The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1892-08-12

ment In the University Of st, Petersburg
There are PROFESSIONAL chairs for the fol-
lowing languages: Arabic. Persian. Turk
isb. and Tatar dialects. Mongol and Kali
muck. Chinese, Hebrew, Armenian. CRU
sinian. Manchu. Puehtu. Tibctan. ana san.
skirt. The professional has been composed
not only OF Russian aud German senoiars'
but also Of native Orientaln OF high literary
reputation. The names OF many OF the
members are known to orientaiists
throughout the world.
Eighty years ago strong inducements
had to DO held out to young men TO get
them to enter the Russian universities.
Now the claes rooms are packed 10
a degree Injurious to health. In Char
kov University In 1890 the lecture
halls we're entirely inadequate TO the
thronRs Of students. The professor OF
physics had three hundred students. al
though he had only room for sixty. and the
professor OF chemistry, who had only seats
for seventy. had two hundred and seventy
applications for permission to study under
him. In the five chief universities there
are now over nine thousand students.
Thus St. Petersburg In 1891 had 2,cs7;
Moscow, the year before. 3.47S. while In
1889 Kiey. Warsaw, and Kazan had re-
spectively 8,OSs. l.l51. and 7S5. From ma
terial point OF view tho situation OF the
great majority OF Russian students Is not
enyiable. By far the larger proper
ton OF them are sons OF officers whose pay
is small and whose life is a continuous
struggle against want: about one-third
are children Of merchants and shopkeepers.
% &koueond in CT patarchnrp md
Kiev ninety belong to the peasant class.
The Jews are limited to five per cent. OF
tho total number. It appears that the
minimum sum required for the maintenance
OF q student at q Russian university is 975
roubies. Assuming for the moment that a
rouble Is worth fifty cents In gold. this
would be equivalent to Sls7.5o. Three or
four students often occupy the same room.
each paying one and half roubles per
month for his corner. Cases have been
known where students have had only five
cents day to buy food. OF course. under
such circumstances. the purchase OF books
is impossible. According to the Scottish
Rerie,c. however. q great deal OF credit Is
| due to the Government for the assistance
| 1t affords. In 1877 no less than eighty-two
per cent. OF the students were In one form
or another aided by the State. In the &C.
| counts Of the University OF Moscow for
1891, the sum Of l3o. 900 roubles is credited to
stipendia or exhibitions. varying from 200
| to 600 roubles a year. and distributed
among upward OF four hundred students.
Moreover. between six and seven hun
dred students had their fees remit.
| ted. In kiev. also. about third
Of the whole number were excused
from the payment Of fees. With such facts
before US. it cannot be alleged that the ma.
terial welfare OF the undergraduates OF
Russian universities is neglected by the
| Gar. On the other hand. we should not
omit to mark great deficiency in the Rus.
sian University. viz. the absence Of any
clubs. such as are found in Germany. where
opportunities might be given to the stu
dents for meeting together in social way
and where esprit de corps might be fostered
The Russian Government, fearful OF plots
has always discountenanced any such feel.
ing on the part Of students. and has invaria
bly, rejected petitions to tolerate under
graduate clubs. At present the university
Is little more to the Russian than a series
Of lecture halls. which he enters three OIL
four times day to spend an hour or two II
them. and. what makes his college life still
less attractive. there Is apt to exist between
professor and student an antagonism which
at times goes the length Of hatred.
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