Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1885-05-30
TfNDALEts EARLF EXPERIENCES.
Toll as Civil Engineer and Els Student
LITE IN GerZgLanY.

Toll as . Civil Engineer and Els Student
Life in Germany.
Last night, at the Birkbeck Institute,
Prof Tyndal delivered an address based
Oh the experiences Of his life. He said: 1t
might prevent some young Berb bccsians
from considering their fate especially hard,
or from being daunted, because from very
low level they had to climb a very steep
! bill, when l tell YOU that on quitting the
! Ordnance Survey in 1919, my salary was a
little under twenty Shillngs 4 week
| have often wondered since at The
amount OF genuine happiness which q
young fellow of regular habits. not caring
| for either pipe or mug, may extract even
| from pay like that Then came pause,
and after it the mad time Of the railway
mania, when | was able to turn to account
| the knowledge had gained upon the Ord
nance Survey. In Statfordshire. Cheshire,
! Lancashire, Durham and Yorkshire,
! more especially in the last [ was in the
| thick of the fray. II was q time of terrible
toll The days work in the field usually
| began and ended with the days light, while
! frequently in the Office, and more especially
| as the awful Both of NovembeV-tne latest
| date at which plans and sections of pro
! iected lines could be deposited al the Board
| of Trade-drew near there was little DIFF
| ference between day and night, every hour
! of the tWenty-foUr being absorbed il the
work OF preparation. Strong men were
! broken down by the strain and labor Of
| that arduOus time. Many pushed through,
and are still among rs in robust vigor but
some collapsed. while Others retired with
| large fortunes but with inteIiects so shat
| tered that. instead Of taking their places in
! The front rank Of English statesmen, as
| their abilities entitled them to do. they
| sought rest for thel: brains in the quiet
| lives Of country gentlemen.
! IN nay own modest sphere I Wei remem-
! her the refreshment | occasionally derived
| from five minutes sleep On deal table
| witt " Babbage and Callets Logarithms %
under my head for pillow. On a certain
! day, under grave penalties, certain levels
| had to be finished, aud this particular day
was agony to me. The atmosphere seemed
! filed with knocking demons, laughing at
/ the vanity Of my efforts to get the work
| done. My Ieyelng slaves were snapped
! and my thcOduiIte vas OverthroWn by the
/ storm. When things are at their worst
| kind of anger often takes the place of
! fear. Il vas so in the present instance. 7
/ pushed dO@gediy on, and Just at nightialI,
| when barely able to read the figures on my
! ieveIing staff, planted my last bench
mark" on a tombstone in H2worth church
/ Yard. Cl0se al hand WAS the vicarage of
/ Mr. Bronte where The genius was nursed
| which soon afterwaGd burst forth and IS
! tonshed the world.
! It was d time Of mad u1rest-0f down
| right mUn0manja. In private residences
! and public halls, in London reception
| rooms. in hotels and the stables Of hotels,
among gypsies and costermonSeis nothing
was spoken Of but the state OF the share
! market the prospects Of projected lines,
| the GOOD fortune OF the OStler or p0tboy
! who. by q lucky stroke Of business, had
| cleared Gl0,G00. High and low, rich and
| poor, Joined in the reckless game. During
nv professional connection with railways
endured three wetL5' misery. Ii was not
! defeated ambition; it vas not a rejected
! suit; il was not the baTdsbips endured in
either Office or field; but it was the posses
sion Of certain shares purchased in one Of
the lines then ahoat. The share list Of the
! dav proved the winding sheet OF my peace
Of mind I was haunted by the Stock Ex-
! change. I became ~ last so savage with
myself that | went TO my brokers and put
away, without gain or logs. the shares as
! an accused thing.
When railway worl; slack ened accepted
! in 1911, & post IS master IN QuconWOOd
| College HImpshice-an establishment
| which is still conducted with success by Il
! worthy Principal. At the time here re
! fcrred TO ] had energed, from some years
of hard labor. the fortunate p0sspsscr of
! 500 or 500. BY selling my services in
| the dearest marbe: during the railway mad
ness, the sum might, without diShGuor,
| nave been made q large one; but l respect
cd ties which existed prior to the time
| when offers became lavish and temptation
! strong. ! did not pat my money in a nap
! kin, bu- cherished the design Of spending
! j: at e German university. | had heard OF
| German science, while CariYie's reference
| to German philOs0F ny end literature caused
uc 10 regard them IS q Kind of revelation
! from the gods Accordingly in the au-
/ tumn OF 1915, FARMLAND and ] started for
! the land OF universities is Germany 3
/ Ottel called
/ Orr place Of study WIS the town Of Mar
| burg. in Hesse-C aSsai. and q very pct
urcsque town Marburg is. It chambers
pleasantly up the hjisides, and falls rs
pleasantly toward the Lain. On a May
/ day, when the orchards are in blossom, aud
! the Chcsuuts clothed with their heavy
! foliage Marburg is truly lovely. My study
| was warmed by large stove. ~ first i
! missed the CLEAN and sparkle from flame
ana cmber, bat | soon became accustomed
TO the obscure heat At g in the morning
| a small miich-brod and & cup OF tea were
! taken 90 me. The dinner hour was /, and
/ for the first wear or so ] dlucd al q hotel.
! In these days living was cheap in Marburg,
Dinner consisted Of several courses. roast
and boiled and finished up with sweets
/ and desserts The cost was q pound
! Il month, ar about eight pence per
! dinner. | usually limited myself to one
| course, using even that in moderation,
being already convinced that eating toe
, much was quite Us SINFUL and almost as
/ ruinous, as drinking too much. BY attend
I ing 10 such things | was able TO do work
without WEAKNESS for sixteen hours q day
! NV going to Germany had been opposed by
| some OF my friends as QuiX0tic, and my
life there might. perhaps, he not unfairly
thus described. ! did not work Tor money
WAS not even spurrcd by the last inilrni-
ity Of noble minds. / had been re4dlng
Fichte. and Emerson, and Carlyle, and had
been infected by the spirit of these great
men LeJ no one be persuaded than they
were not great men The Alpha and Omega
of their teaching was loyalty to duty
| Higher knowledge and greater strength
were within reach OF the man who unfiinch-
ingly enacted his best insight. 1t was no
bic doctrine. though it might sometimes
have inspired exhausting disciPlnes anc
: unrealized hopes.
At all events, 1t held me to my work
and in the long cold mornings OF the Ter
man winter, defended BY Schlairock
lined with catsl,in, | usually felt fresh
ness and strength Joy III mere iIvlns
and working, derived from perfect health
which was something different from The
malady of selt-righteousnoss. concen
trated my chief attention upon mathemat
les. physics and chemistry. Professor Steg
!, mann gave me the subject of my disserta