PROFESSOR SHOT.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIV, Issue 206, 1 September 1933, Page 7

PROFESSOR SHOT.

OPPONENT OP NAZIS. (Received 1.30 p.m.) PRAGUE, August 31. Two shots fired through a window by an unknown assassin killed Dr. Theodor Lessing, formerly Professor of Philosophy in Hanover University. Tho crime was committed at Dr. Lessing's homo at Marienbad, where he had lived since April. He was 61 years old. He was a strong opponent of the Nazis. Professor Lessing recently lectured in Czecho-Slovakia on the question of the Jews in Germany. A taxi-driver has been arrested in connection with the crime, but suspicion falls on a Germanborn poacher, Max Eckcr, who has tied. The murder is alarming a big colony of German refugees in Czecho-Slovakia, who are fearing that more killings will take place.

Dr. Theodor Leasing, who was born W Hanover in February, 1872, went to learn landscape gardening, then entered a bank as a pupil, but returned to school later, studying medicine and philosophy. At an early age he had to keeplnumself. J* or some time he was a writer and art critic, and taught at several schools. In the spring of 1925 Dr. Lessing came before the public in connection with the growing hostility toward him of the Hanover students. They went on strike for eight days, and 1000 of them visited Brunswick in a body to see whether they «ould be admitted to the Technical College there. The other Hanover professors were tacitly on the side of the students, and the Education Ministry had to threaten the closing of the college. The Hanover City Council demanded Dr. Lessing s dismissal. Finally the controversy was ended by the students admitting that they had laid themselves open to disciplinary measures,-.and by Dr. Lessing agreeing to give up his lectures (which were being given to almost empty benches) at the end of the session, provided that the Ministry would find him permanent work, which would give him scope for his plans for research. This was agreed to. J