STUDENT LIFE IN GERMANY. 63' 



system of Dogmatics, a paper was passed round from bench to bench, 

 that was rapidly filling up with the signatures of the Herren Studiosi. — 

 Wondering what the popular theme might be, I reluctantly withheld my 

 pen for a moment and glanced over the heading of the list. Its purport 

 was something like this : "• Those students desiring to partake of the 



Lord's Supper according to the statutes of the University in the 



church, are requested to subscribe their names. " Signed 



Marks, 

 Universitdts-Prediger. 



Now I at once perceived that a large proportion of the names on 

 the list before me were those of young men who made no pretension 

 to piety and the idea of communing with such was repulsive to me. — 

 Had 1 followed the impulse of the moment, I should have passed the 

 list on to my neighbor. But there were also the names of some bosom 

 friends, whom I loved for many reasons, but most for their unaffected 

 and ardent devotion to the Savior; they intended to commune. Besides, 

 this was the first opportunity I had enjoyed since the delightful season 

 in Father Gossner's church in Berlin, six months before. I signed the 

 paper and gave my ear again to Prof. Miiller. 



Now I can easily imagine that some who read this will ask : "Was 

 our friend listening to a course of lectures on theology in company with 

 crowds of young men who profess no practical acquaintance with reli- 

 gion ^ " Certainly ! Piety is not essential to a theological student in 

 Germany. The pious students at Halle form a very small minority of 

 the theologicals, to say nothing of those attending the lectures of the 

 other faculties. Though the fact is cheering that the proportion is rap- 

 idly changing about under the influence of Tholuck, Miiller, Leo, Gue- 

 ricke. Sic. 



"But how does it come that such young men attend the lectures of 

 Muller, whom you mention in the same breath with Guericke, the iron- 

 bound orthodox Altlutheraner, and Tholuck, the gentle but fervid piet- 

 ist .^ " The solution is easy. Miiller's course on Dogmatics has the 

 reputation of being the very best that can be listened to, at present, at 

 any German University. It is the course at the Theological Univer- 

 sity, Halle. Besides, it is positive ; old Wegscheider, the father of 

 modern rationalism, still lectured there, but his day is over ; he is 

 it'iisserig, negative, destructive. IMiiller is scientific, thorough, con- 

 sistent, sincere. I confess it was rather a puzzle to me at first to see 

 young men, whom I met daily at the public table, where I was compel- 

 led to hear their ridicule of all that is good, sitting under such powerful 

 reasoning in behalf of evangelical doctrine and so diligently following 



