On  the  waUp  of  the  vestibule  and  the  large  hall
of  the  university  are  hung  four  large  black-boards
{Schwarzes  Brett).  The  first  is  for  matters  of  interest
to  the  students,  and  announcements  emanating  from
the  students  themselves  ;  the  second  bears  the  names
of  the  various  professors,  and  indicates  in  which  hall
they  lecture ;  the  third  the  subject  of  each  professor's
lecture ;  the  fourth  is  used  for  official  communications
issued  by  the  university  authorities.  On  the  last-
named  are  posted  the  juridical  verdicts  applying  to
the  conduct  of  ofi'ending  students.  Every  morning
w^hen  the  stream  of  students  pours  afresh  into  the
university,  they  gather  round  the  black-board ;  read
the  news ;  the  dates  of  elections  for  the  various  as-
sociations ;  the  invitations  from  one  university  to
another ;  the  hour,  the  day ;  the  name  of  the  hall
wherein  is  to  take  place  that  which  the  students
call  their  Commers  or  meeting.  The  black-board  is
the  official  gazette,  the  record,  the  organ  of  the
university.
These  details  are  sufficient  to  show  that  the  Ger-
man university  forms  in  the  State  a  corporation  en-
dowed  with   a   real   autonomy.       It   is   not   a   vast


UNIVERSITY   ADMINISTRATION".  91

machine  wherein  the  professors,  entirely  at  the  mercy
of  an  autocratic  minister,  and  compelled  to  follow
programmes  which  alike  prevent  the  flight  of  thought,
and  slowly  dig  the  track  of  routine,  are  reduced  to
the  condition  of  mere  springs.  It  is  a  moral  being.
It  enjoys  the  right  of  property;  is  empowered  to
recruit  its  members  as  it  pleases — to  administer  its
own  interests,  under  the  control  of  the  State ;  and
can,  as  shown  above,  exercise  over  the  student  a
disciplinary  action  of  rather  vast  extent.
