THE HESPERIAN.
5
judgment in the matter. As there were only nine divisions,
it followed tint but pine men hnd work assigned to tliem,
what the others were to do was not yet apparent.
During the next ton days I visited the seminar rooms regu
larly, and watehed the students at work. The most regular
visitors were men not engaged in seminar work proper; they
gave all their time to the, preparation of the thesis that must
he presented and accepted before the candidate can go up for
the oxaininatioivji. Of the nine men who had had topics
assigned to tho'in, those were present the most frequently
whose work must be presented in the near future, those hav
ing the most of tlie semester before them took life very easy
and appeared very seldom in the rooms.
At about four in the afternoon, they began to drop in, and
at sis the room presented a lively scene, perhaps one man
slipped in for a moment to get a note book iyjom his drawer,
to glance over the book-reviews and whisper il few words to a
friend, and then with a "jVailzeit " or "GV.V AW," deliv
ered over his shoulder in a general manner, went out, some
times this was answered, sometimes it was no('. Very seldom
did ,1 find any one in the rooms during the forenoon, never
more than one or two, and these were almost invariably the
advanced students. On Saturday afternoon and in the holi
days, the apartments were quite deserted.
If I were to characterize in a single sentence the tnanuei of
work, I should say that it consisted, for the most part, in con
sulting authorities and in copying judiciously portions of the
text. This applies both to men who are preparing a thesis,
and those working up a seminar topic, the latter do little more
than this, while the former must proceed to the second and
more difficult part of the task, the construction of a true and
well-balanced essay from the material collected. The indis
pensable thing witli both is to make use o'f original documents
or reliable reprints.
"Do German students apply themselves more closely than
American students?" Not a particle! Some very erroneous
ideas prevail on our side of the Atlantic in regard to this mat
ter: every (ierman student must be a model of industry.
Nothing of the kind, the young men here are like all young
men thu world over, and consist of good, bad, and indifferent.
The members of the historical seminar are supposed to belong
to thu best class of students; they are drawn from a body of
more than 3,000 men, and yet, I venture to say that 1 could
match litem, man for man, in one of our smaller colleges.
TiMidicr In (icrmuuy,
The place which the teacher has made for himself in the
educational system of Germany is certainly most impressive.
This place of responsibility and influence is not newly acquired.
It is an inheritance from the past; a transmission of powers
won by the courage, e.d and intellectual strength of the
teachers 01 three centuries.
Beginning with the reformation the time front which the
present school system of Germany dates -flic teacher has filled
a prominent place in all educational reforms. Witness the
work of Luther, Erasmus and Melancthon, of Trot.endorf,
Wolf, Sturm, and a host of others, not only in promulgating
new philosophies and methods of teaching, but in putting into
practice new courses of study, in calling out for education the
active interest of princes and people, and, whenever it was
necessary, in shaping legislation relating to education both
high and low.
With such a past history, we hope the present attempt of
the emperor to transfer the management of all educational
matters from the state to the ecclesiastical bodies sill not
receive the consent of the Diet. May the leading educators
remain faithful to the people. May they control public opin
ion to such an extent that the emperor, fo? policy if for no
higher motive, will find himself obliged to withdraw his rec
ommendations. I.ltui'iiry Not!H.
A customer came into a store one Jay and asked for
"Browning on Rats." The clerk was staggered, but another
clerk, who knew the customer, suggested the "Pied Piper."
It was right. Later this same custodier asked another for
Crawford's "My Cigar," ("A Cigarette Maker's Romance.")
Pope received $25,000 for ins version of Homer. Hut the
prize winner in a competition opened by the proprietors of a
half penny journal in England has just been paid 5,000 for
five lines of verse composing the poem which was adjudged
the best. This is at the rate of Si, 000 a line, and, say $100
a word, making this the uuM-eostly poem on record. The
Writer. J j
" I hings Japanese, .Unique and invaluable pocket ency
clopedia of Jaua,-hiwl,"eon re-issued in a second edition with
a soonFofinore of new titles and many uldilions and revisions,
n the list of books on Japan, the accomplished critic and
author, Professor Basil Hall Chamberlain, places "The Mika
do's Empire" (now in its seventh edition) second; an! Miss
Alice Bacon's "Japanese Girls and Women" as third in value.
Both these books are by American authors. Literary World.
The book entitled "The History of David Grieve" is creat
ing a good deal of interest and curiosity at present. This curi
osity is the result of the fame its author gained from her book
"Robert Elsmere," which was so thoroughly discussed bv
readers of all classes and especially theologians. The author
of these two books, Mrs. Humphrey Ward, is the grand
daughter of Dr. Arnold of Rugby. She and her husband, a
man of means and cultivation, reside in a spacious house in
Russell square. Her last work, "The History of D.nid
Grieve," is selling so well that the editors have concluded to
issue a second edition immediately.
The Temple Bar tells a nice little anecdote illustrating the
courtesy of the great poet, Robert Browning. On one occa
sion, so the story goes, Mr, Browning's sun had hired a room
in a neighboring house in which to exhibit some pictures. One
day, during the absence of the artist, the poet was receiving' a
number of fashionable friends; and, whiL standing near the
door an unannounced visitor appeared. Mr. Browning shook
hands with her, when she exclaimed: "Oh, I beg your pardon,
but please, sir, I am the cook. Mr. Barret asked me to come
and see his pictures." "And I am very glad to see you," said
Mr. Browning in his usual courteous manner. "Take my arm
and I will show you around,"
EXCIANGi.
The Illinois Wesleyan University, has admitted the students
of the junior law class into the oratorical contest.
The University ot Virginia has decided on the location of
its $25,000 gymnasium. The studeins seem to be pleased with
the new site and wish the gymnasium completed.
The Union Signal has changed hands. The now editorial
corps is headed by Miss I'Yancis E.Willard. This in itself will
be enough to guarantee that the paper willtbo better than evor
before.
A congress has been established at Leland Stanford. The
University of Pennsylvania lias a congress with forty junior
in the. House and twenty seniors in the Senate. Why not let
the University of Nebraska have a congress? We need it. It
will be the greatest parlimentary educator in the state.
