[210]   Riga was already then a beautiful city, over 700 years old. For the 700th anniversary in 1901 there was a large exhibition, to which aunt Therese took Runkel and Kunkel and several married children and me from the Riga shore. I had been in Riga before. There were many and beautiful things to be seen. The Duna river, the old city with the narrow streets and tall old houses of the Hanseatic time,  St. Peter's church, the cathedral at which [herder amtete] herders[?] officiated at one time, the beautiful new areas, parks, churches, schools, theater, and the longed for polytechnic where I was finally admitted. Many relatives lived in the city, whom aunt Therese also joined. It was a quite modern big city, divided by race, descent, religion, and class just like Libau. In addition there were the student groups. The students wore uniforms, [211] with exception of the Baltic Germans who wore civilian dress with colorful caps and ribbons, but were never as [geschiegelt und gebugelt] smooth and well-pressed as the students in Germany. The non-Germans came from all parts of Russia, most from the Baltic provinces, many from inner Russia, the Caucasus, Urals, and so on. The university had a very good reputation. Wilhelm Ostwald had recently been called to Leipzig. His successor was my teacher, professor Paul Walden, in inorganic chemistry. Organic chemistry was taught by Bischoff, in German, and chemical technology by Glasenapp, also in German. The university had been Russified a short time ago, and Bischoff and Glasenapp were the only ones who still taught in German. Several documents were still bi-lingual. In Riga the [fachsystem] was dominant. One could cover single subjects [facher], and after appointment with the professor [212] to show completion, take the exam. This was very convenient.

I did not live long with aunt Therese; at a meal I remarked that the goose fat my mother made was whiter, upon which aunt Therese made a more than biting remark that served me as warning to leave her lodgings. I moved to a student residence. At first I ate at one of the uncountable [mittagstischen] lunch counters [?], later, along with several friends, in the [volkskuche].That was a charitable establishment where the poorest people could get a meal for 2-3 kopecs in the ground floor. On the first story one got the same food at a clean table for 25 kopecs. It was self-service, but clean-up was done by the german ladies. The food was very tasty, and of course simple. Many students and employees ate there, and we always felt comfortable there, [213] in spite of the sneers of the family and those students who either held themselves superior due to membership in various student associations, or were rich Russians whom we called [Russia phrase] [Weissgefutterte] (white fed).

The uniform was a dark blue or black jacket and black pants made of military cloth. Golden buttons, with thick imperial eagles, and blue satin shoulder pieces with a golden, intertwined, monogram RPI (in Russian) for Riga Polytechnic Institute. A dark blue cap, in military style, with a dark blue satin border and again the golden monogram in a golden wreath of laurel and oak leaves. The uniform was indeed universal, but of course more or less threadbare; the rich Russia students (the majority were beggar-poor, typical working students) showed off their status in the only way allowed - [214] they had a white satin lining sewn into their jackets,, which would flash occasionally when the jacket was opened. The social feeling was very irritable and indignant. The Russian ignored the association students, who were after all only Germans, but the white-lined ones were hated and despised. Since I received a monthly fund from home, any additional income from private lessons would have been resented very much. But I was not free of the teaching duties - a central organization assigned poor students to me, whom I had to tutor (at no charge) in all possible subjects, which I was always glad to do.

The times were full of political fermentation. All the students, except for the Germans and the white-lined ones, were politicized through and through. I had already lost my belief in God earlier, the belief in the czar was lost still in Kiev. [215] Now all my friends sought to draw me into their political currents. I was so completely committed to the traditional understanding, that it was impossible for me to find my way into the political ways of thought of Marxism. After all, I was only 18, and educated in scientific and mathematical areas - all dialectical philosophy was foreign to me, and has remained so. Thus my friends let me stand aside, and there were practically no opportunities to get me entangled with politics.

I stayed in Riga till the spring of 1905. I actually worked only the first year, 1903/4. I covered the required subjects, and passed some exams, but got a 5 only in mineralogy where the old school-time amateur interest showed itself. I had no idea at the time that I would eventually specialize in mineralogy, that mineralogy would become the main subject of my doctor thesis, and that a mineral, Herzenbergite, would even be named after me.

[216] In the winter of 1903/4 the Russia-Japanese war started, which became so unfortunate for Russia. All left-leaning parties wished and hoped for Russia's defeat since revolution and freedom were to be the result. The political agitation rose and on the famous 9 January 1905 the priest, Father Gapon, led the worker masses of Petersburg to the winter palace. The troops fired, hundreds were killed, and disturbances broke out in all of Russia. Gapon was later unmasked as a police informer and was rescued by Ruthenberg, the same one who built the water works in palestine. Later the social-revolutionary party assigned the same Ruthenberg to execute Gapon, and he carreid out the task.

In Riga also, at the mourning demonstration, Petschwikin, one of our students, was killed. There were many student riots, a great funeral for the poor Petschwikin, [217] and, following the disturbances the Polytechnic was closed. Behind locked doors the Baltic german students worked secretly. It was very unpleasant. One went from friend to friend, read newspapers, debated, smoked uncountable cigarettes, drank tea, and did nothing. Finally, at Easter 1905 I went back home to my parents in Libau. That ended my student time in Riga.

During that time my wonderful summer vacation of 1904 occurred, three full months. Travelling by ship, rail and bicycle I visited my relatives in Windau, Pilten, and Goldingen. Then I persuaded my dear, good Papa that I should also visit relatives in Germany. My friend Popka (Leoplod) Lurie also wanted to go there. However, I wanted to travel from the border to Berlin by bicycle. I had a storage box built into the frame of my bicycle and took the train for Eydkunen. There I got on my bike and rode to Konigsberg, then through Elbing, Marienburg, Dirschau until [218] Prussian Stargard. There I realized that my pants had worn through from the storage box, and my other pair had been forwarded by baggage to Berlin. So I had no choice but to board the train and get to Berlin in a few hours, since it would have taken days by bike, which would not have been at all pleasant. In Berlin I met friend Popka, we visited museums, theaters, and other sights, then we separated and I visited Uncle and Aunt Hans in Magdeburg, who had both aged considerably. In Leipzig I met Popka again; his cousins Selly and Gina Eliasberg lived there, and we all went on excursions and I was overjoyed to be breathing the same air with my flames. Then Popka and I went to Freiberg where our mutual friend Jaques Chose was studying at the time. I had planned to go there with him in [219] the fall of 1903, but my admission to Riga changed that. Finally Popka and I headed back home via Berlin, from where three of us, Popka, his cousin, and I cycled to Potsdam one Sunday. Popka and I were in student uniforms, and his cousin in that of a schoolboy [pennaler]. On the way we rode past a cavalcade of riders moving at a walk. Then we heard one of the leaders say "Those are Russians, one should send in a couple of Japanese" at which they all laughed. We got off our bikes later, and the cavalcade caught up with us. Someone rode up to us with a greeting, and said "the crown-prince had asked what sort of uniforms these were". He was very disappointed to hear we were only students - the summer uniform of Riga students, raw silk [Rhoseidener] [satin?] coat with gold and blue velvet, had caught his eye.

On the train to Russia we happened to meet Selly and Gina [220]. The ride in third class coach in the great summer heat was not pleasant, but everything has an end. We arrived well, and spent the rest of the summer in marvelous harmless company, with the result that I finally gave up Selly and all my interest turned to Gina.
 
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