8 4 



POPULAR SC1EXCE M0XTI1LY. 



Church, of which he was pastor, while at the same time a professor in 

 the university. By many he is thought to be second to no philosopher 

 in Germany save Leibniz. As an interpreter of others ' thought and in his 

 ability to present it in new forms he had no rival. Through him 

 Spinoza and Plato spoke directly to German scholars. But all his power 

 was exerted in ethical and spiritual directions. Patriotic to the last 

 degree, a lover of beauty in art and literature, deeply interested in 

 the advancement of science, he was easily the most prominent man in 

 Berlin, and though his energies were exercised in many fields he did 

 not fail to direct the thought and determine the activity of the period 



Johann Gottlieb Fichte. 



in which he lived. By his side and that of the noble group of men 

 just named, should be placed Savigny, student and interpreter of law, 

 who with Kant, Fichte and Schleiermacher introduced a new ethic 

 into German life and gave a new character to the nineteenth century. 

 But this development, important and valuable as it was, was not 

 altogether friendly to the development of purely scientific studies. 

 The academy was chiefly interested in historical and literary, esthetic 

 and ethical studies. At the same time it was not hostile to science. 

 Only that did not have the first place in its thought. Nevertheless, 



