Thisgavemesomechancealsotomakemyhistoricalstudiesmorerealbycloseobservationofacertainsortofmenwhohavehadthemakingoffartoomuchhistory;
butbooksinterestedmenonetheless。Anepochinmydevelopment，intellectualandmoral，wasmadeatthistimebymyreadinglargepartsofGibbon，andespeciallybyaverycarefulstudyofGuizot’s``HistoryofCivilizationinFrance，’’whichgreatlydeepenedandstrengthenedtheimpressionmadebyhis``HistoryofCivilizationinEurope，’’asreadunderPresidentWoolseyatYale。DuringthosesevenmonthsinSt。PetersburgandMoscow，IreadmuchinmodernEuropeanhistory，payingconsiderableattentiontothepoliticaldevelopmentandconditionofRussia，and，forthefirsttime，learnedthepleasuresofinvestigatingthehistoryofourowncountry。GovernorSeymourwasespeciallydevotedtotheideasofThomasJefferson，andlateatnight，aswesatbeforethefire，afterreturningfromfestivitiesorofficialinterviews，wefrequentlydiscussedthedemocraticsystem，asadvocatedbyJefferson，andtheautocraticsystem，aswesawitinthecapitaloftheCzar。TheresultwasthatmybeginningofrealstudyinAmericanhistorywasmadebyaverycloseexaminationofthelifeandwritingsofThomasJefferson，includinghisletters，messages，andotherpapers，andofthediplomatichistoryrevealedinthevolumesofcorrespondencepreservedintheLegation。Thegeneralresultwastostrengthenanddeepenmydemocraticcreed，andaspecialresultwasthepreparationofanarticleon``JeffersonandSlavery，’’which，havingbeenatalaterperiodrefusedbythe``NewEnglander，’’atNewHaven，onaccountofitstoopronouncedsympathywithdemocracyagainstfederalism，waspublishedbythe``AtlanticMonthly，’’andledtosomeacquaintancesofvaluetomeafterward。
ReturningfromSt。Petersburg，IwasmatriculatedattheUniversityofBerlin，andenteredthefamilyofaveryscholarlygymnasialprofessor，wherenothingbutGermanwasspoken。DuringthisstayatthePrussiancapital，intheyears1855and1856，IheardthelecturesofLepsius，onEgyptology;AugustBoeckh，ontheHistoryofGreece;FriedrichvonRaumer，ontheHistoryofItaly;
Hirsch，onModernHistoryingeneral;andCarlRitter，onPhysicalGeography。ThelecturesofRanke，themosteminentofGermanhistorians，Icouldnotfollow。Hehadahabitofbecomingsoabsorbedinhissubject，astoslidedowninhischair，holdhisfingeruptowardtheceiling，andthen，withhiseyefastenedonthetipofit，togomumblingthroughakindofrhapsody，whichmostofmyGermanfellow—studentsconfessedtheycouldnotunderstand。
Itwasacomicalsight:halfadozenstudentscrowdingaroundhisdesk，listeningaspriestsmightlistentothesibylonhertripod，theotherstudentsbeingscatteredthroughtheroom，invariousstagesofdiscouragement。Mystudiesatthisperiodweremainlyinthedirectionofhistory，thoughwithconsiderablereadingonartandliterature。ValuableandinterestingtomeatthistimeweretherepresentationsofthebestdramasofGoethe，Schiller，Lessing，andGutzkow，attheBerlintheaters。