Middletown transcript., 1897-02-27
The Teachers
Round Table
Conducted by Prof. A. R. sPA1p, Highlands,
Delaware.
All teachers and friends OF Education
In New Castle County ana the
teachers Of Kent and Sus-
sex are inylted to take

teachers Of Kent and Sus-
sex are inylted to take
seats.
IAll persons who take an interest In thii
column should send their names and address
for enrolment.
Miss Regan has written sketch OF thu
life of Pestalozzi for the Round Table
which will prove interesting to its readers
1t is very encouraging to me to know tha
some of the members of the teachers col
umn are willing to help us in our work. Le
others remember their right The Round
Table is open to all who will contribute.
A BRIEF SKETCH OF PESTALOzZI'
As educators and Educational Magazine:
of the day like to tell US SO much Of Pesta
lozzi, it occurred to me to prepare in brie
and give to my fellow-workers some Of my
gleanings.
The subject of our sketch, Henry Pesta'
lozzi was born in the town of Zurich on
Jan. 12 1746.
1t was an old custom in Zurich for every
house to have O name and sign. That in
which Henry was born was called The
Black Horn.
Henry was but five years old when hii
father died leaving a widow and three
children 1.-TWO boys and girl) and very
little fortune.
Baptist the eldest died young, the girl
Barbara married Leipsic merchant and
corresponded all her life with her brother,
Henry to whom she was much attached.
Susanna, his mother, was a gifted and
admirable woman. Having been well
brought up herself, she thought of nothing
but her duty to her children, and it was
undoubtedly the educational advantages Of
Zurich that made her prefer this town as
an abiding place to the pleasanter and
more easy life she might have led near her
brother at Ritchersoyl.
The chilhood of Pestalozzi was passed in
an atmosphere of love, deyotion, and peace,
Of rigid economy aaa sf noble generosity.
1t was this doubtless that made him
trustful, self-forgetful, calm, and affection
ate and gave him that gentle, sincere and
active piety which finds pleasure even in
privation.
Being puny from his birth, always in
doors, brought up entirely by women, de-
prived ofa fathers influence, and of all con-
tact with boys of his own age, and of out
door games, remained all his life small and
weak, shy and awkward.
Despite these disadvantages his imagina-
ton did not remain dormant.
The springs of his young life were in the
heart and imagination alone; indeed its de-
velopment seemed to make up in meas
ure for his lack of physical activity. The
little fellow, nearly always shut up at
home listened eagerly to tales and readings
of which he never forgot word.
On the contrary, he turned them over
and over in his mind, putting himself in
the place of his heroes and making them
act differently with different results.
He was unaware of the exceptional char
acter of the family life he had enjoyed, and
ignorant of what the society of men in gen.
eral was like.
This apparently narrow sort of life
opened up for him many disappointments
which commenced as soon as he went to
school. Although he often gave proof of
penetration, he was unsuccessful with
most of his work; indeed, he wrote and
spelled so badly that his master judged
him to be utterly incapable.
His companions liked him for his good
disposition and obliging nature but they
took advantage Of his good qualities to
make him butt of ridicule.
Quoting from his personal diary at this
period he says: 1.-THE failures which would
have sadly troubled other children hardly
affected me. However much might have
desired or dreaded anything, when it was
over, and / had had two or three good
nights of sleep, after it. it concerned me
alone, it was just as though 1t had never
been. From my childhood I have been
everybody's plaything. My education,
which gave food to all the dreams of my
fancy, left me alike incapable of doing
what everybody does and of enjoying what
everybody enjoys.
Although worked hard and learned
some things well, l had none of their abil-
ity for the ordinary lessons and so could
not take it amiss that they dubbed me
Harry Oddly of Foolborough. More than
any other child was always running my
head against the wall for mere triaes, but
it did not trouble me.
thought could do many things which
were quite beyond me.
I measured the whole world by my
mothers house and my school room and
the ordinary life Of men was almost as un-
known to me as if had lived in another
world
From the time he was nine years old,
young Henry was invited to spend few
weeks during summer vacation at the
home Of his paternal grand father who was
pastor at Hongg, village three miles from
Zurich. It was most magni6cently situ-
ated. being surrounded by hills to the
right bank of the river Limmat.
The land at Hongg is rich, divided into
fields, vineyards. and large orchards. The
parsonage which is close to the church is
still thesame asa hundred yearslago though
parts of it have been remodeled.
It was here that Pestalozzi learned to
love nature and the work of the fields to
which he was destined to devote his whole
life.
By accompanying his grandfather on his
daily visits to the schools, the sick and
the poor of his parish. the child was init
lated into the realities of the life of the peo-
pie; and although this was his first ac-
quaintance with their sufferings. he was
touched with profound compassion for
them and from that moment, there burned
in his heart an unquenchable desire to find
some remedy for the evil.
Young Pestalozzi's grandfather was one
Of those men who devote theiry-rhoi en-
ergy to the Office they have chosen. His
faith, which was simple and sincere. loy-s