The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1896-05-29
AT SCHOOL IN GERMANY.
BERLIN May 10th,

BERLIN May 10th, 1896.
l have finally received from th'
Minister of Public Instructions per
mission tn attend the lectures which
have already been attending for some
time. lam quite relieved however, t.
have the formal approval of the au
thorities. Although Prof. Schmidt
and Prof. Meyer had assured me that
it would be all right to come to the
lectures it is bit uncanny to do things
without government permission in
Germany. The matter of entering
the University is made very easy now
for foreigners; for the German women
it is still somewhat difficult. l was
very much amused when l took my
letter ofpermission from the Minister
to the Rector of the University. In
the ante-room outside the Rector's
office l fou nd two German girls and a
little Russian on the same errand.
The German girls were so excited that
they could hardly address the "Herr
Rector" while the Russian girl and L
were as calm as if we were approach
ing clerk in a store. The German
girls had waited until they received
the Minister'S permission before 60
ing to the professors and didn't know
yet whether they would be admitted
to the classes. AS they both wanted
to become physicians it is somewhat
doubtful. In any case they have loss
several days of the term.
am so thankful every day that L
am an American girl. A young Ger
man woman who attended the Uni
versity told an American acquaint-
ance the other day that she would
probably have to give up the lectures
this term because her German friends
disapprOved so seriously. In Ger
man company where she was recently
the conversation turned on the ques-
tiOn of women attending the Univer-
sity. Everyone in the room but her.
self was against it. Finally she said
to we'll educated man: "What sort
of women do you want the Germans
to be? Don't you want them to be
clever and well educated?" And he
had the unspeakable brutality to an
swer; "No! Let them be contentedly
stupidw In my chance conversation
with young German women at the
University, and otherwheres the al
must universal remark is; Zach, you
Americans have so much courage"
They probably call this American
quality by a much less complimentary
name behind our backs.*
Ihave got entirely over my dread
of enteringa University lecture room
here. Fortunately Prof. Dunlap
hears two of the same men that L hear,
so he sits by me and gives me his
moral support. Anyway 1 wouldn't
mind. There are women in all the
lectures which 1 hear and the men
are evidently getting used to seeing
them around. For those who made
the first break last fall, however, it
must have been something terrible.* =
Perhaps you would be interested in
an account of what do all day on one
of my regular working days. get
up at seven, breakfast on oat meal, a
soft boiled egg, cold meat, rolls and
coffee. My first lecture is at ten so /
have time to work an hour on French.
At half past nine 1 start to the Uni
versity, walking through the Thier-
garten and Inter den Linden if it is
fine. l can make the distance in 80
minutes, walking fast. I.usually ar
rive several minutes too early as the
professors have what is known as the
academic quarter of an hour. Fifteen
or twenty minutes after ten Prof.
Meyer rushes in as if he had arrived
just at the stroke of ten, begins talk
ing almost before he gets his coat and
gloves off, and talks almost without
taking breath-at least without Civ
ing me time to take breath,-for three
quarters of an hour. He wears an
earnest, somewhat embarrassed ex-
preston, never locks at his auditors,
and begins his preparations for de-
parture before he finishes his lecture.
His course on German Lyrics" does
not seem to be excessively popular. |
Whether the fact that he is Jew has
to do with it or not 1 don't |
know. The lectures seem to me ex-
able.
At eleven go to Prof. Brandls lect-
ure room and eat my second break
fast" which have brought with me,
two sandwiches,-in company with
Prof Dunlap during the academic
quarter" Everybody eats everywhere
and anywhere in Berlin. On the
street, in the lecture room, in the mus
cum, appears the inevitable sand
wich which constitutes the Berlin