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.

[CHAPTER III.]

THE CHORE.

Now first of all, to drive scholastic folly,
I'll bring thee to a jovial set, and jolly.

Goethe's Faust.

The different Chores have adopted their names, exactly like the early landsmanschafts, from the different German nations. Yet are these, as we have already hinted, no longer so scrupulous in the reception of the new members as those were, to which none could belong but the actual natives of that country whose appellation the union bore. If any man would still persuade himself that the ancient practice is yet continued, he must construct in his own head a very peculiar geography. As these unions bear the names of the different nations, so the members of each wore publicly their respective colours, which, since the interdict against them, of course, is no longer the case. These colours were not only displayed on the cap, but also on a broad band which was worn over the breast. The prohibition of the Chore colours was a severe blow to the unions, and the students sought in various ways waggishly to surmount it. Instead, therefore, of one student, as before, wearing the three united colours, as it might be green, white, and black,--each Chore having, for the most part, like its nation, three,--now went three students arm in arm, each of them wearing one of the three colours, so that the whole three colours were combined in three friends. This attempt, however, led its authors no further than into the student-prison.

The principal of the regular Chores are--

The Rhenish, whose colours are--blue, red, and white.
The Hanseatic, " "white, red, and white.
The Westphalian, " "green, white, and black.
The Swabian, " "black, yellow, and white.
The Nassau, " "blue, white, and orange.
The Swiss, " "green, red, and gold.
The Sachsen-Borussen, or Prussian,white, green, black and white.
The English, in Leipsic only.