ral gifts' awakened in his father the hope that they would one day be used in the service of humanity, whilst his mother declared him everything would go well. (The story of his life, Mehring, page 2). In High school Karl stood out among the crowd. When asked to write a report on "How to choose a profession" he took a different approach. He took the angle in which most interested him, by saying that there was no way to choose a profession, but because of circumstances one is placed in an occupation. A person with a aristocratic background is more likely to have a higher role in society as apposed to someone from a much poorer background. While at Bonn at the age of eighteen he got engaged to Jenny von Westphalen, daughter of the upperclassmen Ludwig von Westphalen. She was the childhood friend of Marx's oldest sister, Sophie. The engagement was a secret one, meaning they got engaged without asking permission of Jenny's parents. Heinrich Marx was uneasy about this but before long the consent was given. Karl's school life other than his marks is unknown. He never spoke of his friends as a youth, and no one has ever came to speak of him through his life. He left high school in August of 1835 to go on to the University of Bonn in the fall of the same year to study law. His father wanted him to be a lawyer much like himself but when Karl's reckless university life was getting in the way after a year Heinrich transferred him to Berlin. Also, he did not go to most lectures, and showed little interest in what was to be learned. Karl's reckless ways were not tolerated at Berlin, a more conservative college without the mischievous ways of the other universities. While at Berlin, Marx became part of the group known as the Yong Hegelians. The group was organized in part due to the philosophy teacher Hegel that taught from 1818 to his death. The teachings of Hegel shaped the way the school thought towards most things. Those who studied Hegel and his...
