Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-04-03

OONDAI AfhlL o.
students in uniform belong to different col
lege corps Not all students belong to
corps; none join the corps except those who
enjoy fighting The corps students fight duels
with swords every week, one corps chal-
lenging smother corps to furnish a certain
number Of duellists for the occasion, and it
is only on this battlefield that students OF
different corps exchange courtesies In
common life they do not drink with each
other or speak. The above line now trans
lates itself: 'oThere. is truce during the
Commers; war is laid aside and fellowship
takes its place"
Good Imitation Of Thunder.
Now the performance began. The con-
cealed band played piece of martial music;
then there was a pause. The students on
the platform rose to their feet; the middle
one gave a toast to the Emperor, then all
the house rose, mugs in hand. At the call
Zone, two, three!" all glasses were drained
and then brought down with slam on the
tables in unison. The result was as good an
Imitation of thunder as have ever heard.
From now on, during an hour, there was
slnging in mighty chorus. During each
interval between songs number of the
special guests-the professors-arrived.
| There seemed to be some signal whereby the
students on the platform were made aware
| that professor had arrived at the remote
door OF entrance, for you would see them
suddenly rise to their feet, strike an erect
military attitude. then draw their swords;
the swords OF all their brethren standing
guard at the innumerable tables would
flash from the scabbards and be held aloft-
a handsome spectacle. Three clear bugle
notes would ring out, then all these swords
would come down with a crash, twice re-
peated, on the tables, and be uplifted and
held aloit again; then in the distance you
would see the gay uniforms and uplifted
swords of guard of honor clearing the way
and conducting the guest down to his place.
The songs were stirring, and the immense
outpour from young life and young lungs,
the crash of swords, and the thunder of the
beer mugs gradually worked body up to
what seemed the last possible summit of ex-
cltement. 1t surely seemed to me that
had reached that summit, that had reached
my limit, and that there was NO higher lift
devisable for me.
Mighty Tribute to Mommsen.
When apparently the last eminent guest
had long ago taken his place, again those
three bugle blasts rang out, and once more
the swords leaped from their scabbards.
Who might this late conner be? Nobody
was interested to inquire. Still, indolent
eyes were turned toward the distant en-
trance, and we saw the silken CLEAN end the
lifted swords of a guard of honor ploughing
through the remote crowds Then we saw
that end OF the house rising to its feet; saw
it rise abreast the advancing guard all along,
like wave. This supreme honor had been |
offered to no one before. Then there was an |
excited whisper at our table-"Mommsen"
and the whole house rose-rose and shout |
ed and stamped and clapped, and banged |
the beer mugs just simply storm! Then |
the little man with his long hair and Emer- |
sonlan face edged his way past us and took |
his seat. I could have touched him with |
my hand-Mommsen!-think of itt
This was one of those immense surprises |
that can happen only a few times in ones
life. was not dreaming of him: he was to |
me only giant myth, world-shadowing |
specter, not reality. The surprise of it |
all can be only comparable to mans sud- |
denly coming upon Mont Blanc, with its
awful form towering into the sky, when he |
didn't suspect he @as in the neighborhood |
would have walked great many miles to |
get sight of him, and here he was, without |
trouble or tramp or cost of any kind. Here |
modesty which made him look like other |
men. Here he was, carrying the Roman |
world and all the Caesars in his hospitable |
skull and doing it as easily as that other |
luminous vault, the skull Of the universe,
carries the milky way and the constella- |
tions.
Young Lady Meets the Historian. |
One of the professors said that once upon
a time an American young lady was intro |
duced to Mommsen, and found herself badly |
scared and speechless. She dreaded to see |
his mouth unclose, for she was expecting |
him to choose subject several miles be- |
yond her comprehension, and did not sup |
pose he could get down to the world that |
other people lived in; but when his remark |
came her terror disappeared.
well, how do you do? Have you read |
Howells' latest book? I think it's his |
best"
The active ceremonies of the evening !
closed with the speeches of welcome, deliy-
cred by two students, and the replies made !
by Profs Virchow and Helmholtz
Virchow has long been a member of the
city government in Berlin. He works as
hard for the city as does any other Berlin
alderman, and gets the same pay-nothing.
don't know that we in America could
venture to ask our most illustrious citizen
to serve on a board of aldermen, and if we
might venture it am not positively sure
hat we could elect him. But here the
municipal system is such that the best men
IN the city consider it an honor to serve
gratis as aldermen, and the people have the
good sense to prefer these men and to elect
hem year after year. As a result, Berlin is
| thoroughly well-governed city. 1t is
rec city; its affairs are not meddled with by |
he State; they are managed by its own citi-
,ens and after methods of their own devils.
ng. MARK TWAIN,
BERLIN, 1891.