The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1883-06-24
Americans In Germany.

without adventuring In the satirical vein
OF M. Victor Tissot Or propounding any novel
or ingenious theories respecting tho mode OF
life and tho character OF the German people.
Mr.. HENRY RUoaLEs has made useful and In
parts an entertaining book. which. having In
view his unconventional method OF treatment.
he has appropriately enough called Germany
Seen Without Spectacies Charles T. Dillingham;
Mr.. Ruggles Is apparently q plain. unaffected
person. possessed OF only average aouuire-
ments. and without the faintest pretension to
figure as trained observer in tho sense in
which tho term is applied TO Mr.. Norbert
Spencer or to Prof. Freeman. whose opin-
ions Of foreign country. formed dur
ing brief sojourn. arc awaited with an
anxiety which. 1t must be owned is sometimes
out OF proportion to tho results. Mr.. Rugg,es
seems perfectly alive to the limitations OF his
own knowledge. and he Ia wary about going
beyond his depth; but no has keen oye for
the shortcomings Of others. and sly wav Of
exposing shams which. without betraying ran
cor. has piQuant effect. Perhaps the best
things in the book arc tho writer's shrewd
comments on tho silly performances Of many
Of his own countryfolk In Germany. Instead
therefore. OF drawing attention to some OF tho
superficial but characteristic and interesting
features Of German lfo here described. we
about the annual exodus Of American young
men and women with the professed object OF
studying at the universities or professional
and art schools OF Germany.
Note. for example. the sensible observations
Of Mr.. Ruggles on what he correctly enough
terms the farce Of American youth going
abroad to attend German universities. Not
one In fifty OF such woud-be students can
whom he arrives in GERMANY. read at sight
even such an easy book as Schiler's Thirty
Years War" unless no has happened to be
drilled In IL In the class room. Much less is he
conversant with the philosophical vocabulary
out OF whose materials. however. the diction
employed in university lectures will be largely
composed. But even in the rare and scarcely
conceivable instances In which the American
student had. before naturalization at Berlin or
G0ttingon. read Kant and Hegel in tho original
1t Is certain that months Of inccssant attention
and effort would elapse before he could under
stand fifty consecutive words OF what n lee
Juror was saying. For surely no one needs
to be reminded that it is one thing
to read language. and very
different thing to seize the meaning OF words
spoken in o hurried. formal. and unemphatic
manner. Now. absolutely tho whole benefit
derivable from German university must come
through tho lectures given by tho professors
tsalaried or unsnlaried) almost all OF whom are
accustomed to deliver tho written results OF
their Investigations In u quick, dry way on.
tirely devoid OF what they would think eocu-
tionary ciap-trap: and accordingly even Ger
man students have to pay the strictest heed In
order that they may elicit the full Significance
and value Of a lecturers utterance. II would
take. In fact. about three years to make the av-
erage American student sufficiently familiar
iuyfth GArn tn Mt la
upon professors lectures Of much profit to
him. and Of course 1t Is only for the sake OF
lectures that are not printed. but which must
either be heard or missed altogether. that O
young man crosses the Atlantic. When a
lecture has been printed we can import
1t through bookseller and read it In
tho United States. No doubt there are u
fow exceptions to tho rule here formulated.
where Woodworking men. after spending two
years or more in acquiring the German Ian
guase. and as much more time in severe ap-
plcation to q special branch Of science have
obtained academical honors. Rut tho great
majority of Americans who go through tho
form OF residing two or three years in German
universities do not even got q degree and
thore is reason to believe that many Of them
know but little more even OF the German Ian
guage at the end than at the beginning Of
thoir pretended student life. Mr.. Ruagles. in
deed. tells US Of one American undergraduate,
some thirty years OF age who had attended
medical lectures ut Heidelberg for over two
years. and who. II ono might Judge by his de-
meanor In the lecture room was particularly
edited by his precious opportunities. As o
matter OF fact. he was totally ignorant OF Ger
man. and when he wanted to buy a suit OF
clothes had to got fellow student to act as an
interpreter.
Equally judicious. in our opinion, are the
writer's remarks on the absurdity Of sending
young Americans. very imperfectly acquainted
with the German language. to finish their
medical educations in the schools and hospitals
OF Berlin or Vienna. II the object is to give the
young men recreation and to expand their
minds in II general way by foreign travel 1t
may be commendable enough. but 1t should be
frankly avowed; for professional purposes the
time and money spent by American medical
students In the great German capitals arc. for
the most part. thrown away. Tho same num-
Der OF years or months passed in close attend
ance upon the excellent hospitals and medical
schools which We now have in this country.
would prove OF far greater benefit to an Ameri-
can practitioner. 1t is quite possible to wit
ness In New York. Boston. or Philadelphia OK
pert surgical operations. learned and elaborate
dissections. and skilful treatment OF diseases:
anu hcio. iuoEooNor. tuo StuuenL can not only
see what his instructor Ia doing. but can under
stand every explanatory and monitory word.
Mr.. Ruggles spent some time at Stuttgart.
which. We scarcely need to say. is one OF the
great musical centres OF Germany. He does
not forget to administer a sharp. but well-de-
served rebuke to those foolish young Ameri-
cans who imagine that sojourn OF few
months In the capital OF W1rtemberg will
transform them into frst-rate musicians. It
appears that In tho Stuttgart Conservatory Of
Music there are over one hundred pupils from
the United Statcs, young men and women who
at homo were supposed to possess great mu-
steal talents already pretty we'll brought out.
and only needing brief application OF foreign
culture under eminent masters for the attain
ment OF ripe and splendid development. We
are told that the transatlantic candidates
for instruction In tho Stuttgart Conserva-
tory are at the outset ushered Into q
hall OF moderate size. wherein arc several
pianos. Here their first impulse IL to demon
strate their skill by some OF the performances
which excited admiration at homo. and to
u,hioh inlaAh THAR In a..