Russia's Contribution to Science. 217 



Students with exceptionally high standing, who desire to 

 follow an academic career, are allowed to continue their studies 

 at the university after they have received their degree; They 

 have no more lectures to attend, but receive a general outline 

 of reading and work to be done as a preparation for an examina- 

 tion which wjll give them the right to present a thesis for the 

 degree of Magister in the subject which they have chosen, i. e., 

 Magister of Chemistry, Magister of Botany, etc. This examina- 

 tion may under no circumstances take place sooner than two 

 years after the examination for the degree of Candidat. It is 

 one of the stiffest examinations imaginable and the amount of 

 reading required is simply appalling. To give even an approxi- 

 mate idea of the ground which has to be covered by the candi- 

 date during these two years, I shall only mention that in my 

 own case the books recommended to me by my professor occupied 

 more than a five foot shelf and contained such works as Bronn's 

 Classen und Ordnungen and similar works, all of which were 

 supposed to be used not as reference books but as text books 

 and the detailed information contained in them to be kept in 

 one's memory ready to be drawn upon at a moment's notice. 

 It has happened time and again that candidates were flunked 

 because they were unable to produce from memory facts which 

 the examining professor himself knew only because he was 

 recently engaged in research on the subject. 



After the successful passing of this examination the candidate 

 receives the title of Magistrant and is admitted to lecturing and 

 laboratory work in the capacity of a privat-dozent, a title also 

 borrowed from the Germans. At the same time he must present 

 his thesis for public discussion before he receives the degree of 

 Alagister. This dissertation has to be the result of an original 

 investigation and to cover the ground thoroughly. It has to 

 review the literature of the subject as far back as possible, in 

 some cases going actually back to Aristotle. The public defense 

 is no sinecure, for the officially appointed opponents take especial 

 pleasure in tearing the arguments and evidence to pieces and 

 in pointing out the slightest flaw in the treatment of the problem. 



If the degree has been awarded the holder of it may now be 

 appointed "extraordinary professor." Within not less than two 

 years nor more than ten he has to present a second dissertation 

 for the highest degree attainable, that of Doctor, not Doctor of 



