66 REMIN5SCENCES OF &C. 



foreigners, had been appointed spokesman, and there was no escape. 

 '"We were exceedingly grieved to learn, Herr Professor, that you refused 

 our friend Keller the customary certificate, and have come for the pur- 

 pose of testifying that he was present." He was thunderstruck. Re- 

 covering himself, as so old a gentleman could no doubt easily do, he 

 reflected a moment, and then abruptly looked me in the face and asked 

 me for the text ! Now it was my turn to be thunderstruck. The 

 blood rushed to my face, I felt it glowing, could scarcely trust my 

 senses. My companions sat petrified. Now, as my dear friend Keller 

 had said, there was really nothing worth remembering in the sermon, 

 and it was only its peculiarly inappropriate character that had impressed 

 some portions of it upon my mind. 1 very distinctly remember that 

 when he announced his text the thought at once occurred to me that he 

 could noi have searched long for a suitable theme. And as I feared 

 from what I had heard of him, the discourse was filled with doing, doing, 

 it remained altogether on the surface. 



Now, the mere fact of being thus catechised by him, when we came 

 as three theological students to testify to so simple a fact, the refusal to 

 believe which, upon the testimony of our esteemed and truly pious 

 friend Keller, had roused our indignation, was enough to overcome my 

 self-command ; but what made the matter infinitely worse, and com- 

 pletely confused me, was the fact that / did not. recollect the text myself; 

 that is,- I could not give it to him in the German version. I looked 

 around ; Keller was in tears. It was too much. Starting from my 

 seat, I gave the Professor such a description of the sermon as con- 

 vinced him I had heard it, and then expressed my amazement at the 

 course he had pursued, begging his pardon, at the same time, for what- 

 ever might seem improper in my remarks, but assuring him that the 

 whole affair had seemed so incongruous and inexplicable to me that 

 that must be my apology. He rose, and with a kindness of manner 

 that I could scarcely expect, said he was very willing to excuse me, for 

 he knew I was unacquainted with the peculiarly unpleasant situation in 

 which he was placed. " The discharge of my duty, gentlemen, in this 

 matter of giving certificates, occasions me more pain than you can well 

 conceive. These young gentlemen sign the paper that is presented to 

 tliem ; 1 count the names and order just that number of wafers to be 

 procured. Some twenly-five or thirty of these are not used, and yet all 

 the young men come to me to certify that they have been at the com- 

 munion table, and upon my certificate may depend their admission to 

 the ministry. Now, 1 do not know the fourth part of them, and yon 

 can easily imagine how I feel when called upon to testify to what is 



