The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1806-07-11

reng notices Oh the plan OF infruStion p1riued by
Peifalo1zi. We now offer iketch of his life, drawn
up from the work we have already quoted.
PEST.fLoZzL 80
fIENEI PEsTALoZZI was born at Zsr;eh, in
l746. He was between four and five year, of age
when he lo hi, father and his early education was
attended to by his mother, aided by domesic GO
vernefs. -
FIe had little communication with any one out of
the houfe rarely faw children of his own age, and
took no part in their iiserfiops..- 81
Thus he grew up with few favorable opportuni-
ties of improving himfif by an intercourfe with men
in different ftations of life, even Of acquiring
knowledge relative TO don,eilic life. rhi, mode of
living mua have naturally kept him ignoran. of the
manners of the world Brought up in this refpeet
without any eonRraint, he foon contracted the habit
Of negeaing his per(on, and what called the ua-
gcso the world. ,eireumaance which often injured
him in the opinion Ct thoie who judge only FROM the
exterior S-'. Sc, '. p.
From his earliea youth he gave himielf I'D with
feees to the audy of letters; in his more advanced
life he had the advantage of ffndying under Bodmer
and other difinguifhed men, at the lime when the
liberty of thinking, when pariotin. and the fine arts
rsigned in the moi brilliant mannef in Zu,ieh but
the knowledge he then acquired was NOT of nature
tofupply the deficiencies Of his domehe education
Inexperienced beides mott deeiiys inclination for
apaeise life; he therefore abandoned his literary
career, m his sventceh year. and determined 20 de-.
vote hinnief tn the bar. The death Of friend who
was to have been hisg guide, and in whom he kai un-
limited eonhdenee, induced him foon to renoince
this project, and he engaged himfef IN agriculture
He was indeed fsnhbe that he had NOT r-cciSed Al,
education which fitted hin, for this new condition Of
life but .he believed ii the hen calculated for ena-
bling him to,realze thofe plans of ben6csnce which
he had indulged hinfeif in from, hi. tender youth
Il was in order to aid an unhappy & degraded people
the more efiicaciouny, that he became an advocate
and it was fill to all this unhappy and degraded
people, that he nov embraced agriculture from the
hope that by this he would better learn their
real iituation and true wants
~ eonieii he pu.chaied quantity OF uncul.
t'Sated ground, Conformity with ohe Of che FRI hou-
ieso t Nur'c,. AT the moment he going to com.
hiscce his operation, this hpufe withdrew felf from
HIM, and abandoned him to his own means He did
nor 6k under. ths disappointment, but puihed on his
enterprize, and added to it in IT'S an experiment
for the education of poor children.
But this new plan did not fuccsed. Let us hear
his own words which we find in letter to his friend
Csfner. VA Il -
az lived" faid he during fome years in the midi
OF circle of more than fifty children, whole pa
rents were in the greaseh wretcheduels- In my po-
verify divided my bread with them and n,yfef IL
we'd hcggar, in order teach beggars TO live ike
men. The fuhieets in which propofsd to inGrua
Their, were agriculture, manufactures and commerce
Ihad the MOT perfect confidence in rhe plan /, had
formed :; and do not vet believe rnyfelf TO hive
been deceived; bat what is equally true is that
am ignorant of tha detailed knowledge of thief. three
branches, and of Il genus which can apply itfelf 70
the minutis mieparabie from them. Moreover was
too poor and TOO fritpdlefs irpy wha, was want
ing in n,yfelf. MY plan fell through; but amidR
the inexpreffble efforts have made have learned
innuTnerable truths and was never NOR. 1rone,v
convinced of the goodnes Of my project than when
found myfelf obliged 10 renprres IT,"
SHeh the fate of this ivlt attempt. The check
which the fortune of Peii2lozzi thus received; the
in:poilibilty Of cultiva,ng his land 10 advant age
which was its naspralconiequenee; thefe and naay
other circumstances conquered to plunge him, for
long courfe Of years into extraordinary degree Of
nifery. The indifference and indeed total negle0 of
many of his old aequantanees the obtcurity and con-
tempt in which he faw hinicf plunged, had great
influence on bis feelings and. his views and it is to
thefe, prolonged difappointments and vexations we
mu afcribe what he has done, well what he has
rot done; what he has attempted, and what he has
neglected.
However, although his external, circumstances
funk from day day, internal ardor nhamed him
ar every liant mere and more, and led him back to
tie eHenalpoint OF his old degns and favorte ideas,
He ieired, at any rfque, TO defroy IL poIible the
fource fro's whence aawed the riiery of the people
IL was with this intention thst he iuteefve!y publih-
ed feveral works; the rt Of which was his leonard
and Gsrnls. He after ward, printed Helvetic pa
per, calculated for the country people In 1898 he
enupofed treatfe upon criminal legtilaiioh, part-
eulahy upon nfahticide In I79zwe had the fira
hint Of his Synen of Education, under the title
of My refearches into the progrefs of Nature in
the developemeGt Of Man" =.
Forced to contraa the circle Of his efforts but me-
yer loong fight Of the great end he had in view he
determined TO BECOME fnPly fehonl mater. In
1898 he obtaised through lie Grand. who had dfco-
veresfhsTerit, fopie notice fros The Helyetie go
vernn,ent and he upon the point Of being placed
at the headaof an eaanliihn,ent of erIcaton, when
The war broke our III the Canton, Of Under 3ald !.
lie Grand then propofed to Pegalpzzi 10 ehooGe
this unhappy country for the place of his abode and
the theatre Of his iabors. " would have defended
into he aeepea abyfs" flyshe efner in the let
ter already quoted, ato Accomplish my end and
have 10 truth fucceeded; bur conceive If you can
my iitua,ioa ar Stasity -s Alone, entirely depri-
we'd Of all neoeifary n,saus alone direEfor GATHER
waiter. perfprDirg eventhe faustions Of maid Tor
want, in Souie OFT Of repair, and in the mit Of d
trefs Of all kinds I-sgt4- WI 5-ft 4
"flis khooi iTttsaled gradually to so fehoIsr,
all OF different ages and with fe1 EXCEPTIONS sbfo-
futely ignorant .>l--sHhst tafk dared however
10 undertake IT, and very foon thofe who vifted me
were aaoniihed at the eea produced bu, to fay the
truth, this efea could be compared Only to ore of
tbofe fneteors. which appsarfsr r,0u4ntin the air
andthen yanilh; no one DHderlooi It's nature NOT =
ven niyief7t sasthe refptofa fiipie thyfioioSical
idea, or rather fe7fient wit;o me Cor which could
give no reaion. knew NOT prscisy what ~ot9d
do, only knew whatI vinIe6 10 do--Eto die or &C