andr r in some sort of advanced work he should f. f be extensively read and have the ability r and the acquired qualifications to prosecute prosecute prose prose- cute investigations more or less of a special special if cial and an advanced character His r knowledge should not be limited by the f c covers vers of one or two small elementary t I text books which were in all probability p fr written by mere compilers i. i e. e persons r 3 who received their own knowledge sec sec- b m ond He should be competent to tok k t. t survey a large area of knowledge with accuracy J and intelli intelligence ence There should v be some standard as in the case of medical medi medi- r c cal cl l doctors It is true this standard differs in different States and countries So does h y F. F i the standard for a diploma in medicine and a certificate for or steamboat and railway engineers Yet all agree that some standard standard stand stand- ard is a necessity in medicine and engi engi- That new settlements and 1 i territories permit men t to 0 practice medicine without a diploma from a college of recognized standing is no argument against the title of doctor as applied to a professional medical man of high qualifications It shows only that in the absence of men men of proper training I and experience the people were forced to employ persons half prepared or wholly unprepared to undertake such work There are head or first physicians consulting consulting consulting con con- physicians medical superintendents superintend superintend- assistant physicians student-assistant student physicians etc in some hospitals and infirmaries and so it is in the larger and older lder universities where there is a very thorough grading of the staff into professors sors associate professors assistant professors sors lecturers instructors tutors and privat This is only system and andis is absolutely necessary that the best results may be achieved A few years ago when the president of Cornell University was asked to recommend a person competent competent competent com com- for a professorship of mathematics in another university he replied of the graduates of Cornell and others from whom he could then make selection there were but two who were fitted to act as instructors or assistant professors and in his opinion neither of these two was competent competent competent com com- to discharge the duties of a I sor sore With regard to dropping the use of the title simply because it has been ignorantly ignorantly antly used it may be observed that such action would se seem m t to indicate vanity on 1 the p part rt of university professors It would indicate that the title had neither meaning nor use and that it had been given in the first place solely to gratify vanity This it itis is needless to say would f shew sho Y an utter misconception of the whole subject Z |