German grammar with the natural gender of what is described. However, since the diminutive forms ending in "-chen" or "-lein" are grammatically neuter, there exist several notable counterexamples such as "das Mädchen" ("girl") and "das Fräulein" ("miss"). Thus these are not illogical, whereas "das Weib" (old, regional or anthropological: woman; a cognate of the English "wife") is really an exception. Furthermore, in German, the gender of nouns without natural gender is not predictable. For example, the three common pieces of cutlery all have different genders: "das Messer" ("knife") is neuter, "die Gabel" ("fork") is feminine, and "der Löffel" ("spoon") is masculine. Students
Asa Messer resigned as president on September 23, 1826. Though ordained a Baptist minister in 1801, Messer did not serve as a church pastor. He patented two flumes in the 1820s and owned a farm in Fishersfield, New Hampshire, and part of a cotton mill in Wrentham, Massachusetts. Messer was an unsuccessful candidate for Governor of Rhode Island in 1830. Asa Messer Elementary School in Providence, Rhode Island is named in his honor. Asa Messer Asa Messer (May 31, 1769 – October 11, 1836) was an American Baptist clergyman and educator. He was President of Brown University from 1804 to 1826. Messer