STUDENT LIFE IN GERMANY. 207 



deburg, during a Pastoral Conference, that my hair fairly stood upon 

 end, at the wild confusion, in which the clerical mass were vehemently 

 bandying about the venerable Augustana. 1 could scarcely keep my 

 seat. 



But I am straying off from the Christlicher Studenten-verein. Per- 

 haps our young collegians and seminarists !nay learn something else 

 from them, if not how to maintain order and do business systematically. — 

 Good forms and rules are good things, but a little more life and a little 

 less routine would be of essential benefit to certain associations that 

 might be named. 



The Society was divided into three branches, and held tri-weekly 

 meetings. On Tuesday evening tlie three divisions met separately, (al- 

 ternately in the rooms of the students composing each division,) for 

 the purpose of exegetical study, reading of essays, &c., and on Thurs- 

 day evening for singing, mutual exhortation and prayer. On Saturday 

 evening the whole Society met in a larger room, hired for the purpose, 

 to drink beer, smoke, sing student's songs and enjoy themselves in va- 

 rious ways. All these meetings 1 have attended, and, taking all together, 

 was convinced, that this society was doing much good. It seems pecu- 

 liarly adapted to exert a favorable influence upon the German theologi- 

 cal student, amid the circumstances into which he is thrown, and, if 

 continued in the same spirit that pervaded it, some five years ago, it has 

 doubtless been the means of rescuing many a heedless youth who, com- 

 ing to the Babel of theological opinions, with views unfledged and hab- 

 its unsettled, would else have been the prey of the first smooth ration- 

 alist, into whose hands he might have fallen. 



Their method of procedure on Tuesday evening, was as follows. — 

 The student, in whose room the "section" (of about ten) was meeting, 

 played the part of Professor. The rest, severally, and by previous ap- 

 pointment, represented the most distinguished ancient and modern com- 

 mentators, with whose views upon the section of some gospel or epis- 

 tle which had been assigned as the evening's exercise, they were ex- 

 pected to be perfectly familiar. 



The long pipes are filled and the lighted match circulates from bowl 

 to bowl. All are now quietly puffing away and the soi-disant Professor 

 commences his exposition. He has delivered himself upon a verse, 

 when Mr. Groiius., (Jr.,) giving a smart whiff", reluctantly withdraws his 

 pipe from his mouth to dispute the soundness of the interpretation. He 

 has concluded, but he is soon convicted of unchurchliness by his neigh- 

 bors Harless and Chrysostom. Origen and Tholuck next follow, pre- 

 cisely in the same vein of sentimental allegorizing, but the palmis 



