60

WEEKLY ASSEMBLIES.

nothing but cordial assent where he was in the right, and kind advice, or gentle reproof, where he was in the wrong. It was in these assemblies that the younger teachers learned, by the manner in which they themselves were treated by the elder members of the establishment, the difficult art of living on an equality with those that were in a certain sense their inferiors, without descending to a level with them, and of admitting them to a familiarity which bred no contempt. The remarks of each, together with the resolutions to which they led, were put down in a minute book, which, while it formed the basis of an open and candid correspondence with the parents, served as a useful reference for any teacher who might wish for information on some particular branch of the method, or concerning some one or other of the pupils. The effect of these constant communications on every subject connected with their daily duties, could be no other than to produce a kind of unity of feeling, of thought, and action, among all the teachers of the establishment. They were not left to first impressions, to erroneous and prejudiced views; they could not for any length of time overrate or underrate the abilities, acquirements, or moral deserts of any of the children. The experience of one man threw light upon that of the other; one trait, one fact explained the other; and much of the injustice of which a single teacher will often, though ever so unwillingly, become guilty, was prevented by the full picture which was drawn by all in common of the state of mind of each pupil; not to mention the rich store of general knowledge of human nature, which these conversations must have been the means of eliciting from, and impressing upon, the minds of all present.

Another assembly of the teachers took place on Saturday evenings, for the purpose of collecting whatever observations might have been made by each, individually, during the course of the week, on matters of general discipline, order, &c. Defects in the management, inconveniences in the arrangement of the house, mistakes on the parts of teachers, and misdemeanors on the part of pupils, were here brought

PESTALOZZI'S PERSONAL LABOURS.

61

under discussion. The result of these deliberations, likewise, was put on record, and in a general assembly of teachers and pupils, held on Sunday evenings, such points as referred to the past or future conduct of the latter, were introduced, and their attention directed towards the means of remedying existing evils, or of attaining any object that was found desirable.

On all these occasions Pestalozzi's personal presence imparted life and interest to the whole; while such subjects as were not fit for public discussion, were settled by him in private interviews with the parties concerned. Every teacher had at all times free access to him, and he made a point of conferring with each of them separately, from time to time, on the duties which devolved upon him, and the impediments by which his progress might be obstructed. And in the same manner he kept himself in constant private communication with the pupils, who were presented to him by their respective superintendents in ordinary cases once a week. Having received a previous report of their conduct and their state, he conversed with them freely and kindly, and endeavoured to encourage in them a spirit of self-examination and self-watchfulness. So great was the power which he exercised over the hearts of the children, that they generally left his room in tears, after having with a kiss promised him perseverance in their efforts to do well, or if such efforts had not been made, amendment of life; and the effect thus produced was sustained by the impressive manner in which he adapted the morning and evening prayers to the peculiar circumstances of the cases which had come before him in the course of the preceding day.

In these labours of love Pestalozzi was most efficiently supported by his wife, who had joined him as soon as his plans began to bear a more settled aspect, and who interested herself especially in cultivating the affections of the younger pupils; while the more immediate administration of the different branches of economy devolved upon his daughter-inlaw, and an old housekeeper, who had been in his family for

their own consciousness, must needs have something to be surprised at, let them wonder that Pestalozzi realized so much of his views, rather than that he did not realize them all. The task which he undertook was one which a youth in the plenitude of his vigour might well have despaired of completing; it was not the task of one man, it was the task of succeeding generations, and it may, therefore, be freely avowed without any prejudice to the cause, that the greater part of it still remains to be accomplished. Its progress fortunately does not depend on the blind decision of public opinion, nor on the variable dispositions of the individuals engaged in its service; it is a seed of truth sown on the field of human culture, and though much of it should have fallen by the way side and on stony places and among thorns, yet some of it will bring forth fruit an hundred fold. Indeed, the fruit which it has borne already, affords satisfactory evidence of the nature of the seed: no one that has examined attentively and without prejudice the operation of this plan, so far as it has been carried into effect, has ever arrived at any other conclusion than the wish that the principles on which it rests, might receive a full and universal application. It was this legitimate inference from the first-fruits upon the harvest which attracted the attention of all Europe to a boarding school in an obscure little town among the mountains of Switzerland, and induced men who had completed their literary career to take their seat as fellow-learners among little children.

CHAPTER VI.

Plan of Instruction-How far Realized-Manuals Published-Literary Feuds-Writings on Education

and Politics.

THE first leading idea which had come home with clearness to Pestalozzi's mind, was the necessity of founding the knowledge of the child upon the evidence of his senses. This axiom, which he laid down as the basis of his method, was in fact nothing else but a partial apprehension of the general principle, that true knowledge is knowledge, not of the name, but of the substance. This great truth had as it were identified itself with Pestalozzi's nature, and accordingly we find him in moral and religious education directing all his attention and energies to one point, which was to surround the child with such influences of virtue and piety as should give him a substantial acquaintance with the elements of moral excellence and of religion. But although, as a matter of feeling and of personal practice, Pestalozzi made the most universal application of the principle which is the characteristic feature of the reform he effected, yet as a doctrine he never saw it in so comprehensive a light. His mind was essentially unphilosophical, equally incapable of abstracting from the world of sense, and of bringing the results of his internal experience under the cognizance of his intellect. The consequence of this deficiency on his part was, that while his treatment of the children rested on the most vital ground, his instruction was consonant with his own principles only so far as the knowledge of the outward world is concerned. The plan laid down for the establishment at Yverdon embraced languages, ancient and modern, geography, natural history, physical science, mathematics, drawing, singing,

F

62

DISTRIBUTION OF TIME.

more than thirty years, and lived in it on the footing of a friend rather than a servant.

The domestic arrangements had for their object to form habits of order, and to ensure the enjoyment of good health to the children. In the morning, half an hour before six, the signal was given for getting up. Six o'clock found the pupils ready for their first lesson, after which they were assembled for morning prayer. Between this and breakfast the children had time left them for preparing themselves for the day; and at eight o'clock they were again called to their lessons, which continued, with the interruption of from five to seven minutes' recreation between every two hours, till twelve o'clock. Half an hour later dinner was served up, and afterwards the children allowed to take moderate exercise till half-past two; when the afternoon lessons began, and were continued till half-past four. From half-past four till five there was another interval of recreation during which, the children had fruit and bread distributed to them. At five the lessons were resumed till the time of supper, at eight o'clock, after which, the evening prayer having been held, they were conducted to bed about nine. The hours of recreation were mostly spent in innocent games on a fine common, situated between the castle and the lake, and crossed in different directions by beautiful avenues of chesnut and poplar trees. On Wednesday and Sunday afternoons, if the weather permitted it, excursions of several miles were made through the beautiful scenery of the surrounding country. In summer, the children went frequently to bathe in the lake, the borders of which offered, in winter, fine opportunities for skating. In bad weather they resorted to gymnastic exercises in a large hall expressly fitted up for that purpose. This constant attention to regular bodily exercise, together with the excellent climate of Yverdon, and the simplicity of their mode of living, proved so effectual in preserving the health of the children, that illness of any kind made its appearance but very rarely, notwithstanding the number of pupils amounted at one time to upwards of a hundred and eighty. Such was the care bestowed upon phy