The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1884-01-10
4 SWISS UNIVERSITY.
The characteristics Which Distinguish
1t From American Institutions.
Special Correspondence National rribqne.

Special Correspondence National Tribune
ZURICH, Dee %, 1883.
spoke in my last letter of Zurich as a place
known to America as the refuge of those Amer
lean students who. because they are woncn.
are shut out of the only American colleges
which aspire 20 rank in standard with the Uni
versity of Zurich. But the admission OF women
is By no means the only feature of the Univer-
sity which distinguishes il from our own uni
versities, and description of its peculiarites
may be of interest.
| Chief among the characteristics which dis
! tinguish the University of Zurich from the
universities of America IS its standard, and
/ this the student finds confronting him at the
/ beginning Of his career. III the student IS a
! German or Swiss he must present his schein
| from the gymnasium This sehein" is not
/ degrce-the University gives degrees. ard de-
! grees have high and specific value; It is GER
! tifeate OF satisfactory work and final examina-
lions IN the government school. which occu-
/ pies in the German and Swiss systems the posi-
ton which the high school occupies in Amer
lea. but which, in the matter of instruction, IS
| the equivalent OF the American college Of good
rank. If the student is an American, his
! collegiate degree performs the service for
him which the gymnasium "schein" performs
for the German or Swiss That is to say, the
University of Zurich begins where the Ameri-
can college and-with one or two exceptions
| the American university stops. It's firse-year
work IS the equivalent Of American post-grad-
| uate work
This higher standard Of the University of
| Zurich is. of course, explained by the differ
ence Of its aims. The professional man in Ger
many and in Switzerland is a university man;
he cannot be anything else: the professions
are barred to all others. But the natural result
of this regulation IS, that the university leads
directly 10 profession. 1t s Is iHconceivable
in Germany or Switzerland that q man should
enter profession without his university de-
gree as 1t is that university should exist
| without ing students for the professions.
| At Cornell University students spend four
years IN laying q general foundation; then
they 60 TO a professional school for law theol-
ogy, or medicine; but in Germany aud in
| Switzerland, the general foundation is laid in
tie gymnasium, and tho university is IN itself
an assemhlage of professional schools, and it is
nothing else. The faculties cover law. medi-
cine, theology, philosophy, and each sends its
students out into the world with the fullest
| equipment which training in the present state
OF civilization can give, before these students
are permitted to take any of the weighty con-
cerns OF life into their eager hands,
a Go-As-YoU-PLEAsE SYSTEM
The question of standard having been met,
and the students German or Sggiss sehein, or
next difference which eoafTonts him is the
.dearth Of classes, classmates and class feeling.
There IS no four years course, no freshman,
sophomore, junior and senior divisions; all the
students are students until they receive their
degrees; and, except In so far as they are di-
vided by the nature of their work into nedi-
cal, theological, philosophical aud legal stu
dents, they are not divided at all. The newly
matrieulated student calls upon the deacon OF
his faculty and asks advice IS 70 thee0urses of
lectures which he shall hear, or be asks an old
student, or he guesses what subjects il IS well
to take first. All that is required Of him is,
that lie shall pay for eight hours OF lectures a
week, and that he shall present himself once IN
each course CT lectures. so that the professor
may sign a card to the effect that the student
is enrolled. This done, ne need never appear
in the lecture-room again, if he pre- ers 20 pre-
pare for his examination In any other way.
There are no reeitations, no term examina-
tons, no registrations of daily attendance, no
supervision. But there Is one dread threat
hanging over him from the day Of matrieula-
ton to the day of receiving the de@ree-the
threat of the final examination. For the
American. whose previous experience has been
OF ciass-wOTk and frequent examinations the
German absence of machinery Is not wholly
pleasant, and the loss Of that companionship
which comes of division into classes is keeniy
felt and not quickly overcome There is No
PsSSAoiS eSDfse ur to4iSs AoI There ID L0C 4Ccct
possible association among students as class
mates.
The absence of machinery and of supervision
is felt in every relation of student life There
are, OF course, no doFmitories. and the students
make what arrangements they cho0Se for Iiv-
ing IN the town, whence some herd together.
some arrange for having room and morning
coffee in quiet house. and provide themselves
with subscription dinners in common III a
pension others dine ia restaurants. and some
lew are their own COOKS and buffers. For
Americans the best arrangement is that by
which single student is taken into q German
family. Thus student gets good German
speedily, and distant imitation Of home CON-
forts. In any case the university has TO fur
Their interest in his dwelling than that it re-
quire5 him 70 register name and address once
IN each term.
THE FINAL ORDEAL.
So far does the absence of supervision extend
that students may go 10 half dozen UNIVERSE
ties in turn il they choose, and nlay apply to
any one for the final examination and degree.
all the stress of every university being laid
upon the single final erieal. There is not
even specified length Of student-life. When
his inner consciousness moves him to apply for
the examination the student applies and
takes the consequences. The university has
no interest in his passing or Rot passing. and
gives hIm no clue and no spur. A student
VINO spent seven years Ia getting the medical
degree is not mentioned with scogn; to go in.
after a short time, aud take medical exami-
nation IS not to win respect There is gem
eral tendency to take as much time as circum-
stances permit, and make as good an examine
tion as possible There is certainly no incentive,
except poverty, which urges towards shortening
university life.
So much for the general peeuliarities of Ger
man universities. There are also certain specific
little differences between the classroom life Of
the American and the German students Here
in Zurich there are certain fornalities, some OF
which are very pleasant. For instance. when the
lecturer arrives at fifteen minutes after the hour
1.-THE first aeademical quarter being always
left free, he finds the class seated and waiting
for hin. The silence of the following three
quarters is broken only by the lecturers voice,
the sharp scratching of pens, and an occasional
cough. But when the town clock strikes the
hour the building is filed with great ringing
of electric bells. the lecturer finishes his SEN
tence, closes his book OF manuscripts without
any finishing remarks and without bow or
any further ceremony, picks up his hat and
leaves the room. Meanwhile wristbands are
closed and books are picked up, but no one
speaks or rises until the lecturers footsteps