68 HELEN ABBOTT MICHAEL 



favor by the Emperor, who had grown very pious in his old 

 age, and that consequently the professors were wary about 

 promulgating it. Even the great Haeckel had been pretty 

 severely handled on account of his advanced ideas, and would 

 probably have been called to Berlin had it not been for his 

 outspoken defense of evolution. 



She found time for a hasty trip to the city museum, and was 

 fortunate enough to meet the art-director, with whom she 

 had a pleasant talk. 



She left Weimar on the morning of the 23d, but for an hour 

 before the train started, she strolled through the old town, pass- 

 ing by Herder's house, which she found larger and more pleasing 

 in appearance than the one which she the day before had sup- 

 posed to be his. Hearing the strains of music, she hastened 

 down to an old street with tumble-down houses in it, and was 

 surprised to find a band of about fifty brass pieces playing 

 the Briinhilde "Sleep Theme" from The Walkyrie, and she 

 thought how in America such a concert would have brought 

 two or three dollars. It was Sunday morning, and she noted 

 the children going to Sunday-school or church "two by 

 twos." 



She found the slow, deliberate ride from Weimar to Wiirz- 

 burg very beautiful, as it passed through the Thuringian 

 Mountains, clothed in autumn coloring, and here and there 

 guarded by old ruined castles. 



At Wurzburg she presented a letter to the famous Emil 

 Fischer, a young man, with brown beard and hair, and bright 

 eyes. He at once received her and conducted her over the 

 laboratory, and through the students' rooms, which she 

 found "much more homelike and suggestive of comfort than 

 in the larger laboratories." Dr. Fischer showed her many 

 of his preparations, particularly the substance from which 

 he had synthetically formed glucose. She says : 



"Synthetical chemistry is the specialty of the institute, 

 and it reigns in supreme power. I put the usual question to 

 Professor Fischer, if he would allow a lady-student to study 

 in his laboratory. He stated that it was not permitted, but he 

 promised to write and let me know. He is very agreeable, 



