A BIT OF GERMAN UNIVERSITY LIFE.

Munich in Munich offers a phase of social life, the parallel of which might be searched for the world over, and not be found. Peculiar to the city itself, it has so thoroughly ramified the various elements that go to make up its population, that its impress is left upon the life of every student.

As the university has no dormitories, all students are obliged to seek quarters at the homes of the burgers, so that the pace which the latter set, is copied most readily by the student. And in order to understand this latter, it is necessary to digress from the subject of this sketch a little and take a hasty glance at the daily routine as practiced by the citizen.

The wealth and income of the average German is a circumscribed quantity, and in consequence many economies are practiced, so that body and soul of his family may be held together from one year's end to another. And these economies are shown in various ways.

The residence streets for miles and miles are built up with solid blocks of houses, the four and five story fronts of which reach right up to the pavement line. Each story of each house is devoted to one or more apartments, and each family residing therein not only denominates its residence by such and such number on the street, but also by the number of the floor or, as it is called here, the "stock." Light and fuel are more costly than in America, and as the incomes are measured on as many marks as they are in dollars with us, these two items in household economics are cut down to the smallest allowance.

But the "Müncheners" are anything but hard workers, are fond of lounging and consequently of a comfortable place to do it in, and indulging in this pleasant pastime at home would mean a considerable expenditure for light and heat. In this connection it may be added that the winter days in Munich are very short, invariably gloomy and always raw, wet and cold.

All these conditions conspire to make the public rooms in Munich (or as they are called here cafés) today what they are. It is, of course, an exaggeration to quote: "The portion of Munich who do not keep cafés, live in them;" but it comes near to the truth. Usually a combination of an eating and drinking establishment, an air of utmost respectability clothes it, and excesses in drinking are seldom seen, and as a consequence everybody and their families (the adult members of both sexes) go there.

These are the meeting places for the students. A heterogeneous lot

from every part of the known world, prompted to come here by a desire to perfect themselves in some specialty, there is no common feeling to band them together.

The university is strictly a collection of professional schools. Each specialty is located in an end of town wherever chance and opportunity combined to place it. With no national sport to arouse a common interest, each section drifts for itself-into the café.

Here the student soon learns to imitate the citizen. Light, heat, newspapers and comfort are here offered gratis, and if the student is frugal at an expense of about four cents he can spend what is considered here a "profitable time profitably spent." He meets his fellow students and the lectures are discussed (but not often). Each group of students, be they members of "Corps" or similar societies or simply frequenters of the café, have a special table called "Stammtisch," literally "hereditary table," and henceforth its boards (they are marble tops in the more pretentious places) are sacred to the clang of the "stammglasses" of the "Stammgäste," literally "hereditary guests." Having attained this distinction once, the student hereafter comes here for his midday meal, for his afternoon coffee, for his evening meal, for his evening discussion and stays here until he retires for the night.

But it must not be supposed that this life corrupts him entirely. Far from it. If he is not, he is at least supposed to be a man of mature ideas, not necessarily years, perfectly able to shift for himself, except when he needs the assistance of his friends. The institution has absolutely no concern with the student, excepting as providing a course of lectures, which he may or may not attend to suit his fancy, and the moral well-being of the body of the students is never a consideration. with the faculty.

Let us kodak the mental condition of a German student. When as "mulus" he enters the University and matriculates, he sees the world in a roseate hue, especially the association of "color students" (this is setting over "Couleur Studenten" literally into English), students who wear colored insignia, such as variegated bands on their caps or ribbons in their buttonholes. What has been the goal of his ambition, during the last years at the gymnasium, that which has been the fondest subject of his thoughts, for many a day, has now been realized in his ability to say to his fellowmen, "I am a student." This condition is to him a realization of his ideal of freedom. He may now enjoy, without stint, a limitless license; he may now sing jolly songs with his jolly fellows, whom he will soon call brothers; he may now show his manly courage and prowess and fight with saber and sword; he may now wear the