302 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



the twenty-one German universities, during the last semester, in order 

 to ascertain what is doing in the various departments in which he 

 takes special interest. Everywhere the question was asked of univer- 

 sity professors, "Do you think that too many are studying at the 

 universities?" Almost uniformly the answer was returned, "There 

 is no doubt about it." A few figures will make clear how rapidly of 

 late years the number of students has increased. During the five 

 years ending 1861, for every 100,000 inhabitants in Germany there 

 were, on an average, thirty-two students in the universities. During 

 the year 1881-'82 there were fifty-one students for the same number 

 of inhabitants. Of these in the former period eight were enrolled in 

 the philosophical faculty (the only faculty to which real-school stu- 

 dents are admitted) ; in the latter period 20 '7. That is, in a little 

 more than twenty years the number of students in the philosophical 

 faculty per 100,000 inhabitants has more than doubled. The average 

 for the five years ending 1881 was eighteen, and the proportion is still 

 increasing. This enormous increase in the number of students excites 

 the gravest apprehension, and is characterized by thinking men as a 

 sad state of affairs. 



It may seem somewhat ludicrous to us to hear of an over-produc- 

 tion of educated men. A German professor gave the key to the rid- 

 dle, in a remark to the writer, that Germany is fostering the growth 

 of an intellectual proletary — i. e., a class of professionally educated 

 men for whom there is no room in the professions, and who are too 

 proud to go into business of any sort. This state of affairs can not be 

 fully appreciated without going further into detail than the limits of 

 this article allow. Sufiice it to say that the German universities are 

 essentially professional schools. A man who enters such an institu- 

 tion intends to be a lawyer, a physician, a minister, teacher, professor, 

 or member of the civil service of the country, and he receives there 

 his professional training. It is easy to see that there can be an over- 

 production in each and all of these fields. In this country such a stat^ 

 of things is easily remedied. If a man finds he has no chance to suc- 

 ceed as a lawyer, a year or two will turn him out a physician. If he 

 fails in that, he can try theology, or he may go into business of some 

 sort, or anybody can go into politics. In Germany the case is widely 

 different. The Government demands such a long preliminary train- 

 ing and such intense and laborious effort in preparation, that, by the 

 time a man finds there is no place for him in the profession he has 

 chosen, his elasticity has gone, and there is no desire or ability to try 

 anything else. To take up another profession he has become too old, 

 and to go into mercantile or industrial life he is forbidden by his 

 ideas of social position and scholarly dignity. To such a man two 

 courses are open — to drag out a bare existence, with many wants 

 which his education has developed, but which he has no means of 

 gratifying, or — to .commit suicide. Many take the latter alternative, 



