TALK BY PROF SCHOFIELD

Before the Deutscher Verein last evening Professor W. H. Schofield '93 gave an interesting account of his experiences in Germany and his impressions of social and literary life there. The talk was informal and covered a wide variety of topics; what was said on student life was perhaps most interesting.

A few days after his arrival in Berlin, he said, there came up the question of how he and President Hadley, Roosevelt lecturer in Berlin this year, should appear before the University publicly; whether one should take precedence or both should appear on the same occasion. The question was finally settled in the latter way. The gathering at which they were introduced was a notable one through the presence of the Crown Prince and other members of the royal family and the professors of the university.

The German student is of a different type from the Harvard type. The men are older and more mature, and are more devoted to their studies; and there is not the superabundant interest in outsider things that there is at Harvard. At Berlin this condition is more apparent then at other universities, for at Bonn, Heidelberg and the other provincial universities there is more esprit de corps. At none of the European universities is there any development of athletics corresponding to ours. Compulsory service in the army supplies in part the need of physical training, but the absence of athletics makes student life lack variety. The Germans work harder in their courses, and with the felling that these are a definite part of their professional life. Undoubtedly this concentration is for the ultimate benefit of professional and academic life.

During Professor Schofield's Stay a Harvard Club was formed, largely through the instrumentality of several Harvard men who are doing post-graduated work at Berlin. H. Hanged '07 is secretary of the club, and on the honorary membership list are several men in diplomatic or business life in Germany.

On the whole, Professor Sheffield said, the exchange system is a great success. There is a lamentable ignorance in Germany regarding modern English literature, an ignorance that is only matched by our lack of knowledge regarding German literature. This ignorance will be broken by a few years of the exchange, and even more by the exchange of students which is to be inaugurated in a few years.