professors would have agreed with what van der Willigen was propagating in 1848, i.e. that
their task was to train physicists.42
With regard to his ideas on the propagation of knowledge, van der Willigen’s views become
discernible through two other occurrences at Deventer. The first is his curt rebuttal of an
invitation to teach mathematics at the former Latin School of Deventer that had just been
converted into a Gymnasium. Van der Willigen stated that he would consider this a “loss of
time through this insipid and monotonous work.”43 Significantly, however, he did accept a
position as one of the three curators of the school. Unsurprisingly, this was far more
prestigious a post: the curators were essentially in charge of the school’s daily running. Even
the Gymnasium’s director was effectively no more than an administrator who had to report to
the curators.
Status was evidently important to van der Willigen, a character trait that helps explain the way
he handled the members of the amateur society for chemistry and physics. He was not as
dismissive of them as he was of the idea of teaching mathematics at the Gymnasium. On the
contrary, he seemed to embrace them and signalled his willingness to meet the members’
thirst for knowledge through his willingness to hold regular lectures on physics and
astronomy. What’s more, he insisted that more listeners than before should be able to attend
these lectures. He even insisted that women be allowed to attend these lectures too, which
was not self-evident at the time.46 No precise numbers of attendance are given, but a note
from the minutes of the Society that was struck out suggests that van der Willigen had an
audience of about 30 in mind.47 He appears to have been an engaging lecturer too. After the
first one he gave in 1848, the minutes of the Society’s meetings at least read:
The first mixed meeting that was organised can be called successful. A considerable group of
ladies, members and guests had arrived and followed the speaker in his disquisition on the
Moon with undivided attention and great interest.”48
Van der Willigen’s commitment did not wane over the years, either. Upon leaving Deventer
in 1865 to take up his post as curator in Haarlem he was made an honorary member of the
2 Lunteren, ‘“Van meten tot weten’: De opkomst der experimentele fysica aan de Nederlandse universiteiten in
de negentiende eeuw,” 115 & 134.
“verlies van tijd aan dien insipide en geestdoodenden arbeid.” As quoted in: Goeij, “Het Deventer Natuur- en
Scheikundig Genootschap en de opleving van de natuurwetenschap in Nederland in de tweede helft van de
negentiende eeuw,” 30.
On the history o f this Gymnasium and its organisational structure see: G.J. ter Kuile and J. Stam, Stedelijk
Gymnasium te Deventer 1848-1948: Gedenkboek (Deventer: Stedelijk Gymnasium, 1948).
4 “Notulen Natuur- en Scheikundig Genootschap 1817-1853”, 05.10.1848, Archief Deventer, ID972, nr. j.
Bakhuyzen, ‘Nekrolog: Volkert Simon Maarten van der Willigen,” 98. Van de Sande Bakhuyzen’s phrasing
suggests van der Willigen held separate lectures for women, but the quote from the Deventer Society’s meeting
on 26.10.1848 given below suggests van der Willigen’s lectures were attended by both men and women, and
only after he started giving them.
47 “Notulen Natuur- en Scheikundig Genootschap 1817-1853”, 05.10.1848, Archief Deventer, ID972, nr. 1.
“De eerste proeve van eene gemengde vergadering mögt gelukkig heeten. Eene aanzienlijke schaar van dames,
leden en gasten was opgekomen en volgde met ongedeelte [unreadable: ongedeelde?] aandacht en groote
belangstelling den spreker in zijne beschouwing van de Maan.” “Notulen Natuur- en Scheikundig Genootschap
1817-1853”, 26.10.1848, Archief Deventer, ID972, nr. 1.
Society “because of his exceptional assiduity and the interest shown by him in the Society
over a number of years”.
Through his involvement and by holding lectures, van der Willigen proved he was serious
about something he had professed towards the end of his inaugural lecture:
“What was obtained with indefatigable endeavour by few, belongs to everybody and is a
common good; and it is a bounden duty of the practitioners of science, to make everybody
share in these results. What has been learnt through research, must be spread and made
known; then the material world and creation will contribute abundantly to development and
education, to enlightenment and civilisation. Thus every opportunity that offers itself to
cultivate true and pure knowledge of nature among you, shall find me disposed to work to that
purpose according to my ability.”
One such “opportunity” were of course his lectures at the Society. But while the young
professor was obviously not loth to let others participate and profit from the fruits of his and
others’ research, it is also worth noting the distinction he makes between “practitioners of
science” and “everybody”. This is crucial: a number of examples in fact indicate how van der
Willigen was of the opinion that while untrained amateurs were welcome to act as the
recipients of knowledge handed down to them by specialised researchers, they should not
think that they were capable of participating in the actual research process, and should not
imagine that they were on an equal footing with trained researchers. In this sense, he did have
a certain disdain for the members of the Society. This makes it all the more significant that he
clearly stated in his inaugural lecture how he thought one of the reasons astronomy was ahead
of physics was that it was free of the meddling influence of amateurs, or to use van der
Willigen’s term, “een ieder”. The passage is worth quoting in full:
“Astronomical observations were always further beyond the reach of many people and require
special application; striking physics experiments on the other hand are within the range of
everybody. While a wide field of study and contemplation remains, many occupy themselves
with experiments and try to make discoveries; they produce imprecise observations, where the
most perfect ones are required, and incorrect assumptions, which require new study to destroy
them; in this way they imagine they render excellent services to science. And as a result those
49 “uit aanmerking van den buitengewonen ijver van en de belangstelling door Zijn Hooggel. gedurende een
reeks van jaren in het Genootschap behoord”; “Notulen Natuur- en Scheikundig Genootschap 1853-1908 ,
05.10.1865, Archief Deventer, ID972, nr. 2. .
50 “Hetgeen door onvermoeid streven van weinigen erlangd werd, behoort alien en is algemeen goed; en het is
een dure pligt van de beoefenaars der wetenschap, een ieder daarin te doen deelen. Wat onderzoek leerde, moet
worden verspreid en gekend; dan zal ook de stoffelijke schepping rijkelijk het hare toebrengen tot ontwikkeling
en vorming, tot verlichting en beschaving. Zoo zal dan ook elke gelegenheid, die zieh aanbiedt, om ware en
zuivere kennis der natuur onder U te kweeken, mij bereid vinden, om, naar mijne krachten, ook hieraan te
arbeiden.” Willigen, Over natuur- en sterrekundig onderzoek: redevoering bij de plegtige aanvaarding van het
hoogleeraarsambt in de wis- en natuurkunde en de bespiegelende wijsbegeerte aan de doorluchte school te
Deventer op Maandag den 16 October 1848, in degehoorzaal van het Athenaeum uitgesproken, 43-44.