The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1886-09-15

how it was made no one knows. The
art is lost. The Hcidelbergers are as
fond OF their castle rs of their univer-
slty' and few years ago they founded
a society for its preservation, called
''Schlossvereln," or Castle Association.
Another attraction is the long bridge
across the Neckar river. Heidelberoers
are never tired of repeating that the
great Goethe said it was the most beau
tlful bridge in the world
The old university buildings are in
the geographical center of the town.
They front little square called Lud-
wigs platz. The oldest of the buildings
were built in 1712-15, to take the place
OF the Old structures which had been re-
moved. The buildings are OF stone,
and are high, square and homely. They
are absolutely without modern con-
venience. The universities in Bonn
and Berlin are palaces in comparison.
From the time of it's founding the
university flourished for nearly
three hundred years. 1t had
the finest library of any university
in Europe. The most expensive tones
were bulky parchments bound in costly
leather, velvet and silk, fastened with
long chains and locks to long desks in
the still existent galleries of the Church
OF the Holy Ghost, where, no doubt,
students, while mass was celebrating
below, stole up the winding stairways
on the outside of the church to study.
When the Reformation had swept over
Heidelberg University and left it a
Protestant institution the country was
overrun by Tilly's soldiers in the thirty
years war, and for twenty years no stu
dent matriculated and the university
had no rector, which is the Office of
highest academical dignity
The world-renowned library was sent
to Pope Gregory XIV. by the reigning
Bavarian prince, Duke Max, after Hell
delberg was destroyed. A part of the
ceremonies last week in Heidelberg was
the presentation by Papal ALLOCATE to
the rector, the Crown Prince of Baden,
of an exact catalogue of the precious
manuscripts once in the university libra
ry. but now in the Vatican library. The
university library has now over 100000
volumes, among them 5000 manu-
scripts.
The university has faculties OF theol-
ogy, law, medicine, philosophy and
science. 1t is only in the last ten years
that it has grown in the direction of the
natural sciences and medicine. The
professors and lecturers number 1870.
Over 1000 students matriculate every
year in the academic course.
| Like all German universities, Heidel-
berg accords great freedom to her STU
dents. The professors have their own
courts of law, called special courts, to
Sry offenders. In fact, the university,
i'm all save the gravest otfenses. is law
unto itself. This is an inheritance dat
ing from the very foundation of the
university. The country was overrun
by robbers, and, while Count Palatine
Ruprecht l. maintained two robber
bands, with headquarters near what is
| now the town of Spies, vet he decreed
that his students should not be modest
ed. Whatever any one did to offend his
neighbor, the faculty of the university
should consider and infict the punish
ment. Efforts to change this law have
proven unavailing 1t is SAID that the
noblemen who have the power to change
the laws will not do so, partly because
they have enjoyed the freedom from
outside restraint when they were them
selves students, and partly because their
sons are at the universities, and the gov
errors want> to have the boys have
good time while they are young. The
boys have not been heard to complain of
this way of looking at the question.
AS in other German universities, the
Heidelberg students are divided into
societies. There are two classes of
societies, the corps and the burschen-
schaften. TO the corps belong the sons
of high Government officials, and they
are conservative in tone; to the bur-
schenschaften belong the liberals who
are usually not so rich as the corps
members. and who, like the Irishman
that land at Castle garden, are "agin
the Government" on general prin-
ciples. Each corps is distinguished by
its colors. There are five colors at
Heidelberg: the Saxo-Borussia, whose
colors are blue, white and black; the
SucFld, Wuilc, SISOVs 1ilu DitISh, IiiS
Rhenania, blue, white and red; the
Westphalia, green, white, and black,
and the Vandalia, green, white, and
black. These colors are worn on rib
bon worn over the wastcoat and under
the outer garment and passing from
the right shoulder downward, diagonal
" across the breast to the left hip. The
coIors are also shown in 6ser¬en, or
beer-knots, worn like charm on the
watchchain. On their caps also is an
insignia of the corps. The students
official uniform on formal occasions is
a corevisia cap as it is called, shaped
like round, flat pie-pan. and worn tip.
ped over the right eye and
fastened in place by an elastic
under the chin-else it might
tumble off-schlaqer gloves, high top
boots, white leather brooches, and a
black velvet short-coat. In drinking
beer and dueling with schlager the
Heidelberg, like other German students,
takes keen delight. 1t has been the
practice of MANY great families to send
their sons to Heidelberg for two years,
and when they get toughened to trans
fer them to Bonn or Berlin.
The browning spectacle OF the jubilee
was the procession which marched two
miles along the Hauptstrasse, the Broad
way of the town. 1t placed before the
snectator the history of the last five