160 



SCIENTIFIC THOUGHT. 



individual influence of the former, without the divided 

 interests of the dismembered empire, without the con- 

 flicting religious views, the political and personal rivalry 

 of the many states and sovereigns,^ so many scattered 

 centres of culture and learning would have sprung so 

 early into existence ; but it is not doubtful that it is 

 owing to the common interests of the nation, to the 

 uniting tie of the same language, the same thought, and 

 the same aspirations, that these scattered centres have 

 been in course of time united into a great network," a 

 vast organisation for the higher intellectual work of the 

 nation and of mankind. The German nation may pride 

 itself on possessing at the present moment the most 



reconstituted on a Protestant foun- 

 dation 1539 ; Rostock in 1540-50 ; 

 Heidelberg by the Elector Frederick 

 II. in 1544. Jena is founded 1558 

 by John PVederick, Helmstiidt by 

 Julius of Brunswick in 1568 ; Gies- 

 sen followed in 1607 ; Rinteln in 

 1621; Altdorf in 1662. Of the 

 greatest influence on German cul- 

 ture were the Dutch Protestant uni- 

 versities Leyden 1575, Franeker 

 1585, Utrecht 1634, Harderwyk 

 1648 ; they were for a long time 

 as formerly the Italian universities 

 the goal of the young scholar's 

 wanderings (Paulsen, p. 179). 

 They as well as Geneva held a 

 similar position to the Scotch uni- 

 versities (see Sir A. Grant, ' Story 

 of the University of Edinburgh,' vol. 

 i. pp. 21, 126, 188, 213,229, 233, 263, 

 274, 283, 297, &c., vol. ii. p. 263). 

 A fourth epoch begins with the 

 foundation of Halle 1694, the first 

 really modern university (Paulsen, 

 p. 353). The spirit of Bacon and 

 Leibniz, represented by Thomasius, 

 is the leading power ; it is not by 

 any means irreligious, since Francke 



(the so-called "pietist") is as im- 

 portant a factor as Thomasius. 

 German is substituted for Latin. 

 Other universities follow the re- 

 form, thus Konigsberg 1735, 

 Leipsic, Wittenberg, Helmstiidt, 

 Kiel, Tiibingen, &c. A fifth epoch 

 the evolution of the ideal of 

 science in the German sense. Wis- 

 senschaft begins with the founda- 

 tion of Gottingen in 1737. Of this 

 more in the text. 



1 Conrad, loc. cit., p. 2 : "There 

 is scarcely a stronger bond of con- 

 nection between the various parts 

 of Germany than that supplied by 

 the universities, and in no other 

 respect have the barriers that sep- 

 arated State fi-om State been so long 

 broken down. . . . The historical 

 development cannot be accurately 

 traced unless the growing extent in 

 which the south German universities 

 are attended by students from the 

 north be kept in view." 



^ See especially Paulsen's remarks 

 referring to the foundation of Got- 

 tingen underGeorge II. (' Geschichte 

 des gelehrten Unterrichts,' p. 425). 



