The whole proletariat was soon converted to Social Democracy. Berlin
was covered with a network of societies, which became the places of
worship of the new faith. Handbills, pamphlets, newspapers, partly
polemical, partly literary, in which the mob made their statements
and professed their faith stoutly; these, although written very
badly, yet by their monotony, their angry reproaches, their
invocations, reminded one of litanies and psalms.
Wilhelm felt a certain sympathy with the movement. It was first
brought to his notice by a new acquaintance, who had worked with him
in the physical laboratory since the beginning of the year. He was a
Russian, who had introduced himself to the pupils in the laboratory
as Dr. Barinskoi from Charkow. His appearance and, behavior hardly
bore this out. His long thin figure was loosely joined to thin weak
legs. Light blue eyes looked keenly out of a warm grayish-yellow
face; add to these a sharp reddish nose, pale lips, a spare, badly
grown mustache and beard of a dirty color, and slight baldness. His
demeanor was suave and very submissive, his voice had the faltering
persuasiveness which a natural and reasonable man dislikes, because
it warns him that the speaker is lying in wait to take him by
surprise.
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