Russian Universities.

While we are constantly hearing of the German and English, relatively little is said of the great Russian universities. Of these there were nine in 1882, attended by 10.500 students, and with a corps of 710 professors. Being comparatively young they have not till recently exerted a very decided influence on the world of science. Yet in the last twenty-five years wonderful strides have been made in certain branches of scientific research. For example, from 1830-60 not a single special investigation was made by a Russian university professor. From 1863-82 there were more than six hundred and fifty investigations described in scientific journals.

The government has provided liberally for its universities, giving them five buildings, good libraries, expensive apparatus, large gardens and well paid professors. Almost every university is noted for some special branch of science, as Kiev for medicine, Dorpat for astronomy, and Moscow for natural sciences, although at each all subjects are taught. The University of Moscow, the largest and oldest, was founded in 1755, and has a library of 175,000 volumes, 1,600 students, and 75 instructors. The yearly fees are about 100 roubles, or $75 in our money. The government gives 400,000 roubles per year towards its support.

The University of St. Petersburg, the second in size, has 1,200 students and a library of 75,000 volumes. A university course takes four years, and when a man has completed it, he gets the degree of candidate. A couple of years later, on presentation of a thesis, the degree of magister.

Instruction is given by means of lectures, there being very few oral recitations or written exercises. All examinations are oral, and are held once a year. Religion, as a study, is compulsory, but attendance at chapel is not! As the students have no base-ball or other sport, they turn their surplus energy to the discussion of national polities, and so it happens that the universities are hot beds of Nihilism and other reforms. College societies and meetings are strictly prohibited and an assemblage of half a dozen students is likely to be dispersed. In this case by a sergeant of police and a few men, instead of a registrar and battalion of proctors. As a rule the students smoke, drink whiskey or beer, and when they can get the necessary kopecks, attend the ballet. As the majority of the students are chronically short of cash, Mr. Solomon receives considerable of their attention.

An occasional leave of absence is granted for an extended trip to Siberia. This rustication is not preceded by a warning or a summons. U. 5 would have no terrors for a Russian. On the whole, their student life is as far behind the German as the latter is behind the English or American. The universities, however, exert a powerful influence on national thought and life.

H.