Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1907-07-10

mast year and from letter which ne
las written home the Journal is glad
10 publish the following extract re-
sarding interesting student customs
there.
Anyone who has visited Germany,
has seen the colOred caps OF the.
students, or at least of the schoolboSS.
ana anyone who has spent some
months in !, university town, may
have seen tho corporations assembled
in full reSalia. For such Il one, my
poor description will have no interest
For those who have never seen TINS
phase of German student life, l Will
try to uotline the bismarck celebration
of the student corporations at Bonn
First of all, l would try to explain
briefly the natur" of these societies.
They are of various classes, the kOrps
are the most ariStocratic, then the
MISREPRESENTATION, the Vcrbindungcn
and Vercine. The latter correspond
to clubs at an American college and
include. musical, gymnastic. literary
and scientific clubs. The others cor
respond roughly to our fraternitles
There is almost no intercourse be-
tween members of two Corps.
MISREPRESENTATION, etc, and none
whatsoever between Corps and a
Burschenschaft. save on stated oc-
casions Each body is world of its
own, and, leaving the Nereine out OF
our discussion, each holds its meetings
regularly and claims most of the time
and energy of its members during the
| first two years at the University.
A member of Il Corps or BurSchen-
| schaft wears during the semester, the
cap and ribbon of his society, and
| when one visits Bonn he will see red
caps, white caps. palegreen caps, dark
| green caps, and so on. If he visits a
corporation at its home he finds the
men wearing besides the cap and
ribbon, the distinctive jacket of the
society, usually Of the same color as
the cap. Should it be a special oc-
casion he will see the four officers in
rcgalia. i. Q. with special round caps
| embroidered in gold or silver. or with
velvet bOnnets with plumes dyed with
the society colors, with broad sash
of the cOlors over the shoulder, with
swords, white trousers riding boots
and spurs. This thea is the costume
which we shall see at the Bismarck
| celebration.
In Bonn large part of the students
are Catholic and they have their
corporations, nearly as numerous as
those of the Protestants, but there is
no intercourse between the two
parties, and the Catholics arc not al
lowed any part in the otherwise
general celebration which l will now
| try to picture.
This year the evening of June list
was most beautiful, the moon had just
| pa ssed the first quarter. and when the
| societies began to gather in the old
Palace garden at nine o'clock. it was
not yet dark. BY threes and skies the
| men came from all quarters. and soon
| the officers began to appear in
| carriages with the banners. For this
evening there is absolute peace among
them all, ana none dare offer ofiiense
| to another
A cart full of torches came promptly
and each member was soon provided,
servants and boys carrying an extra
supply. Three officers We're at the
head of each corporation, one with the
banner, the others with drawn swords,
the fourth officer of each corps Oc-
cupied a carriage in the van, and was
accompanied by torchbearers. Twenty
five banners We're there, and as the
men marched two by two. the whole
procession was over quarter OF a
mile long.
1t grew dark and when at half past
nine the two bands struck up a march
and the whole body began to move
down the CoblenZerstrasse, the effect
was wonderful. For a mile the walks
We're lined with people and throng
followed the line of march which led
to the Rismark saulc three miles up
the Rhine.
Once out Of the city. we saw n fire
which I at once thought to he near the
Saule. hut so deceiving was it, that at
times | half believed it to be on the
hills across the Rhine. Only when we
We're nearly there. did I see that it
was on the Saule itself. Some twenty
feet in the air they had built a fire
of several cords of wood.
The road to the Saaule turns twice,
and there again l watched the long
line of torches approaching. Gathered
about the "Saulc" the students sang,
then two speeches were delivered. and
al
stanZa of ''Deutschland Deutschland
uber allies"
The procession returned to Bonn
along the river bank ana to one look
ing back along the road it seemed
almost endless. and when it reached
the double row Of low. plattopped
Lindcns by the town il was wonder
fully picturesque.
Like all things human this too had
an end. and the end was perhaps the
MOST striking feature Marching to
rhe market, a hollow Square was
formed and with waving torches they
sang four StanZaS of "Gaudeamus
lgitur." (No. LAC. and - At the last
stanza "Percat tristitia. pereant
osores" the air was filled with torches
and as the song ended the market
seemed to he a lake of fire.
The clock struck 11.45, the crowd
began t" melt away and the students
set off for their meeting places to talk
it over. A fireman soon extinguished
the blazing torches, and the poor
carried home many an armful of
kindlinE. 1t was over. I had seen it
I'll, and went home fO talk II ovo,, ,,-;tI,