The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1886-08-21
VENERABLE HEIDELBERG.
The Earliest Days of Seat of Learning
Established in 1885

Established in 1885,
Although no stately buildings, even
in ruin, exist to speak to us from those
early years of Heidelberg's rising glory
there happily remains one monument
still enjoying full vigor, and celebrat-
ing this present summer of 1886, the
five hundredth anniversary of its foun-
dation by Conrad's descendant, the
Count Palatine Ruprecht l. This is
the university, hoary, but gifted with
eternal youth. Hardly black enough
could be painted the picture of the
moral and mental needs of the time, in
all western Europe, preceding the
birth OF the first universities, of which
that OF Heidelberg was among the ear
lest. Ruprecht's long life
had been filled with futile wars and
conflicts, but the old warrior easily
foresaw the advantages his land would
derive from this more enduring work,
and although he wrote with marked
humility: Il understand only my
mother tongue; am untaught and ig-
norant of all learning" still he did his
university. He gave strict command
that no violence should be done the
students in travelling to and from Hell
delberg, great boon in those lawless
days. Besides, he made the institu-
| ton absolutely free to pass judy
ment upon and punish its own MEM
bers and declared it to be in no way
| subject to civil authority, a right
which German universities have, to a
great extent, preserved to the present
day. A rich dowry in lands and other
sources of Income was given to the
university. The university had four
faculties, which conferred the different
degrees of bachelor, master and licen-
tiate, and on October IS, 1886, it was
solemnly opened with mass attended
! by all the students. The first rector
was Marsilius Won Inghen from Paris,
where Ruprecht had found the pattern
for all that had concerned his new
| institution, even to the fashion of dress
to be worn by the professors. The
very hours were fixed when the learned
men called from afaI should hold forth,
but they were forbidden to fill up the
whole time with SIMPLIFYING dictation,
some chance being thus wisely afforded
for the breath of free academic life.
While inheriting a developed organ
ization like that of the church, as well
as its affection for ranks and degrees,
far greater simplicity and limitations
ruled in the university in all that con-
cerned material needs. The professors
were satisfied with from one to eight
groschen (about 29-20 cents) for each
course of lectures, according to its
length, and the disputations paid three
gulden (31.50) annually, a sufficiently
large sum for those days. Fifty gull
den year (S25.00) was fine
salary, but for travelling three months
in Italy on university business a profess
sor received only an additional thirty
nine gulden (S195O, modest sum in
deed, according to our modern ideas,
even on the basis that money had
twenty times its present value. For
the prosperity of the institution a
library was most essential. But while,
in our day, private man may have his
thousands of books, priceless store
house of knowledge, in Ruprecht's time
library of sixty volumes was considered
very large, in fact, well-nigh inexhaust-
IDLE As, before the invention of
printing, the store of learning was
confined to rare and perishable manu-
scripts, on each of which small for
tune was expended, Ruprecht felt the
Importance of protecting dealers in
manuscripts, paper and parchment,
and so he granted them the same privi-
leges that he had given to the university
itself. How strange contrast to his
course in these matters, and how vivid
picture of those wild days, was the
position taken by this Prince with re-
gard to the robberies then prevalent on
the highway! In these he shared
openly, for he kept active two fortified
robbers nests, not far from Speier, on
on the great road to Worms, and, as
the merchants passing to and from the
far East, with costly wares, neared the
forest, they were fallen upon and their
goods seized to replenish the Princes
treasury Century Magazine.