The Student-Life of Germany

by William Howitt

The sentence of the ministry upon these disturbances condemned one student to entire expulsion; many to the Consilium abeundi, or confinement in the university prison; and the master butcher also was punished with eight days' imprisonment, with bread and water. There was a further commission appointed for the trial of the originators of the bann, and these also were punished.

Thus peace and order were again restored; and in order to maintain these, precautionary measures were adopted; namely, every one studying in Göttingen, and every fresh comer, must sign a declaration, that he would take no part in the carrying into effect the bann pronounced against the university; and that he would never, either by word or deed, allow it to be supposed that he acknowledged that bann as actually existing. Spite of all these regulations, it was a very long time before Göttingen was able to regain its former state of prosperity.

These Marchings-Forth may serve to show how jealously the students defend their privileges, not only against individuals, but even against the state. The student avenges himself upon any one by whom he is unjustly attacked. A ludicrous story connected with these practices occurs to our recollection, which happened very shortly after the tragic act of Sand.

An actor, who played heroic characters in the theatre at Darmstadt, was at the supper-table in the inn there, and gave a loose very freely and sourly to his remarks upon students and universities. A student from Heidelberg, who was present, and had in his possession a letter to deliver to this very actor, determined to punish him a little for his observations, and therefore on this evening did not present him the letter. In the morning he went to the dwelling of the actor, caused his room to be shown to him, and finding him alone, inquired with a dark countenance--"Are you the Herr Court-actor F----r?" "Yes."--"Are you really the Herr Court-actor F----r?"--he reiterated sternly. "Yes!"--"Now!" cried the student, with a loud voice, and thrusting his hand into his bosom. The poor hero, who imagined he had got a dagger there, darted at full speed away. The student laughing called him back. "Stop!" said he, "stop! it is only a letter!"

In recent times, when people are not so pliant towards the students, the Marchings-Forth have more and more disappeared. In the year 1838, the students conceived that their rights were infringed by the gendarmerie. They assembled at the Hirschgasse; one of them stated the case to the rest, and invited them to subscribe a memorial on the subject to the Senate, requesting the removal of those gendarmes. As the doors were in the meantime all guarded by the Chore people, so all complied with the invitation. When all had signed, they returned to the city in one body, two and two abreast; sang "Free is the Bursch," and presented their memorial to the Prorector. They derived, however, little satisfaction from this proceeding; and as the document contained expressions dishonourable to the Senate, some of the ringleaders were punished.

But the cry "Bursch, come forth!" has not always been employed for the purpose of effecting a Marching-Forth in opposition to the laws. It has on many an occasion served to assemble speedily the Burschen for the noblest objects. It was thus in Heidelberg, when at one time the bitterness against the Jews had spread itself through Germany. Suddenly a great throng of Handwerksburschen in this city also, and others of that class who have nothing to lose and always a chance to win something in every revolution, had got together, and scoured the streets, crying "Hep! Hep!" They hastened to the houses of the Jews, to plunder them and mishandle their inmates. The city soldiers were called upon to disperse the rioters, but in a cowardly manner refused to do their duty. People were in a great perplexity how to protect the unfortunate Jews. Some students met the then Prorector, who was on his way to the Senate, and engaged to him speedily to restore quiet if he would only allow them to cry, "Bursch, come forth!" The Prorector took the responsibility upon himself, and scarcely was the shout of "Bursch, come forth!" raised, when from all sides came running the students, armed with their swords. One of those who came first, placed himself at the door of one of the richest Jews in the city, against whom the mass of the mob were most desperate, and drawing his sword, called to the pressing throngs, full of zeal for the good cause--"Only over my corpse lies your way into this house!" The assailants fell back with terror; other students speedily came to his aid, and chased away the rabble. One of the professors took a sword from the hand of a student, and led on the sons of the Muses. They surrounded the houses which the rioters had already forced their way into, holding their drawn swords before the windows so as to prevent all escape, while others, rushing into the house, seized the plunderers, and gave them into the hands of the police. Peace was in a very short time restored. The Jews made a public acknowledgment of their thanks to the academicians, and the Senate cited before them such of the students as had most distinguished themselves, in order to thank them themselves, and through them to thank all the others who had given such timely and successful aid.

In other circumstances of danger too, the students have often distinguished themselves. This has been especially the case in fires, where, placing themselves in long rows from the scene of burning to the river, they have made the water-buckets pass from hand to hand with astonishing celerity, and all the time have relieved their work with singing.

Once also they executed, in Heidelberg, justice in the promptest manner. It was when, at the instigation of Prussia, Baden lost again the freedom of the press, which the Grand Duke Leopold had conferred on it at his entrance on the government. Over this circumstance a great bitterness was felt in Heidelberg. Just at this crisis the Prussian students at that university celebrated the birthday of their king, as they are accustomed to do every year. This took place in a Commers in Neckarsteinach, and as they are often accustomed, they returned to the city in the evening in an illuminated barge, down the Neckar, with fireworks. A report had spread itself, that the people, who beheld the spectacle from the Neckar bridge, would insult the Prussians, when they passed under the bridge. The police were concerting preventive measures, when the other students requested to be allowed to maintain the peace. It was granted to them; and in the evening, they awaited quietly in their kneips the intelligence of the approach of the festive barge. They then spread themselves amongst the crowd upon the bridge. As the boat now drew near, and the customary "Vivat, the king of Prussia!" was heard resounding from it, the mob on the bridge began to bawl out a "Pereat!" and one Handwerksbursch was bold enough to fling down a stone. In a moment such a storm of cuffs and boxes on the ears was rained down from all quarters on the disturbers, that they were compelled to fly from the hands of those who were an overmatch for them; thus the bridge was speedily evacuated by the whole tribe, and the barge came to its anchorage without further molestation.

Another cause which often compels the students to quit the university, and indeed in all stillness, is debt. That the young men at the High-School may readily fall into debt, is easy to conceive. Most of them were till this time at schools where they were quite dependent on their parents, and have now, for the first time, considerable sums in their hands; and beyond this, the way into debt is made so particularly easy to the student. The landlords, the shopkeepers, and all others, who derive an advantage from the students, freely give credit, or pump, as the students term it. They do it the more willingly, since it is a good opportunity to make the account a little larger (since the English and students, as the student says, generally chop above the ear, that is, suffer themselves to be overcharged); and moreover, the students look on it as a certain prerogative, of which many are compelled to avail themselves, who, especially in their first year, need more than their remittances. A master tailor who was much in mode amongst the students, once attempted to put an end to this silently acknowledged privilege, but it cost him dear. This man sent round a list amongst his colleagues, by which every one who signed his name bound himself to give no more credit to any student. But this list had not circulated far, when the students became aware of the fact. They assembled themselves that evening at their kneip, armed with their swards, proceeded thence to the house of the tailor, dashed all the windows in, broke open the doors, and rushed into the workshops and store-rooms of the tailor; where they cut to pieces, and bored through all his pieces of cloth and ready-made clothes, so that they were totally ruined. The actors, indeed, were punished, and required to pay all the damages, but the tailor had for ever lost the business of the students, and his fellow-tradesmen took warning from the transaction.

The academical laws have endeavoured to put a check on this facility of debt-making, by determining that all demands for credited wines and spirituous liquors, excepting the regular choppin of wine or beer set before his guests by the landlord or master of an ordinary,--all demands of the masters of coffee and billiard-rooms, as such,--all play debts, demands for carriage, sledge, or horse-hire for more than one journey, which may be made on students, shall not be recoverable in a court of law; and it is also enacted to what extent credit for all necessaries of life, for books, and such things, may be given, so as yet to leave a legal right of recovery. In order to make themselves secure against a student, whom they are afraid may attempt to quit without discharging his debt, the creditor is accustomed to take the usual and effectual way, that is, to go and lay an arrest on his departure-testimonial, which will then not be handed to the student by the university office, till he has paid his debts; by which means it becomes very difficult to quit the place without a fair settlement with his creditors. One way, however, remains for him. In the university cities are people who lend money to the students at a high rate of interest. These the student pumps, as he calls it,--and, as claims for money lent to students are untenable before the court, these people generally get the loss when a student runs off, as well as all those other creditors who have not protested against the delivery of his testimonial. This burning through, or running through the rags, as starting without paying is called, was formerly much more frequent than at present. If it now sometimes happens, yet the cases are very rare in which they do not afterwards pay as soon as they are in circumstances to do it. When these escapes were made, it was generally at midnight; or in this manner,--the youth's companions accompanied him in a Comitat, or one of their regular departure-processions, but another student was set in the first carriage, in the place of honour, as though it were he who was leaving. When they had, however, quitted the city, the real departer took the place of honour, and the pretended one then quietly returned to the city. On such occasions was song the song, of course not till the immediate danger was past--