66 
HELEN ABBOTT MICHAEL 
introduction which I take may prejudice them against me, 
in some cases, because the men may be rivals or have bitter 
feelings against each other. 
“Another interesting fact is this: that in the small laborato¬ 
ries, the professors have been much more affable, and would 
give me personally their time, whereas in the larger univer¬ 
sities, I should be handed over to assistants. This is an ele¬ 
ment to be remembered in case of returning for study. The 
selection of a place where I could have the personal attention 
of the director would be eminently preferable. The directors, 
in many cases, are too great men to be easily and familiarly 
approached, and are occupied very fully with their own 
investigations. 
“Ladies are not admitted at Jena, and I could not help 
feeling that it was a wise decision on the part of the Minis¬ 
ter of Instruction to prohibit it, since the German students, 
as a rule, are a rough, brutal set. Dueling in Jena is very com¬ 
mon, and the faces of many of the students were badly slashed 
and showed the signs, too, in one case, of a very recent contest. 
“I drove from Geuther’s to the Botanical Gardens where 
I had hoped to meet Detmar. However, Professor Stahl, 
the associate professor, was in his laboratory, and after I had 
given a few words of explanation for the reason of my visit, 
he at once welcomed me and gave me an opportunity to talk 
over the botanical ground of Europe, and spoke highly of 
Strohmann — my Leipsic friend. The laboratories and lec¬ 
ture-room w T ere very well lighted. The auditorium was hung 
with many botanical charts like Kny’s. The alcoholic speci¬ 
mens were very beautifully preserved. 
“Stahl said that up to this time no fluid had been found 
which would preserve both the specimen and its color. The 
herbarium was not new. I did not examine it. But a very 
novel and beautiful feature of the museum was the imitations 
of books. The front and sides were of w^ood, and the back was 
the bark of the same species with its characteristic lichens or 
other growths. The title of the book above was the Latin name 
of the plant. The book opened in half, and within were con¬ 
tained the cover, seeds, leaves, flowers, or any interesting or 
