"
Frau Ellrich looked at him approvingly.
"You speak beautifully, Herr Eynhardt, and it must be a great
enjoyment to hear you lecture."
"You will soon have a professorship, I suppose?" remarked Herr
Ellrich, turning around to the blushing Wilhelm.
"Oh, no!" said he quickly, "I do not aspire to that; I believe in
Faust's verse: 'Ich ziehe... meine Schuler an der Nase herum--Und
sehe dass wir nichts wissen konnen;' and I also bilde mir nicht ein,
Ich konnte was lehren.' I wonder at and envy the men who teach such
things with so much influence and conviction, and I am very grateful
to them for initiating me into their methods and power of working
properly. But there has never been a likelihood of my venturing to
approach young men and saying to them, 'You must work with me for
three years earnestly and diligently, and I will lead you to
knowledge, so that at last, through the contents of a book, you may
get a flying glimpse of the phantom which has so often eluded you.'"
"Your opinions are very interesting," said Herr Ellrich; "but a
professorship is still the one practical goal for a man who studies
physics. Forgive me if I express my meaning bluntly; there is money
to be made in physics through a professorship.
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