Truths. Prodosh Aich
*****
Friedrich Maximilian begins his studies at Leipzig University in the summer semester of 1841. He is seventeen and a half years old. In Germany summer semester begins in April/May as ever. Friedrich Maximilian obtains a modest scholarship of 15 thaler per month from the Anhalt Government. Not for his studies at the Leipzig University, not as an encouragement for his merits. He obtains a scholarship for poor students for four years at most. This was a part of a general educational programme of the Anhalt-Dessau Government. Thus, Friedrich Maximilian avails a chance to take up university studies at Leipzig University. He gets matriculated there in “philology”.
Studying at Leipzig University is expensive in those days as it is in other German states as well. At every stage, one has to pay fees. The university teachers are not paid well. They raise their income by lecturing and examining. The more students are attracted, the more they earn. Attending to a lecture is not permitted without fees. Friedrich Maximilian faces a hard time. We shall come to this aspect in a little while.
The term Philology is a deceptive package. In real practice, it means, in term of hard facts, simply learning languages at a higher level. The “Nikolai Schule” offers classical education, which means along with general school subjects a good basic instruction in vernacular, in Greek and in Latin. Studies in Philology mean mere continuation of learning those two classical languages at the level of post-higher schools. Nothing less, nothing more. Studies in “philology” do not mean studies in sciences or in philosophy.
Leipzig University runs then four faculties: Theology, Law, Medicine and “Artisten” (Philosophy). The faculty of “Artisten” includes also the subjects: Mathematics and Natural sciences, Philology and Philosophy. In all subjects one can make his Bachelor, Master, and Doctorate. One has to go through a special post-doctoral examination called “Habilitation” to become a University teacher. This stipulation is basically valid also in the present German universities as ever.
Before one can acquire his “Magister artium” one has to complete at least six semesters passing through a tightly stipulated study-plan and has to complete his 21 years of age. Before one is permitted to the examinational formalities for “Magister artium” one must have acquired his first academic degree of “Baccalaureates”. The minimum stipulated time-period to obtain this first academic degree of “Baccalaureates” is completing three semesters. No age limit is stipulated to obtain this first academic degree of “Baccalaureates”.
It is on record that Friedrich Maximilian Müller from Dessau begins his studies in Philology at Leipzig University in the summer semester of 1841. Everything is new for him. He is not bright. He is not very fit. He suffers from regular severe headaches. He is not engaged in sport activities. He is poor. He does not have optimal beginning of his university studies.
Naturally, Friedrich Maximilian Müller is in search of finding out his interests in the new academic environment. He has to identify the right academic teachers corresponding to his interests. To begin with, he attends 12 lectures in SS 1841. He has not completed his eighteen years yet. Here is the list of lectures he attends:
1 The first book of Thucydides Gottfried Hermann
2 On Scenic Antiquities Gottfried Hermann
3 On Propertius P. M. Haupt
4 History of German Literature P. M. Haupt
5 The Ranae of Aristophanes Stallbaum
6 Disputatorium (in Latin) Nobbe
7 Aesthetics Weisse
8 Anthropology Lotze
9 System of Harmonic Composition Fink
10 Hebrew Grammar Fürst
11 Demosthenes Westermann
12 Psychology Heinroth
We read in the autobiography by Max Müller (p. 120): “It was enough for the summer half-year. Except Greek and Latin, the other subjects were entirely new to me, and what I wanted was to get an idea of what I should like to study.”
For the first time we get a glimpse of the mental disposition of Friedrich Maximilian. In the beginning semester he wanted “to get an idea of what (he) should like to study.” We are reading the page 120 of “My Autobiography” written by Max Müller. Here, we must confess, we are caught in that wonder some cute tear breaking story we read on pages 109 -111. We recall the story told of his “first love, Sanskrit and the rest”. We would like begin the story from the beginning of the paragraph and quote up to the last sentence of the chapter “School-days at Leipzig”, i.e. just before the beginning of the chapter “University”. The story begins with the lines on the page 109:
“While at school at Leipzig I had but little opportunity of travelling, for my mother was always anxious to have me home during the holidays, and I was equally anxious to be with her and see my relations at Dessau. ... (Then, details on the troublesome journeys to Dessau)
A more ambitious journey I took in 1841 with a friend of mine, Baron von Hagedorn. He was a curious and somewhat mysterious character. He had been brought up by a great-aunt of mine, to whom he was entrusted as a baby. No one knew his parents, but they must have been rich, for he possessed a large fortune. He had a country place near Munich, and he spent the greater part of the year in travelling about and amusing himself. He had been brought up with my mother and other members of our family, and he took a very kind interest in me. ... Hagedorn, with all his love of mystery and occasional exaggeration, was certainly a good friend to me. He often gave me good advice, and was more of a father to me than a mere friend. He was a man of the world, and therefore his advice was not always what I wanted. (Hagedorn is already introduced. We won’t repeat our comments mentioned in our chapter three.) He was also a great friend of my cousin who was married to a Prince of Dessau, and they had agreed among themselves that I should go to the Oriental Academy at Vienna, learn Oriental languages, and then enter the diplomatic service. As there were no children from the Prince’s marriage, I was to be adopted by him, and, as if the princely fortune was not enough to tempt me, I was told that even a wife had been chosen for me, and that I should have a new name and title, after being adopted by the Prince. (His only cousin Emilie is also introduced. We won’t repeat our comments in our chapter three.) To other young men this might have seemed irresistible. I at once said no. It seemed to interfere with my freedom, with my studies, with my ideal of a career in life; in fact, though everything was presented to me by my cousin as on a silver tray, I shook my head and remained true to my first love, Sanskrit and the rest. Hagedorn could not understand this; he thought a brilliant life preferable to the quite life of a professor Not so I. (Friedrich Maximilian with all his handicaps is only seventeen years old.) He little knew where true happiness was to be found, and he was often in a very melancholy mood. He did not live long, but I shall never forget how much I owed him. When I went to Paris, he allowed me to live in his rooms. They were, it is true, au cinquième, but they were in the best quarter of Paris, in the Rue Royale St. Honorè, opposite the Madeleine, and very prettily furnished. This kept me from living in dusty lodgings in the Quartier Latin, and the five flights of stairs may have strengthened my lungs. I well remember what it was when at the foot of the staircase I saw that I had forgotten my handkerchief and had to toll up again. But in those days one did not know what it meant to be tired. Whether my friends grumbled, I cannot tell, but I myself pitied some of them who were old and gouty when they arrived at my door out of breath.”
End of the chapter on page 111. A palatable account. Entertaining. Nicely written. We shall keep this account, his first love, Sanskrit and the rest, the friend Hagedorn and cousin Emilie in memory. The next chapter titled “University” begins on page 112 with the lines:
“In order to enable me to go to the University, my mother and sister moved to Leipzig and kept house for me during all the time I was there – that is