266 GREAT MEN OF SCIENCE 



his own autocratic act the parliamentary constitution of 

 the State, though he had confirmed it by oath, and against 

 this act Weber and six of his colleagues in Gottingen 

 issued a manifesto, the consequence of which was their 

 dismissal.^ 



Weber was now five years without a post or a fixed in- 

 come. A collection was made in the whole of Germany for 

 the benefit of the Seven, from which Weber received 1400 

 Talers.2 Weber however did not feel that he should make 

 use of this gift, but put it into safe keeping, and lived in an 

 extremely modest manner in a small room. The apparatus 

 needed for his work, which at first was not very much, he 

 received from Gauss. 



This work related in the first instance to settling an abso- 

 lute unit of current strength. Weber based this unit on the 

 magnetic effects of the current, according to which unit 

 current would be that current, unit length of which would 

 exert unit force, at unit distance, at right angles, upon unit 

 magnetic pole as defined by Gauss. This idea was realised 

 by means of the tangent galvanometer, for which purpose, 

 however, Weber was obliged to refine the instrument, and 



1 Weber certainly contributed to the feeling against the Prince by 

 remarks which he made at table in the presence of W. von Humboldt: 

 that German professors had no native country at all, and were no better 

 than dancers, who were ready to go anywhere where they were offered 

 a few pence more. The brothers Grimm were members of the Seven, 

 but not Gauss. The latter fact is readily understood, since Gauss had 

 extremely little opinion of 'constitutional governments with decision by 

 majorities,' for he had a veiy low opinion of the understariding and 

 morality of the great majority, and thus regarded revolutionaries always 

 with great mistrust (see Gauss, by Sartorius von Waltershausen, page 

 94). Gauss no doubt had adopted an unusual attitude by holding this 

 view, but he also acted quite obviously, just as did the Seven, in accord- 

 ance with his convictions. Weber's view must have agreed with that of 

 Jacob Grimm (see the latter's statement in Kleineren Schriften, edition 

 of 191 1, Berlin, pp. 28 ff.). Where should we find to-day even a few 

 professors, like Gauss or the Seven of Gottingen, who would make their 

 decision from any other point of view than, at the best, the needs of their 

 faculty ? ('Professor' originally means a person who professes a certain 

 faith.) 



2 This was almost double his yearly salary. 



