The Student Life of Germany Part 12

"Knowest thou," asked friend Eckhardt, "whence comes the term school-fox?"

"Not clearly?"

"Then hear! M. Just Ludwig Brismann, born at Triptis, in Voiglande, who had been schoolmaster in Hof, Zwickau, and Naumburg, and who died Professor of Greek in Jena, on the 19th of August, 1585, was accustomed to wear a greatcoat lined with fox-skin. This sort of clothing, which he had been used to wear before he came to live at Jena, he still continued to sport there. The students in Jena looked upon this raiment, which was then quite out of date and very singular, as so odd that they made game of it, and those of them who had previously known him as schoolmaster, dubbed him School-fox. Thence sprung the name of school-foxery, which comprehends every thing pedantic, contemptible, and degrading."

"And may I ask," I added, "what you pay this precious Bursche for his important services? I ask, since I think of staying here this winter, and would therefore willingly enlighten myself on all matters of housekeeping."

"He receives a gulden (twenty-pence English) monthly."

"A servant for a pound a-year! Was the like ever heard!"

"You must recollect," said Freisleben, "that we are for the rest of the day attended by the house-besom," the student phrase for housemaid, who also in Berlin is styled _schlavin_, or she-slave.

"Hast thou heard the anecdote," interrupted Eckhardt, "of Schmidt's answer to our boot-fox the other morning?"

"No; let us hear it."

"The Famulus came very early to Schmidt's bedside, and said, very laconically--'the Geheimrath Forst is dead to-night. Have you any other commands?' 'Yes,' answered Schmidt, still heavy with sleep, 'I command the Geheimrath Langsam (a very rich and miserly old gentleman) to die too, and to make me his heir.'"

"Famously answered!" said Freisleben; "but, Mr. Traveller, you would know more of our household regulations. Our House-Philistine must provide for all our domestic necessaries, bringing in the account monthly, which, however, we are not obliged so very exactly to pay.

They furnish us with wood, lights, etc. Breakfast we commonly brew for ourselves, in its proper machine. For the lodging, consisting of two rooms, we pay perhaps from thirty to forty gulden, and the house-besom receives besides, each semester, two kronen thaler--nine s.h.i.+llings, English."

"Upon my word, you live right reasonably in Heidelberg."

"Not quite so much so as you imagine. If you take into the account the expense of the college lectures, you cannot well, at least pleasantly, live under 800 or 1000 gulden. There are universities where you may live much cheaper, but few where you can live so agreeably as here. You know how Lichtenberg has divided the sciences. So I might here divide the universities into such as where a man may live cheaply and well, to which cla.s.s Munich and Vienna particularly belong; where he may live cheap and badly, as in many of the smaller universities, particularly Halle, which affords only nutriment for the hungerers after knowledge; where he may live well and somewhat expensively, as at Heidelberg; and finally, where he may live dearly and ill, of which the great Berlin is an example. I speak here only of the material life, apart from which, every university has its peculiarities in many respects; in short, has its own _ton_. When you have learnt thoroughly to understand Heidelberg, and then afterwards visit other German universities, what a variety will you not find."

"I would gladly learn," said I, "the differences of these various universities which you say are so characteristic. It is a very interesting subject."

"But a long one," said my friend, "which we must reserve for another occasion. But," turning to Freisleben, he added, "I forgot to tell you something which the Boot-fox has communicated."

"What is it?" asked Freisleben.

"The Widow Mutch begs that she may be allowed to speak with thee."

"And what wants she?"

"O, she creeps humbly to the cross, and prays earnestly that we will again take our meals there."

"Well, if she behaves herself, we will see what the S. C. can do."

"That," said I, "if I remember right, is the woman whom you said had been put into _verruf_, or under the bann."

"The same."

"And are all the students, then, accustomed to take their dinners there?"

"O, no. Part of them at the Gasthouses (inns); part here and there, with private people, who keep a table for us, and even send us, if required, our meals up into our chambers. About thirty of us took our dinners at this aforesaid widow's, and paid each twenty kreutzers the day (not quite seven-pence). But towards the conclusion of the last semester, it was no longer to be endured! simply and eternally cow-beef--and at last it grew still worse. Thereupon it was absolutely necessary to give Madame, the Philistine, a lecture."

"Excuse me," I interrupted, "but I must first beg for a solution of the term Philistine, which you so often use."

"We comprehend all who are not students under the name of Philistines.

In a more restricted sense, we understand by Philistines, inhabitants of the city, and distinguish them from the Handwerks-Burschen, by giving to the latter the t.i.tle of Knoten; and the shopkeepers' young men that of Schwunge, or Ladenschwunge, that is, Pendulums, or Shop-pendulums. Others write the word Knoten, _Gnoten_, and say that the artisans and journeymen were so called from _Genossen_, _Handwerks-Genossen_, comrades or artisan-comrades, thence corrupted to _Genotten_, and finally to _Gnoten_. We have already stated that _Gnoten_ was supposed to be derived from their fighting with _Knoten-stocken_, or knotty sticks. Thus, as in most cases of philological derivation, a fine dispute might be raised; it would be an interesting subject, and the author might be rewarded for his pains by the impressions of some dozen bludgeons on his back. But, not to lose sight of the object of your inquiry--our domestic arrangements--I here remark that the Philistine in whose house we lodge, is styled house-philistine, and his wife, the Philose. The student who is quartered with us in the same house is our House-Bursche; and he who shares with us our apartments, is to us a Stuben-Bursche, or Room-Fellow."

"I thank you," I added. "I have certainly put your commentatorial patience to a severe trial."

"One speaks of oneself," he replied, "generally pretty willingly. We have that feeling in common with all mortals."

"But," I interposed, "it seems to me that you enjoy your comfortable room very little, spite of all its comforts, if you neither dine nor take your tea there of an evening."

"Tea!" he exclaimed, "tea! yes that is a right good beverage, but for daily use a little too sentimental. Look you--our course of life is this:--In the morning we pursue our studies over a cup of coffee, and a pipe of tobacco; then we go to the cla.s.ses. About twelve o'clock we dine; then to the coffeehouse; and how much we study after that, or how we otherwise employ ourselves, you will presently see. But in the evening, we resort to the Kneip, and drink no tea, but beer; and to the Kneip we now cordially invite you.

"But don't think we despise what may be called your national beverage; for that also, comes a time. When in the long evenings we sit behind our books, and the antic.i.p.ation of the examination stands like a spectre at the door, and bars it to our egress, then, praised be tea!

and its black brother, coffee; it is then they who must cheer us, when the spirit of life threatens to faint, quiver, and expire. But excuse me, I must now unto the college, which I cannot to-day very well _schwanzen_. So fare ye well!"

And thus we parted.

N. B.--The expression Ein Kolleg schwanzen--to tail a lecture--means, to put off its attendance. The term is derived from an earlier meaning of the word _schwanzen_, for which the term _durch-brennen_, to burn through, is now used, and is equivalent to the English phrase, "to give leg-bail to your creditors." In the persiflage on the _Burschen-comment_, ent.i.tled "_Dissertatio de Quomodone, etc_.," by Martial Schluck, from which we have before quoted, it is said, "an honourable Bursche has the right not to pay his debts; that is, he may _schwanzen_ and _squiscion_ himself, make a _squis_ in his shoes,--meaning that he may sacrifice his tail like a fox, who will rather lose his tail than his life; and thus will the student rather leave behind him his trunk and cloak-bag, than wait to be clapped into prison."

When a student attends a lecture which ought to be paid for, but does not pay for it, he is said to "hospitiren;" and he is allowed twice or three times to hospitiren. If, however, he does this for a whole semester, in order to devote the price of the lecture to some other object, the students call this "to shoot a lecture." The description of this term, is also thus explained by Schluck. "The student has the right to seize upon other people's property, that is, to shoot, to prefer, to lay the charge upon another. This is a new mode of putting oneself into possession of something; that is, to commit a theft of a life-and-soulless thing, and call it only a half-theft. Shooting distinguishes itself essentially from stealing. First, by the student privately conveying it away at once; and secondly, by giving the owner of the property notice of what he had done, after it is done. This mode of taking possession is not so much according to our customs as those of the Lacedaemonians, which brought no shame to any one by the statutes of Lycurgus, but rather honour and fame, to him who un.o.bserved and in a clever style carried off any thing."

The princ.i.p.al objects of _conveyance_, are pipes, sticks, spurs, ch.o.r.e-ta.s.sels for the embellishment of pipes, riding-whips, and money to the amount of a _doubel_. What is more than that must be merely taken in loan, if it be there to take.

Friend Freisleben has, in this chapter, given us some notifications of the manner in which he amuses himself in his hours of relaxation. Yet we must hope that these are not all the fountains of enjoyment, that are flowing for his refreshment, when he finds himself exhausted with such arduous battles in the field of science. Our care indeed, is unnecessary, since the inventive head of the student has, in all times, least of all neglected this portion of his life.

But before we speak of other diversions, which our hero, partly in his own and partly in other Kneips enjoys, or without, in the free air, we must devote a few lines to that faithful companion, his dog. Some will, perhaps say, "What! is it not enough that we have to do with the wild student, must we also encounter his unmannerly hound?" But good reader, recollect yourself of the words of Wagner in Faust:

E'en the wise man, howe'er profound, Loves, when well trained, the generous hound,-- And well deserveth he thy favour too, The student's scholar, apt and n.o.bly true.

It is true, that a monstrous deal has already been said of the dog; but by no one has he been more graphically described than by the immortal Linnaeus. He says, amongst other things, "He is the most faithful of all creatures; dwells with man; fawns on his returning lord; bears not in his memory the strokes he inflicts upon him; runs before him on his journey; looks back at a cross-way, and seeks obediently that which is lost; holds watch by night; announces the approach of any one; and guards the property."

How much do we desire the eloquence of Demosthenes, that we might p.r.o.nounce a fitting panegyric on the dog, already made ill.u.s.trious by so many pens. We can, however, only sketch the character and manners of the student's dog with simple colours, nevertheless we hope to do the dog-family some service, and to amuse the reader with some new anecdotes. Various as are the young people which are blown together, as it were, by the winds out of every climate into a University city, as various are the dogs which the spectator will see following at their heels. They are seldom brought with them from home; but the fancy which the student has for the beast, has created a cla.s.s of men, who make a trade in dogs a distinct branch of business. These people also, for a moderate honorarium, superintend the toilet of this creature, which care is particularly demanded by the luxuriant growth of hair of the shock. This dog, sometimes, when he comes new washed and shorn out of their hands, in the loss of his monthly crop of hair, scarcely knows himself again.

If one reflects too, that every individual student, out of the mult.i.tude of dogs, selects that one which seems to a.s.sort itself most completely with his pleasure and humour, one sees probably therein the ground of the observation which we once heard made by an intelligent English lady, who a.s.serted that there was always visible a great likeness between the dog and his master. We can only corroborate the justice of this remark, and it must strike every one, that the dog continually picks up first one and then another of the peculiarities of his master.

He who desires to take a general glance at the different races of dogs which inhabit our city, I counsel him to attend the annual dog-muster.

This is held in an appointed place on an appointed day, whereto all the dogs of the city, both those of the students and the citizens, must be brought. These all pa.s.s, in succession, under the inspection of a beast doctor, and such as neither through disease nor old age fall under a sentence of death, are redeemed by the payment of a certain tax, and have a tin label hung on their necks, which they wear for a certain time. I add here, in pa.s.sing, a refutation of those who a.s.sert that the Germans are ungallant, in the fact that the ladies of the canine species are charged only a gulden each for their redemption, while the gentlemen of that race are mercilessly mulcted to the extent of a gulden and a half.

Great and small, tall and short, thick and thin, one or many coloured, all meet here together. On the one side, you see the heavy house-dog, and the butcher's dog, how humbly they follow their masters; the mult.i.tude of yaffing turnspits, prized as true watchers; on the other hand you descry a line of boot-foxes, who have conducted hither the dogs of the students.

Hither come hastening with throngs and with pride, Lots of proud fellows from every side.

_Reineke der Fuchs, by Goethe_.

There is the poodle with his thick, round head, with the stumpy nose and hanging ears; he is propped on his short, stout leg, and his knowing eye blinks forth from amongst the crisp woolly hair. He permits himself good-humouredly to be adorned with his new order. Grimly steps forth at the call, the colossal bull-dog, with black, thick, split nose, and slavering chops; but over him towers the English mastiff, in hairy coat of one uniform hue. The hunting dog, in a place where all worthy exercise of his powers is denied him, has stretched himself out calmly, supporting his strong head with its long drooping ears, on his vigorous foot. The slim greyhound, constantly trembling, has cowered down in a corner. Here and there you discover a fretful thick-bodied pug, with his upthrown snub nose, which the popular speech styles a saddle-nose. There is the bandylegged Dachs too, with his deep sweeping ears, dark colour, and eyes full of intelligence.

The dog of the university leads a wholly peculiar life, not unlike that of his master, since he accompanies him every where. The saloon and the College hall only have closed their doors against him. Hence it is said--