The hall is made of common stone, bald and unadorned save by
four dingy windows and a tarnished sign, "Garten," which hangs
obliquely over the entrance. At the curb stands a post with
three lamps pendant; but these are never lit because Old Stuler
can keep neither wicks nor glass beyond the reach of canes.
Old Stuler was well versed in the peculiarities of students. In
America they paint statues; in Austria they create darkness. On
warm, clear nights the students rioted in the garden; when it
rained, chairs and tables were carried into the hall, which
contained a small stage and a square gallery. Never a night
passed without its animated scene.
Here it was that the evils of monarchical systems were discussed,
the army service, the lack of proper amusement, the
restrictions at the stage entrance to the opera; here it was
that they concocted their exploits, fought their duels, and
planned means of outwitting Old Stuler's slate.
Stuler was a good general; he could keep the students in order,
watch his assistants draw beer, the Rhine wine, and the scum
(dregs of the cask, muddy and strong), and eye the accumulating
accounts on the slate.
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