MY RECOLLECTIONS OF WILLIAM 11-1879-1903 229 



that of archaeological investigation. Once, in connec 

 tion with some talk on German railway enterprises in 

 Asia Minor, I touched upon his great opportunities to 

 make his reign illustrious by services to science in that 

 region. He entered into the subject heartily; it was at 

 once evident that he was awake to its possibilities, and 

 he soon showed me much more than I knew before of what 

 had been done and was doing, but pointed out special dif 

 ficulties in approaching, at present, some most attractive 

 fields of investigation. 



Interesting also were his views on education, and more 

 than once the conversation touched this ground. As to his 

 own academic training, there is ample testimony that he 

 appreciated the main classical authors whom he read in 

 the gymnasium at Cassel; but it was refreshing to hear 

 and to read various utterances of his against gerund- 

 grinding and pedantry. He recognizes the fact that the 

 worst enemies of classical instruction in Germany, as, in 

 deed, elsewhere, have been they of its own household, and 

 he has stated this view as vigorously as did Sydney Smith 

 in England and Francis Wayland in America. When 

 ever he dwelt on this subject the views which he presented 

 at such length to the Educational Commission were wont 

 to come out with force and piquancy. 



On one occasion our discussion turned upon physical 

 education, and especially upon the value to students of 

 boating. As an old Yale boating man, a member of the 

 first crew which ever sent a challenge to Harvard, and 

 one who had occasion in the administration of an Ameri 

 can university to consider this form of exercise from 

 various standpoints, I may say that his view of its merits 

 and his way of promoting it seemed to me thoroughly 

 sensible. 



From time to time some mention from me of city im 

 provements observed during my daily walks led to an 

 interesting discussion. The city of Berlin is wonderfully 

 well governed, and exhibits all those triumphs of mod 

 ern municipal skill and devotion which are so conspicu- 



