Chapter 553: The Guide to the Electric Age

Returning to Göttingen is a very special thing for me. It was here that I first really came into contact with the mystery of electromagnetism, which opened up my lifelong pursuit. Everyone will face choices and dilemmas at some point in their lives. I also had a difficult time, but the education in Göttingen gave me knowledge, Mr. Ohm gave me a firm belief in studying, and Sir Arthur Hastings made me believe that the future is created by our own hands.

It was at the Göttingen Observatory that I first saw the telegraph equipment - a simple but full of possibilities. It made me realize that through electric current, information can travel distances at unimaginable speeds. At that time, the telegraph and electromagnetism were still in their infancy throughout Europe, and I was fortunate to get my initial enlightenment in this land.

Today, the telegraph has changed the whole world, electric lights have illuminated thousands of households, and electricity seems to have become an ordinary part of our lives. However, I always remember the excitement and awe when I first saw the weak current passing through the copper wire to transmit the signal at this university.

Today, I want to say to every young scholar present here that despite the continuous advancement of technology, what remains unchanged is our unswerving belief in studying and scientific research. Such a belief has helped us end the dark ages that lasted for dozens of centuries in human history, and it also determines how we will continue to shape the future.

——Werner von Siemens, founder of Siemens, one of the founders of the open-hearth steelmaking method, and holder of many major electromagnetic patents such as electric generators, vertical elevators and electrified railway locomotives, gave a special lecture at his alma mater, the University of Göttingen, in 1888

In the history of electromagnetic research, the British scientific community has made two major breakthrough discoveries for all mankind. The discovery here does not refer to the electromagnetic induction phenomenon and Maxwell's equations.

The first major breakthrough discovery in the British scientific community was that Sir Humphry Davy promoted his assistant Michael Faraday, and the second major discovery was that Michael Faraday discovered Arthur Hastings, who called himself an "amateur natural philosophy enthusiast".

Perhaps in the field of electromagnetic research, no one would put Arthur Hastings' name ahead of James Maxwell. Because many critics believe that Arthur Hastings, like his teacher Lord Henry Brougham, has a wide range of knowledge but lacks the perseverance and perseverance to continue to make progress in a single field.

But we must also note that many of the scientists who rank ahead of Arthur Hastings in mathematics, electromagnetism, biology, thermodynamics, etc. were discovered and recommended by this "amateur natural philosophy enthusiast", and there are many winners of the Copley Medal.

How to evaluate Sir Arthur Hastings's status in the field of science?

I think we should borrow an oriental proverb quoted by Sir Elder Carter when evaluating Sir Arthur Hastings - there are Bole in the world, and then there are Thousand-mile Horses. Arthur Hastings is definitely not the greatest discoverer of electromagnetism in the 19th century, but he is still the discoverer of the greatest electromagneticist in the 19th century.

Nature and its laws are hidden in the darkness. God said: Let Newton come, and then light shines on the world.

Humans have lived in the darkness for thousands of years, but Hastings said: Let there be light.

So Ohm, Siemens and Maxwell came to the world together.

The light of the electric lamp faded the darkness, and the night of Paris, the fog of London, and the twilight of Berlin were all dispelled.

At this moment, the era of electrification has arrived.

——Charles Singer, "History of British Science"

In the Black Bear Tavern in Göttingen, Arthur looked at Siemens who was almost crying in front of him, and didn't know what to say. He could only order food for this strong farm boy.

Perhaps it was because the pressure in his heart had accumulated for too long, Siemens could still control his emotions when he didn't speak, but once he mentioned the reality that he might drop out of school at any time, he couldn't control his emotions anyway.

Regarding Siemens' emotional venting, Arthur and Ohm just looked at each other and smiled knowingly.

Of course, they were not laughing at Siemens. There was a sense of nostalgia in their smiles.

Because they both went through the same thing.

Ohm did not drop out of school because he had an open-minded father with a strong sense of responsibility, while Arthur did so because he met an unforgivable devil of bad taste.

When Ohm was facing further studies, he once lay on his small bed at home, tossing and turning and unable to sleep, because he knew that he could not ask his father for this. With his father's financial conditions, it was already difficult enough to support him and his brother to finish middle school. Maybe his father could grit his teeth and support another college student, but this also meant that the other one of him and his brother would have to choose to give up his studies.

Ohm once thought about giving this precious opportunity to his brother, but before he could speak, his father had already helped him to complete the admission procedures for the University of Erlangen. When he asked his father what to do with his younger brother Martin, old Ohm just told him not to worry, and he always treated his children equally.

And old Mr. Ohm was indeed a man of his word. Although no one knew how much hardship and suffering he had endured behind the scenes, he never let either of his two sons drop out of school, and supported the two brothers all the way to complete their doctoral studies.

The story of the Ohm family is heartwarming and touching, and although Arthur's experience is not as wonderful as that in "Sending Bismarck to Stendhal", it is also bizarre and bizarre.

As a York country kid who lost both his parents and had no father or mother, this guy has shown maturity that is not in line with his age since he was a child.

Although children in the countryside of England are basically treated as adults from the age of eight, even those in the city have to start to be in charge at the age of 12, but even among this group of little adults, Arthur still stands out.

Of course, he knows very well why he is so precocious. However, in the eyes of outsiders, such precocious children are indeed rare. Arthur can manage the pigsty that adults can't manage well. When facing the parish deacon, ordinary country children are usually so scared that they can't even say a complete sentence, but this guy can answer fluently.

He has never been to school for a day, but his speech and words are all elegant.

Although he was starving, he still managed to eat the porridge in the poorhouse slowly and leisurely like a nobleman. Other little ghosts would knock on their bowls and ask for another cup after eating, but this guy ran to the church to find the pastor and said he wanted to read a book.

After doing this abnormal behavior for a long time, everyone in the surrounding villages knew that a child prodigy had appeared in the next village. Even the tailor shops in the city came to the poorhouse to recruit apprentices, and the bosses specifically wanted this smartest boy.

But unfortunately, the tailor was a step late. Because a few hours ago, a devil who knew the business had signed a cheap child labor contract with this kid, and the signing fee was as high as a free squire uncle.

However, Siemens was obviously not as lucky as Arthur and Ohm. Although his parents treated him well, he had too many sisters in the family.

There were twelve children to feed in the family. In such a situation, even if old Siemens swung the hoe to sparks, he had to make a choice.

Siemens covered his face and cried. He didn't want others to see his embarrassing appearance, but he couldn't go against his own will. He couldn't give up the natural philosophy he loved deeply.

"Professor... Professor, I... I want to go to school."

Arthur stirred the wine glass in front of him with a spoon, pinched his chin and smiled and let out a long breath.

He was very relieved that Siemens' wish was just to go to college.

If he wanted to play basketball, Arthur really couldn't solve it for him.

The Red Devil was sitting by the window eating peanuts. Agares was obviously very dissatisfied with Arthur's behavior of stealing business.

As a devil who has been practicing for more than 2,000 years, he finally understood what it was like to teach his apprentice to starve his master to death: "Arthur, you fucking, you are a devil and I am a devil?"

Arthur ignored Agares' complaints. He finally understood where the fun of the devil was during this time.

This feeling of pretending to be a savior is really pleasant. And seeing the harvest of the seeds sown unintentionally that year can bring people a supreme positive feedback of the soul.

But the only thing Arthur couldn't figure out was why the devil liked to give people hope and then give them despair.

Is it just because old devils like Agares have long gotten rid of the low taste of giving people roses and leaving a lingering fragrance on their hands?

However, it is not important to not understand the devil's thoughts. It is very satisfying for him to understand his own thoughts.

If you want to say what the biggest change for Arthur after resurrection is, it is that it makes his outlook on life become much more free and easy, and even has a tendency to move closer to Dumas.

The life attitude of the French fat man is also very simple. This fat man basically lives every day as if he will go to the guillotine tomorrow.

Buy what you like when you see something you like, flirt with the girl you like when you meet her, write when you have a good idea in your mind, scold when you meet someone you don't like, and duel if the other party is not convinced after scolding.

In terms of life attitude, Balzac's evaluation of Dumas was accurate: Alexander never changed his views, as if he always required himself to walk in a straight line.

If you use literary words, Dumas's character is called loyal and pure, and his saintly nature remains the same.

To put it bluntly, this is a 30-year-old French single-celled organism.

Whether in the eyes of Charles Darwin, a biological expert, or Arthur Hastings, a biological enthusiast, sometimes even Elder's thinking is more complicated than Dumas.

After all, Elder Carter, the legendary plankton of the Royal Navy, does not always walk in a straight line. He occasionally swings his flagella back and forth.

All in all, Arthur now thinks that there is nothing wrong with being a single-celled insect in private. After all, pretending to be a higher animal is a very distressing job.

Money can be earned again if it is lost. After all, the 19th century lacked everything, but not revolution and liberal movements.

Even if Mazzini and Garibaldi knew the truth of the matter, they would definitely be relieved about the whereabouts of the money. Just by using a small amount of the revolutionary funds, a great scientist Ohm was brought to the world, and a young man who was about to lose all hope because of losing his education was saved...

When Arthur thought of this, he felt that the saying "war is the ladder of human progress" made more sense.

Therefore, he thought that more similar activities should be held in the future. After all, it is to serve all mankind, so how can service not be service?

Ohm looked at Siemens in front of him with a smile, and then turned his attention to Arthur: "Sir, is that scholarship you mentioned really possible? Why haven't I heard of it in school before? "

Arthur said bluntly: "Of course you haven't heard of it, because I just established it today, and the money is all sponsored by me personally, so there is no need to submit it to the academic committee for approval. However, I am It must be made clear in advance that in order to get this money, you must pass the exam. There are ten places for the first batch of scholarships, and the amount is 50 thalers per person per year. "

The reason why Arthur set the scholarship at 50 thalers was naturally because he had carefully calculated it in advance.

At present, the tuition fees of various German universities are mainly divided into registration fees, semester fees and course fees. The registration fee needs to be paid when entering the freshman year, so it can also be called the admission fee. Semester fees are tuition fees in the ordinary sense, and are study fees paid according to the semester.

The registration fees and semester fees each student needs to pay are fixed, but the course fees paid by each student will vary greatly depending on the courses they choose. This course fee is also the only source of income for university lecturers like Ohm who do not have state-subsidized salaries.

In terms of registration fees and semester fees, although the tuition fees of German universities are generally cheaper than those of British universities, many British families will choose to send their children to study in Germany. But no matter how cheap it is, college tuition is not something that ordinary families can afford casually.

If we take semester fees as an example, the semester fees at German universities are generally between 20 and 50 thalers. The reason why the Ohm brothers chose to receive higher education at the University of Erlangen was because the semester fees in Erlangen were cheap.

As for top German universities such as the University of Berlin and the University of Göttingen, their semester fees are naturally set at the top level of 50 thalers.

And what level is roughly equivalent to 50 thalers?

The annual income of Ohm's father, a locksmith, was approximately 100 thalers.

If calculated according to Arthur's old line of business, 50 thalers was enough to buy five fat and strong pigs in Göttingen.

The price of a pound of bread in the Black Bear Tavern was one-sixth of a taler.

Therefore, setting the bursary at 50 thalers is a perfect amount. This amount of money is definitely not small and can even directly cover the semester fees. But on the other hand, 50 thalers is definitely not enough for a student to complete college, so he feels that he has peace of mind as soon as he gets the money.

If he wanted to truly have peace of mind, he would at least have to get another scholarship based on his academic performance, and he would even have to work another job or find some money to support his family.

As Bismarck said, there is a German proverb that ‘cheap things are worthless’. If you don’t put in some effort, how can you understand how precious the things you get are?

Sir Arthur Hastings's money didn't come from a flood. There are no quiet years. It's just that there are people who carry the burden for you. Behind every thaler, there are people who are throwing their lives and blood for it. Woolen cloth.

Ohm took out a pen and paper. He wrote and drew on the paper and quickly listed several calculations. It was not until he saw the final result of the calculations that Ohm's anxious heart finally settled.

He smiled and put his arm around Siemens' shoulders: "Werner, it seems that you will soon become a student at the University of Göttingen. Now that the semester fee is paid, the registration fee is quite high, but this money and your parents' contribution The money you spend to go to middle school in Lübeck won't be much different. As for your daily meals, you can find an apprenticeship in the school's laboratory. Although the money is not much, it is enough for food and drink. As for accommodation, if you don’t mind, you can move in with me first.”

Unexpectedly, as soon as Ohm finished speaking, he saw Arthur raising his hand and saying: "Don't worry about the registration fee. The payment can be deferred. After all, you still have to set aside money to choose courses. If you can promise to pay it every day, If you get a scholarship every semester, it should be more than enough to pay the registration fee when you graduate from college.”

Ohm couldn't help but be stunned when he heard this: "Delayed payment? Sir, is there such a rule in the school?"

"Not yet, but it will be available soon."

Arthur took a sip of beer: "Many of the regulations in the school were formulated in the 18th century. Taking advantage of this kingdom's constitutional reform, I think university education must also change accordingly. After all, we can't just brag about the constitution. New winds and trendy new ideas must also be blown into Göttingen.”

"Sir, you are so..."

Ohm couldn't help but clenched his fists excitedly when he heard this: "I, I don't know how to express my gratitude, but I have only known you for such a short time, and I am already aware of what outstanding character you have. You Don’t worry, I will go all out for the electromagnetics conference held by the school next month. This is not only for myself, but also for the academic reputation of the University of Göttingen and your personal reputation!”

Arthur just smiled and shook his head after hearing this. He raised his glass and touched Ohm: "George, don't put too much pressure on me. Whether the academic report is successful or not, it will not affect my opinion of you. In the field of natural philosophy, truth It will never fade because of the opposition of the ignorant.”

Siemens choked and raised his head. He wiped away his tears. He also wanted to say something. But it was only then that he discovered how young Mr. Ohm's immediate boss was. He might not even look older than Siemens's sister: "Professor Hastings, I..."

Siemens hadn't finished speaking when he felt a breeze blowing by his side. The corner of a gentleman's clothes brushed past his hand. Siemens even vaguely heard the gentleman's mumbling complaints.

But unfortunately, Siemens didn't understand. Because the gentleman didn't speak German, but English.

"Young man, still too young. The older one doesn't look sensible either..."

But Siemens didn't understand, which didn't mean Arthur didn't understand. He frowned slightly, and felt that the back of the gentleman who hurriedly passed by looked a little familiar.

He watched the man sit down in the corner of the tavern. He didn't know if it was Arthur's illusion, but he always felt that the guy's back looked a little familiar.

Arthur pondered for a while, and suddenly clapped his hands as if he had suddenly realized something, and then smiled and signaled Ohm and Siemens to keep quiet.

He stood up calmly and walked quietly behind the man.

Just as Arthur's mouth was gradually rising, and he was about to give a surprise to Mr. Charles Wheatstone, who was suspected of having social phobia, he suddenly felt something approaching from behind.

A faint scent of perfume instantly penetrated his nose, and two thin hands wearing lace white gloves embraced Arthur's waist, followed by a familiar voice that was not without pride and complacency: "Dear, do you know how much effort I put in to bring this reclusive weirdo to Göttingen for you?"