The Shadow of Great Britain

Capítulo 1255: Chapter 154: Gottingen School_2

Speaking of this, Arthur took out a document printed with the royal crest from the table and pushed it in front of Professor Herbart: “Regarding the above, I have already reported to the Kingdom’s Ministry of Education for confirmation. The document in front of you is the receipt just issued by the ministry.”

Herbart picked up the document, flipped through a couple of pages casually, and knew it was genuine. However, he was still surprised at the Ministry’s quick response this time: “Mr. Ohm is really lucky. Generally speaking, this kind of confirmation process would take several months at least. If it’s a formal appointment procedure, it would take one to two years at the shortest, or three to four years at the longest…”

Of course, Arthur wouldn’t tell Herbart that the reason Hanover’s Ministry of Education acted so swiftly was because the Duke of Sussex personally took the document there.

As for why His Grace the Duke is so interested in Ohm’s matters, on one hand, it’s due to his inherent value of disdain for outdated norms. Over the years, he has done quite a few rebellious things, whether it was being stripped of inheritance rights by George III using the “Royal Marriage Law” due to marrying a non-royal member, or repeatedly speaking out in the House of Lords for the abolition of slavery and the “Bloody Act,” whenever it comes to similar issues, the Duke of Sussex is always at the forefront.

On the other hand, naturally, it’s because the Duke of Sussex wants to use Ohm to appease the dissatisfied voices within the Royal Society. In principle, he actually agrees with the scholars’ opinions, believing there are quite a few outsiders earning fame by association in the Royal Society. However, it’s almost impossible to immediately eradicate this phenomenon.

Because these outsider groups within the Royal Society are basically Britain’s great nobles and wealthy people, if you directly order their expulsion, it’s tantamount to hitting them in the face. British gentlemen are concerned with propriety, thus the Duke of Sussex can only raise the entry threshold to limit new outsiders’ admission, rather than using offensive means to forcibly satisfy the scientists’ desires.

Nevertheless, although he can’t satisfy the scientists’ wishes in this regard, the Duke of Sussex is willing to demonstrate his attitude towards scientific research by vindicating Ohm. At the very least, he wants to use this matter to somewhat weaken the criticism within the Royal Society directed at him.

And this is also one of the reasons why Arthur did not want to delay announcing Ohm’s promotion decision. When he was serving at Scotland Yard, the Duke of Sussex had directly or indirectly helped him on occasions like courtroom speeches and chasing slave ships. This time, the Duke came directly to Gottingen, having a strong implication of supporting him.

Therefore, Arthur could not and did not want to embarrass the Duke.

“Finally,” Arthur said, “Mr. Herbart, I know what you’re worried about. But I must say, talents like Ohm, if you don’t strive for them, naturally others will. Look at this, what does it say?”

Arthur took out a document from the drawer and threw it on the table. Herbart picked it up and looked; the signature on the document was clearly from the Kingdom of Bavaria’s Ministry of Education, and a handwritten letter from King Ludwig I of Bavaria was attached.

In the letter, Ludwig I warmly expressed his hope to invite his distinguished subject Mr. George Ohm to visit the Bavarian Academy of Sciences located in the capital Munich of the Kingdom of Bavaria, and in the evening, to dine and have a tête-à-tête with him at the Royal Palace.

Although Ludwig I used extremely tactful wording in the letter, anyone could see that once Ohm agreed to go to Munich, estimated Ludwig I would appoint him as a professor at Munich University that same day.

The Kingdom of Bavaria is willing to give professorial status, while on Gottingen’s side, Arthur can only promise an associate professorship for the time being, the two ranks obviously differ by a level. Though the Royal Society will most likely accept Ohm as a foreign member, considering the Kingdom of Bavaria could also likely accept Ohm into the Bavarian Academy of Sciences, both would not differ much in terms of granting academic reputation.

Not to mention, Ohm going to Munich has the advantage of being closer to home.

Sure enough, upon seeing the letter from Munich, Herbart hesitated immediately.

He did not have any prejudice against Ohm. On the contrary, upon learning about Ohm’s academic experience, this old-school scholar actually quite admired him as a resilient researcher. But his conservative thoughts often made him feel that he should not offend too many people in the German academic circles all at once.

Seeing Herbart hesitating, Arthur stood up and said: “Mr. Herbart, academia has never been a matter of harmony. The academic world has always been filled with disputes. If they insist on stirring trouble, then let them come. The Royal Society and Berlin Academy of Sciences have fought for over a hundred years. The Leibniz-Newton debate over calculus is far more serious than this matter concerning Ohm, yet it does not hinder normal exchanges between both sides. Academia does not compete in whose voice is louder, but rather who can withstand the test of history better.”

Herbart chuckled awkwardly: “I’m just worried about a portion of the German academic circles… After all, this time involves quite a few people.”

“No, my opinion is precisely the opposite of yours.” Arthur said resolutely: “I believe a portion of the German academic circle should worry about Gottingen. They better consider carefully if they truly intend to go head-to-head with us Gottingen!”