MEMOIR OF KANT.

At ten years of age, Kant was sent to the Collegium Fridericianum The "Friedrich's College," a prestigious Pietist school in Königsberg, where he remained for seven years. Here, he applied himself chiefly to classical studies and learned to write Latin with ease and fluency. He does not seem to have ever read much Greek.

Among his schoolfellows was David Ruhnken. These two, along with a third student named Kunde, read their favorite authors together and made plans for the future; all three intended to devote themselves to classical literature. Ruhnken actually achieved high distinction in this field. At the age of sixteen, Kant moved on to the University. There, he focused primarily on mathematics and philosophy because the instruction in his favorite subject—the ancient classics—was inadequate. He had enrolled as a theological student and, following the custom for such students in Prussia at the time, he occasionally preached in the neighboring churches. In fact, he had completed his theological course by the time he finally abandoned that path of study. Doubtless, his interests had been shifting for some time, but the immediate reason for his decision seems to have been a failed job application. He had applied for a junior position in a school, as such roles were usually the first step toward ecclesiastical appointments ecclesiastical appointments: official positions or jobs within the church.

During the latter part of his time at the University, he was forced to supplement his meager income by tutoring fellow students in the classics, mathematics, and natural philosophy natural philosophy: the study of nature and the physical universe, the precursor to modern science. These students found the professors' lectures too difficult. However, the small amount he could earn in this way was not enough to support him, especially when his father’s death in 1746 left him entirely reliant on his own resources.