Читать книгу The Student-Life of Germany - William Howitt - Страница 8

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The word freedom sounds so sweetly that we could not be without it, even did it indicate errors--Goethe's Leben Wahrheit und Dichtung.

"Free is the Bursch!" exclaims a beautiful student-song--a song beaten so threadbare with continual singing, that now we seldom bear it sung by the student himself. And true is the cry; or tell me who is freer than he? Where see we the idea of freedom so beautifully realized as in the German student-life? He who has learnt to know this life, may even doubt the truth of that otherwise so true expression of Schiller's--

Freedom is only in the realm of dreams.

The life of the university is an admirable school, which brings the young man quickly to a sense of self-dependence, which in a few years brings him to manly knowledge, and builds him up to a fitness for intercourse with other men. The freedom which the student enjoys in a high degree, is truly a strong touchstone,--a dangerous rock, on which many a one splits,--but it is the only ground on which genuine knowledge can attain its noblest bloom. Suddenly liberated from the fetters of school, from the strict oversight of parents, steps the young man into this life. He is distant from the friends who, as it were, shaped his early being,--from his nearest relatives. His whole life's plan must be now fashioned after his own judgment; he may enjoy his pleasures with a freer, choice, and pursue his studies in a great measure according to his own discretion. He stands free to choose his friends from his numerous fellows; and it is only by his own qualities and endowments, that he can convert them into friends. When entering on this new scene of life, may he never forget the words of Goethe--

No single thing can suit itself to all.

Let each look to his ways,

Where he goes, and where he stays;

And he that stands, take heed he do not fall.

There is a prejudice which yet prevails abroad, that the student, especially the foreigner, is exposed to many unpleasantnesses through the necessary intercourse with his companions; the obligation to take part in their customs and amusements, which are often denounced as sufficiently rough and barbarous. This prejudice is totally groundless, at least in the present times. The necessity of intercourse, the compulsion, have no existence whatever. On the contrary, every one lets another act as he likes, and troubles himself no further about him, than as his society may be desirable to the individual himself. It is perfectly at the option of the new comer whether he will isolate himself, or in what society he will live; whether he will participate to a certain degree in the student life, or even enter into one of their Chores. If he seeks not the society of the students, he is perfectly secure not to be sought after himself. Nor let any one, especially the foreigner, imagine that he may claim distinction on account of his wealth, or his high birth; or that he may expect from his university acquaintance particular homage on that account; thereby would he certainly expose himself to ridicule and annoyances. Nobility holds in Germany no longer such absurd estimation; few Germans seek a man's acquaintance exclusively on account of its possession, and those few are despised. This is a necessary consequence of the constitutional structure of our German states; and hence are the Germans freer than the English, who pride themselves so much on their political liberty, and yet are such slaves to the nobility. This singularity of the English often becomes very ludicrously conspicuous in constitutional Baden, to whose cities they so numerously resort; and the students of Heidelberg have often made themselves merry over it, especially when the English families in a neighbouring city have, each term, picked out the address calendar of the university--a list of the students published each half year--those names which had any mark of nobility about them, and invited these elite to their entertainments. If this is a prominent feeling throughout Germany, it is in the universities, at least in the majority of them, the ruling one; and to make clear what I have here said, I may quote the following words of Lichtenberg. "An equality like that of the French people, exists amongst the students of the universities. The poorest thinks himself as good as the Graf, and stoops not to him, though he freely leaves him to enjoy any advantages that he may possess. Should he set up haughty pretensions, that were the way effectually to ensure a denial of any claim. They are only proud assumptions, that are intolerable to the free man; for the rest, he is thoroughly disposed to allow to him every distinction that he deserves, and what these distinctions are, he has generally correct means of determining."

The academical freedom is a possession dear to the student. He has defended it with zeal from the ancient times; and a conceived encroachment upon his privileges has often occasioned general risings of the whole student body against the infringing power, which though they may not be wholly commendable as excesses, were always highly remarkable, and indicate vividly the spirit of student life. We allude to the marching forth from the university cities, and the denunciations which the students have sometimes pronounced, as a severe bann upon them. But of this more anon. This freedom has the most beneficial influence on the prosecution of the study, and the manifold accomplishments of the students. This has become perceived and acknowledged by the greatest men; and it has made itself conspicuous that exactly in those colleges which enjoy the highest degree of freedom, amongst which Heidelberg is numbered, there also prevails the most active pursuit of every academical advantage. This free associate-life of the students has, moreover, the most decided influence on the general cultivation of mind and manners. Flowing from different countries, these diverse elements meet in the most varied points of contact, and mutually impart their experience and their customs. The author of the article on Heidelberg in the Halle Year-Book, speaks of Heidelberg in this respect, thus:--

The variety of nationalities which meet in Heidelberg give an intellectual activity to the associate-life of that student-world; and preserve it, at least, from the eternal monotony of fixed conventional forms, stale jests, fade word-wit, and bookworm pedantry. The happy-spirited, practical, intelligent Palatine; the simple, honest Swabian, who has seen only the world which lies between his own mountains, but with his sound, clear intellect, penetrates through every thing; the open Rhinelander; the pithy Hessian; the polite, socially-accomplished, well-bred, reserved North-German; and the grave, self-confident Hanseat;--each brings a different style of accomplishments, a different view of life, different experience;--each race maintains its own natural character, without withdrawing itself, however, from the impressions of the other nationalities, and the equipoising influence of the common elements of their confluent existence. Add to these, the numerous foreigners--Swiss, French, Belgian, English, Spanish, who soon find themselves disposed to attach themselves in preference to one of the German races, and ready, through the common medium of social life, to receive somewhat from all, and give to all somewhat, as it may happen. And herewith is connected this important consideration, that these foreign frequenters of the university of Heidelberg are almost wholly connected by birth with the higher classes of society, and are impelled by their professional views towards the interests and the movements of social life. They all bring thither cultivated mind, and a broad grasp of observation of life and manners; for the increase of which, neither internal impulse nor external means are wanting. It is indispensable to good ton amongst the students of Heidelberg, more or less to have travelled. The vicinity of the Rhine, of France, of Switzerland, excite to still further excursions, for which the vacation affords a favourable opportunity; and those thus returning from distant regions, from Paris, from the Alps, or from the sea, bring with them new and very varied impressions,--whose communication, exchange, and turning to account, again for a long time fill up and refresh the intellectual life, not only of the individual, but of the meetings of the national Chores, the associations formed from the general body of the students.

He who would dispute the great advantages derived directly from the social life of the students--to which belong not only different nations, but different faculties, especially in rapidly developing the intellect--would deny the advantages of social life altogether; but wo to the man who is disposed to act upon such a notion, and lead an eremitical life in accordance with it; such one-sidedness of judgment must inflict upon him the severest penalty. The necessity for social union has always been the more sensibly felt, since countrymen and friends who pursue different studies, are thereby much separated from each other. The division into such unions, according to nations and landsmanships, was the dictate of nature herself. Their existence was acknowledged by the state, and honoured by it as a very ancient arrangement. Out of these combinations sprung, about the end of the sixteenth, and beginning of the seventeenth century, the so-called Orders. When at length their aim began to appear not wholly pure, they met with government opposition; and in their place again stood forth the landsmanschafts, similar to the early national divisions, but so far different, that to the landsmanschafts belonged not only the students who were actually natives of the country whose name the union bore, but all who chose to enter the same, and submit themselves to its regulations, were received by it. All these landsmanschafts from 1815, amalgamated themselves into one common Burschenschaft; till the bloody act of Sand, in 1819, drew the attention of government upon that union, and became the occasion that the greater number of persons withdrew from the burschenschaft, and again resolved themselves into particular landsmanschafts; or, declining to belong to extensive unions, lived politically isolated. Those societies which had in the course of time assumed so many different forms, now began to frame their own laws, and to choose their own leaders. The members of each association had their peculiar badge of distinction, others wore their colours; and in the very nature of things, the constitution of such unions became more elaborate; their regulations increased in number; and ceremonies, in order to give to the whole exterior pomp and circumstance, could not be long wanting. The rulers of an earlier age saw with approval that the studentships showed themselves in the greatest possible splendour on public and solemn occasions; and the services which in times of war the student youth rendered to the state, increased their consideration. In those days, the carrying of weapons was conditionally permitted. So is it declared in an early ordinance published at Heidelberg:--"But it is expressly forbidden at evening, and after the tolling of the bell which calls the night-watch to their duty, to go about the city with arms." To which is added the menace, "that if any one dares to transgress this regulation, neither the rector nor the high school shall be allowed to liberate or to defend him."

The people, on all occasions, have delighted especially in investing public acts with pageantry; as for instance, in the conferring of the doctoral degree. This was attended with great ceremony, and without sparing of cost. The costume of professors and directors was a peculiar one; and the latter even in recent years, in many of the High Schools, were expected to appear in black silk stockings, short breeches, a two-pointed hat, and a sword by the side. We see a remains of this ceremonial yet in the public solemnities of the universities, as in Heidelberg, on the birthday of the Grand Duke. On this occasion a procession, composed of the academical professors and of a deputation from the students, proceeds from the hall of the universities to a public solemn service in the church, and afterwards concludes the festival by a dinner.

But to return to the unions. Thus were these sanctioned by the state, and their rules acknowledged by it. This relation betwixt them and the state yet continues in Bavaria, where the Chores are bound to join themselves to the public processions in foil costume, in order to enhance their splendour. We have alluded to the original division of these into natural landsmanschafts; to their combination into one burschenschaft, or burschenship; but in all these, recent times have produced a great change. The greater part of the German governments have strictly prohibited the existence of any unions whatever, bear what name they may. The ground of this prohibition we will inquire more nearly into in another place. We will not here inquire whether the teachers of the universities were at all secretly concerned or concurrent in this measure; whether it be possible, at once, to extirpate, trunk and stalk, these unions, which are as fast rooted as the duel itself. We will not ask whether these unions do not yet continue to exist in secret; and whether in Heidelberg, with whose students we are seeking in these pages more particularly to make ourselves acquainted, this possibly be still the case. But, as in other universities, they actually do yet exist, and as it is so recently that they have been generally forbidden, we will, for once, regard them as existing, and notice more particularly their constitution.

This constitution is become by degrees very elaborate, and that necessarily so, in order to uphold the tottering fabric, since Chore life no longer retains the freshness of its early days. In the olden time, when every academician belonged to these unions, they stretched the authority of their laws over every student. But this is no longer the case. Now, the smaller proportion of the students only enter into these unions, which nevertheless represent, to a certain degree, the studentship; and wherever it becomes necessary to defend the interests of Studentdom, the whole body is ready to join them. Certain of their laws, whether descending from the early times, and which are, therefore, faithfully maintained by the Chore members, or those which have been enacted in modern times by the Chores, yet equally extend to the whole body, and possess an influence which can be denied by none, since it is equally exerted by the Chores over all.

It is only through these greater organized masses that it is possible for studentship to proceed in its oneness. The internal arrangements of a Chore possess, on this one account, an interest, and deserve our attention the more, inasmuch as we have already said these Chores exert an influence over the rest of the students; and this renders it incumbent that before we speak of the students at large, we should acquaint ourselves more intimately with the present Chore life.