358 Kant: A Biographythem, and encouraging the students not to give up on Kant's difficult phi¬
losophy. Kant did not even seem to imagine in his dreams that his doctrine
might be difficult. But "once one has come so far that one understands his
voice, then it is not difficult to understand his thought. Last time he spoke
of space and time and I felt that I had never understood anyone as much
as him." Indeed, the visitor went on to say that he was very satisfied with
Kant's lectures, that "his was the very ideal of a learned presentation," and
that a science meant to be for the mind should be presented in just that
way. Every philosopher should lecture as Kant did. If they did, they could
lecture every day, and the students would also be able to come and listen
every day. We also hear about Kant's lecture notes. Kant used "the old logic
of Meyer" as a basis for his lectures.
He always brings the book into class. It looks so old and dirty that I believe he has
already brought it with him for forty years. All the pages are covered with small hand¬
writing, some of the printed pages have paper glued on them, and many lines have been
scratched out. There is, as you might imagine, almost nothing left of Meyer's logic.
None of his students brings this book. They all just take notes from him. But he does
not even seem to notice, following the author with great fidelity from chapter to
chapter. And he corrects the author, or rather: he puts it differently. But he does so
with such innocence that one can see in his face that he does not make much of his
inventions.^108
All in all, Kant reminds him of the "damned Wieland." He is just as "long-
winded," engages in "long asides," and even his language is reminiscent
ofWieland's.^109
All these accounts make it clear that Kant had become very old, and that
his weakness had begun seriously to interfere with his effectiveness as a
lecturer. Visitors who attended just a lecture or two, and who saw in Kant
one of the most famous authors in Germany, tended to overlook some of
the problems. Students in Königsberg were less kind. Reusch, who began
his studies at the University of Königsberg in 1793, claims that "his voice
was weak, and he got tangled up in his presentation, and he became un¬
clear." When one student could not overcome his boredom "and signified
it by a long yawn, Kant was disturbed and became angry, saying that if one
could not stop yawning one should at least have enough of good manners
to hold one's hand before one's mouth."^110 Kant's amanuensis saw to it
that this student sat further back in the classroom after that. Boredom was
especially a problem in metaphysics and logic. His lectures on physical ge¬
ography and anthropology appear to have been more lively. "They were
clear and comprehensible, even highly witty and entertaining."^111 One of