THE KORPS
out its length; the end is not pointed, but its corners
are rounded off. For an Englishman, the fighting is ex-
tremely difficult, since, being accustomed, as a rule, to
boxing, he is inclined to move his head, and the sligh-
test movement in a duel, however unintentional or
accidental, would suggest cowardice, and cause dis-
missal.
A German university differs greatly from an English
university. There are no colleges, and the students live
on personal equality with the professors, in absolute
freedom, each being his own master, except when he
breaks some university rule, for which he may receive,
as an extreme punishment, confinement in the renowned
university Carcer, or prison. An ordinary policeman may
not arrest a student; he may only ask him for his offi-
cial university card, from which he can enter his name
in his book, and report him to the university authorities.
The students generally join themselves into socie-
ties, and the leading societies are the Korps. Each
Korps wears a distinctive coloured Mütze, or cap, rather
like a shallow staff-cap, of coloured cloth, with a leather
peak. The Korps and their colours in Heidelberg are
respectively the Suevia, the Guestphalia, the Saxo-Borussia,
the Vandalia, and the Rhenania; yellow, green, white,
red, and .dark blue. They band themselves together for
sociability and manly exercise, in the interest of per-
sonal and national honour. Each Korps has its Kneipe,
or room for assembling, where the students spend lively
evenings, singing and drinking, according to written and
traditional rules and customs. If a Korps is well-to-do,
it will have its Kneipe in a Korps-house of its own, re-
sembling a small club, with a dining and other rooms,
and a large room or hall for festive occasions. It is
full of objects of interest, chiefly cups and photographs,
many of them- gifts from members of the Korps, or from
Korps in Kartell, that is, in friendly connection, of other
universities. On certain evenings a Korps will sit at its
be
