OBITUARY NOTICE OF PROFESSOR LOEW 
101 
in his family called him home (in the summer of 1849) from the 
midst of his political activity. On the very day of his forty-third 
anniversary, this plague carried off his eldest daughter, who had 
just come of age, — a grief which he never entirely got over. He 
soon became aware that the dream of his youth, the unity of Ger¬ 
many, was not to be realized at that time, and returned in resigna¬ 
tion to his pedagogic career, and to the study of natural history. 
In the meantime his extraordinary abilities had been appreciated, 
and in October, 1850, he was appointed Director of the Royal “ Real- 
schule ” in Meseritz, which afterwards became a Gymnasium. He 
found this Institution in an inchoate state of development, and soon 
raised it, in spite of the small means at his disposal, to the rank of 
one of the best schools of that time. The teaching of his favorite 
subjects, especially mathematics and natural history, was raised 
to a high degree of perfection. In his method of teaching he 
showed real genius; far from following the usual routine, he was 
always suggestive and inspiring, instilling into the dullest heads a 
glimpse of the superiority of their master. By such means he 
acquired in a rare degree the affection of his scholars. 
Unfortunately, the reactionary tendencies which prevailed at that 
time prevented his merit from being appreciated as much as it de¬ 
served. And yet, absorbed by the duties of his official position and 
by his scientific studies, he carefully abstained from politics. In 
order to avoid all occasions of conflicts with his superiors in the 
Educational Department, he resisted repeatedly offers of a seat in 
the Prussian Landtag for the district of Meseritz-Bomst. In addi¬ 
tion to the difficulties of his political position, Loew had for several 
years to endure severe bodily sufferings. When, after one of the 
most painful periods of his life, — I mean in the years 1851-1854, 1 
in which he suffered the torments of stone in the bladder, — he re¬ 
turned to his duties with an expression of deep suffering on his 
face, but at the same time with the old energy and tenacity, hardly 
one of us dared to hope that he would still be able to devote twenty- 
five years of his life to the service of science and of his country. 
Although he continued to follow his calling with all the fibres of 
1 It will be noticed, in Hagen’s “ Bibliotheca,” Vol. I, p. 491, that, during the years, 
1852-1854 (Nos. 68, 69) Loew published hardly anything. — Osten Sacicex. 
