Saint Paul weekly Minnesotian. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1858-1859, 1859-03-26
German University Life.

UcE"un OukVCIDkSy AAlCs
The editor of the, Utica, N. Y Herald
now abroad-has written letter relating to
Professors and Students at the German Uni
versities. 1t is dated Heidelberg, Dec. 9Th,
1853. NJ 1ns o-1. 2g. .a2. -y.t sr1,g "a
-. lr DRINKING AND DUELLING. f.
Some of these German students are mar
vels of erudition. When we consider that
they spend at least one-third of their lives in
the beer house-that on an average they fight
twenty or thirty duels a year each--that
they divide the day between tramping over
the hills and lounging about the streets and
the night between knipping and sleep-one
wonders when they get time to study. And
vet there are no such bOOk-worms in the
world. Many of these lazy, halfloaferish
looking yagabonds you see about the streets
ogling h use-maids and singing snatches of
coarse songs, are prodigies of learning And
when we know more about German life and
German manners and German habits of
thought, our wonder in "a measure ceases
The truth is their whole life has been one of
systematic cramming. From the age of four
until the age of twenty, they hardly know
what it. is to-be a day out of school. First
there are the elements" together with French,
to be mastered then come Latin and Greek,
and the mathematics, occupying eight and
ten years of incessant study at their Gym
nasium ; and then finally to the Universe
ties. ..... ..
THE LOT OF A SCHOLAR. .
The Church, with it's skeptical congrega-
tons and its miserable subserviency to the
State, offers but barren field for the aspir-
ing. The profession of medicine is little bet
ter, in country where the extent of the fee
which the Doctor can claim is less than 20
cents, and where guldem (40 cents) is con-
sidered extravagant compensation for a 'vis-
it." ] have known men whose genius and
attainments would adorn the highest stations
almost begging their. daily bread - Uni
versity graduates, masters Of half dozen
languages, walking miles through the rain and
mud to give lessons at the rate of fifteen cents
each. 1 have known men who had made mu-
sic the study of their lives; compelled to per-
form in beer houses for twenty cents the
whole evening. have known clergymen of
the first attainments preaching the Gospel
to stupid Doors on salary that an Ameri-
can stage driver would reject with sneer of
disdain. .......
HOW PROFESSORS BEHAVE.
What would be thought of the grave and
faculty of Hamilton College ad-
jOurning after lectures to the beer-house with
a brilliant room attached Imagine my schol-
ary friend the Professor Of Greek" pitted
against my accomplished friend, the Profes-
sor of Rhetoric, at game of eucre, reliev-
ing the passes of the idals by swilling wine
and beer by the quart before the face and
eyes of astoniShed Freshmen And imagine
the late amiable President going off on spree
in company with the Professor of Chemistry,
and coming home in the small hours hiccup-
ping, ':Pm atioat, I'm afioat!" And yet moth
ing is thought Of such breach of profession
al gravity here. Go into the Saloon of the
Museum almost any evening, and you well
see the great guns of the University merry
making like vulgar mortals. Here, for in
stance, is Hauser, the most brilliant lecturer
on history in Germany, absorbed in billiards,
with the great Weber, who has published
half library. In the other end of the room
you may see Bunsen, the great chemist, play
ing either cards, chess, dominoes or checkers,
with the illustrious Rothe, while younger
Professors are waxing maudlin over indefinite
schoppens ofbeer. And yet the revel breeds
no scandal, and nobody looks astonished or
disgusted. a.- ."fc.
. GERMAN LECTURES.
You know of course all about the machin-
cry of German University, There are no
lectures. The student may
attend what lectures he pleases and ''slope''
as often as the spirit moves. Sometimes the
lectures are read from notes; more general
ly they are in part extemporaneous. Hauser,
for instance, who is the rage at Heidelberg
Just now, and who delivers two courses daily
for five months on stretch, never has scrap
of paper near him. The eccentrity of Pro
fessors is proverbial. Professor Pitt, for in
stance, who islecturing on the Gospels, COM
mences by taking his snuff-box out his pock-
ct, opening it, placing it on the desk directly
before him, cramming both nostrils full with
the nauseating stuff, a pinch between his
thumb and forefnger, and then bawling out
g Meine Herrn." AS he warns with his
subject, the thumb and finger make series
of dives into the snuff-box, and up to the
nose, until the lecturer becomes enveloped in
q cloud of dust. Bunsen, the distinguished
chemist, comes into the lecture room with
stump of cigar in his mouth, which he jerks
out as he commences to speak, and puts
back again the moment he has finished
While he is speaking, he walks rapidly up
and down the platform, like Polar Bear in
STUDENTS DUELS AND DOGS
1t is disgraceful to the German Universe
ties, and the German governments, that the
brutal practice of dueling is still permitted
1t is true, some feeble efforts have been made
to preventit, but, as n matter of fact, the
vice RACES rampant as ever. Hardly
a day passes, in which one or more duels do
not take place. To be sure, the results are
seldom fatal, yet hardly student who is a
member of the fighting fraternities, escapes
without being horribly disigured for life
one meets young fellows every day with faces
literally streaked with most ghastly scars
In some instances, a lip is hacked off, and not
very unfrequently nose. A few days, a
student had his right ear cut off. Such is ehiv-
airy
If had time, 1 might tell you some anu
sing stories about students dogs. You should
see them, the most diabolical, goggle-eyed,
sinister looking wretches, one ever laid eyes
on. They are generally about the size of a
year old bull, coarse and ill-bred, and have
rowdyish way of crowding one off the side
walk. They make themselves useful by going
errands, keeping house during their masters
absence, and keeping off Philistines during
knipe time. They are taught to drink beer
and get drunk as lords, for the edification of
their owners.
An Accusation and APOLOGY.