382 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. XVI. No. 401. 



useful and helpful to all who sincerely desire 

 to perform the tasks growing out of their con- 

 nection with university life, in the best pos- 

 sible manner. Particularly in this country 

 where things are in the transition state and 

 where, in spite of much that is crude and 

 charlatanical, the desire is strong to assimi- 

 late all that is good in the higher institutions 

 of other countries, will a work like this assist 

 us in finding the right path. 



After an introductory chapter (pp. 1-11) in 

 which he describes the general character of 

 the German university and contrasts it with 

 the French and English types, the author 

 divides his subject matter into five books. In 

 the first (pp. 15-82) he traces the historical 

 development of the German universities from 

 the Middle Ages down to the present time. 

 Professor Paulsen is fond of historical sur- 

 veys of this kind, which help us to see things 

 in the proper perspective and enable us to give 

 them the right values. Such a study of growth 

 will show us Americans how primitive many 

 of our conditions are, and at the same time 

 inspire us with the hope that they must pass 

 away. In Book II. (pp. 85-200) Professor 

 Paulsen discusses the present organization of 

 the German university and its place in public 

 life, its legal status, its relation to the State, 

 to society and to the Church. Among the 

 interesting subjects taken up here are: The 

 legal relations of university teachers, salaries 

 and fees, the filling of professorships, the legal 

 status of private docents, the education of 

 women, university extension, the position of 

 university men in society, the protestant 

 theological faculties, the catholic theological 

 faculties, the participation of the different 

 religious sects in university study. Book III. 

 (pp. 203-335) is devoted to the university 

 teacher, university instruction, and Lehr- 

 freiheit, considering subjects like the follow- 

 ing: The system of private docents, the per- 

 sonal relations between teacher and student,, 

 the lecture system, seminars and exercises, 

 exercises for beginners, medical and scientific 

 institutes, university pedagogy, theology 

 and Lehrfreiheit, philosophy and Lehrfreiheit, 

 the political and social sciences and Lehr- 

 freiheit, the professors and politics, the uni- 



versity's function with respect to political 

 education and public life. Book IV. (pp. 

 339-488) has to do with the student and 

 'academic study,' discussing, among other 

 things, the significance and dangers of 

 academic freedom (in the sense of the freedom 

 of student life), preparatory training, the 

 course of study, the elective system (Lern- 

 freiheit) and the ' compulsory ' system, the 

 length of the university course, vacations, 

 selecting and changing one's university, the 

 objects and the means of university study, 

 how to read and how to work, general culture, 

 examinations, state examinations, the student 

 and politics, the social mission of university 

 students, and student societies. While the 

 preceding book will serve as a guide to the 

 university teacher, this book will be found to 

 be particularly helpful to the student, bringing 

 system and order into his academic life. In 

 the last book (pp. 495-562) the different 

 'faculties,' theology, law, medicine and 

 philosophy, are carefully reviewed and their 

 aims described. It gives one an insight into 

 the nature of the different ' faculties ' or 

 schools, as we often call them, and of the 

 professions for which they provide the train- 

 ing. 



Our country has learned much from the Ger- 

 man universities, and it is largely owing to 

 this that we occupy the position in the scien- 

 tific world which we already occupy. It is 

 safe to say, however, that we still have a great 

 deal to learn, and that a book like Proffessor 

 Paulsen's can point the way to new ideals. 

 We have not yet reached the development of 

 which we are capable. For one thing we have 

 not yet reached that degree of inner freedom 

 which the German university enjoys and to 

 which Professor Paulsen attributes the 

 wonderful advance which has been made in 

 higher education in the nineteenth century. 

 The one-man power, which exists in many of 

 our institutions, the interference of govern- 

 ing boards with purely academic matters 

 which should be left to faculties or individual 

 teachers, the influence of politics and sec- 

 tarianism, the unhealthy pressure sometimes 

 exerted by the fear of losing appropriations, 

 all these are problems which have not yet .been 



