Hanyi World Education Classics Series -- Early Education and Genius

Author: Kikuo Kimura
Publisher:
Publish Date: 1998-08-01
Features: The next day, Rastist set a banquet to entertain Wit and his father, as well as government ministers. At the banquet, Wit was also tested, and the ministers were very satisfied. After discussions, they decided to ask the king to take on the obligations that the citizens of Leipzig had undertaken, allowing them to stay in the country to study at either the University of Halle or the University of G?ttingen instead of going to Leipzig. However, Wit’s father refused, feeling he could not let down the wishes of the citizens of Leipzig. Since they had not obtained the king’s permission, they had to wait in Loch unhappily. On July 29 of the same year, they received a letter from Minister Wilfrid. The letter read:
Your intention to resign and the extraordinary talent of your son have been reported to His Majesty the King. The king, who is passionate about education, has instructed me to convey his command. He has granted you permission to resign from your current position after the Christmas of this year, and a region will be designated for you to pursue a career as a pastor after your son graduates. His Majesty said that since there are also excellent universities in the country, there is no need to go abroad for studies. You should study domestically. He also ordered that you should not accept foreign funding and that for the three years following Christmas of this year, you would be granted 6 marks annually. He instructed your son to study at the University of G?ttingen. I am honored to convey His Majesty’s command and wish to contribute to your son’s education. Further, it is hereby ordered that for the two months from this day until Christmas, preparations for relocation to G?ttingen may be made.
(19) Thus, Wit began studying at the University of G?ttingen in the autumn of the same year and studied there for four years. The subjects he studied over these four years were as follows: In the first semester, ancient history and physics; in the second semester, mathematics and botany; in the third semester, applied mathematics and natural history; in the fourth semester, chemistry and analytical geometry; in the fifth semester, angular measurement, experimental chemistry, mineralogy, and calculus; in the sixth semester, practical geometry, optics, mineralogy (continuing from the previous semester), and French literature; in the seventh semester, political history and ancient history (second round); in the eighth semester, advanced mathematics. Additionally, there were subjects such as analytical chemistry, ethics, and linguistics.
During his time at university, his father accompanied him to school at first to provide care, as Wit was too young to be left alone. Wit’s life at university was relaxed and joyful. Generally, a boy of around 10 years old studying alongside a young man of around 20 would be quite stressful. However, in reality, Wit’s studies were not stressful at all. He could play and participate in sports freely and often went out to collect specimens of plants and animals. He could draw, play the piano, and dance. In addition to attending classes, he never stopped studying classical and modern languages.
Regarding his life at school in the spring of 1811, which was the second semester, Wit’s father wrote the following:
As soon as the Easter holidays arrived, I took my son on a trip, which surprised many people. They thought I would use this week’s vacation to help him study hard, and that we would spend every day in the library. My friends also advised me to do so. But I replied, “If I wanted my son to be a mere spectacle for others, I would do that. But my purpose is not to turn him into an exhibit. I believe that compared to knowledge, my son’s health and experiences are more important. Besides, his study time is already more than sufficient.” They were all amazed.