The Days of a Man 



Ci88 3 



European not that the Scandinavian languages are spoken by 



labora- 

 tories 



so lew, tne Universities of Copenhagen, Christiania, 

 and Upsala might well have been preferred by the 

 American student to those of Germany. Liitken, a 

 strong, handsome, stately man of friendly nature, 

 did admirable work on fishes, especially on the 

 young of the free-swimming oceanic forms which he 

 called " Spolia atlantica." 



Passing on to Berlin, I was given the privileges of 

 the university laboratory of big and capable Dr. 

 Hilgendorf, who had been one the early professors 

 in the University of Tokyo. Hilgendorf was to me 

 a congenial spirit, though I found little else con- 

 genial in the heavy and pretentious city. Then, 

 as since, its most striking feature was to be summed 

 up in the ubiquitous sign, Strengstens verboten 

 the essential barrenness of life in Berlin being ob- 

 scured by elaborate regulations and official self- 

 complacency. 



At this period we heard much of Treitschke, a 

 professor of History with a great following both in 

 the university and in the city. Advocating the 

 "blood and iron" of Bismarck's philosophy, he at- 

 tracted great crowds to his lectures, which fell in 

 line with the nationalistic feeling so grossly stimu- 

 lated by the victories of Metz and Sedan. It was 

 truthfully said that Treitschke taught as history 

 what Bismarck wrought into action. Moreover, he 

 demonstrated to the satisfaction of his audiences 

 that the German race was superior to any other; 

 that its adjustments social, educational, political, 

 and military were absolutely perfect ; further- 

 more, that the Prussian idea must dominate Ger- 

 many and through Germany the whole civilized 



C 276 



