GERMAN UNIVERSITIES. 67 



scarcely possible. Berlin has now received the Jew Peter Kicss, as a 

 member of the Academy of Sciences, with which, as is well known, the 

 right of lecturing is connected. Bern, even several years ago, made the 

 Jewish physiologist, Valentin of Breslaw, Professor ordinarius ; in G6t- 

 tingen, we find laboring in the philosophical faculty, the Jews Dr. Theod. 

 Benfey, for indo-gernianic philology ; Dr. M. A. Stern, for the mathe- 

 matical sciences; and Dr. E. Bertheau, of Hamburg, for Jewish history 

 and antiquities ; in Heidelberg, Dr. H. Oppenheim, of Frankfort on the 

 Main, Avas received as a private teacher in the law faculty, and Dr. Gust. 

 Weil, as teacher of Arabic ; in Leipsic, Dr. J. Fiirst, was received into 

 the philosophical faculty four years ago ; Marburg, several years since, 

 appointed Dr. J. HofTa, teacher, and Dr. J. Rubino, professor in the de- 

 partment of philology, Stc. But all these departures from former usage 

 have been characterized by so much anxiety, and have at times been 

 connected with such limitations, that we easily perceive the want of 

 principle which exists. In one university there is a hesitancy to advance 

 a private Jewish teacher to a professorship ; in another, the Jewish teach- 

 ers have assigned them a separate place in the catalogue of lectures as 

 well as in rank, as for instance, Dr. J. Rubino in Marburg ; so that at 

 least a want of principle, if nothing more, is every where apparent. 



Another object of desire with tlie Jews is : the emancipation of Jew- 

 ish literature in the universities, or the establishment of professorships 

 for Jewish science, to be filled by Christian or Jewish teachers. There 

 have been established professorships for the Indian, Persian, Arabic and 

 even for the Tartar language and literature ; and that justly, since any 

 separation according to nationality or country is unknown to science, 

 whose national element is profoundness, and whose native country is 

 truth ; for a general knowledge of Judaism, of Jewish antiquities, and of 

 Jewish history alone, has deep-rooted prejudice prevented the establish- 

 ment of professorships. This neglect of Jewish science naturally flovvs 

 from the depressed civil condition of Jews. But now, when science is 

 beginning to exert its influence upon social life and legislation, we 

 should no longer witness such an inditlerence to Jewish science, a know- 

 ledge of which is calculated to banish various mistakes in legislation, 

 and much injustice in social life. The partial attention bestowed upon 

 Jewish antiquities in the last century did much towards meliorating the 

 civil condition of this people, but for eighty years past, even this 

 faint light has been vanishing, and now the knowledge of Judaism, of 

 Jewish literature and science, is in so deplorable a condition in the uni- 

 versities, that soon even the partial knowledge derived from former 

 authors, must be entirely lost. 



