In the life and circumstances of these lads I discovered frequent similarities with my own boyhood, which sprang to my memory as I listened.  I could therefore answer the questions which were put to me out of the development and educational experiences of my own life; and my reply, torn as it was from actual life, keenly felt and vigorously expressed, bore upon it the stamp of truth.  It was satisfactory to the parents; and education—­development, which hitherto had been subjective alone for me—­that is, as self-development—­now took an objective form, a change which was distinctly painful to me.  Long, long it was before I could bring this business of education into a form expressible by words.  I only knew education, and I could only educate, through direct personal association.  This, then, I cultivated to the best of my power, following the path whither my vocation and my life now called me.

To say truth, I had a silent inward reluctance towards private tutorship.  I felt the constant interruptions and the piece-meal nature of the work inseparable from the conditions of the case, and hence I suspected that it might want vitality; but the trusting indulgence with which I was met, and especially the clear, bright, friendly glance which greeted me from the two younger lads, decided me to undertake to give the boys lessons for two hours a day, and to share their walks.  The actual teaching was to be in arithmetic and German.  The first was soon arranged.  I simply followed Pestalozzi’s course.  But as to the language I encountered great difficulties.  I began by teaching it from the regular school-books then used, and indeed still in use.  I prepared myself to the best of my ability for each lesson, and worked up whatever I felt myself ignorant of in the most careful and diligent way.  But the mode of teaching employed in these books frustrated my efforts.  I could neither get on myself nor get my pupils on with it.  So I began to take for my method Pestalozzi’s “Mothers’ Book.”  In this way we went on much better, but still I was not satisfied; and, indeed, I may say that for a very long time no system of instruction in German did satisfy me.

In arithmetic, by using the “Tables of Units"[52] in Pestalozzi’s pamphlet, I arrived at the same results which I had seen in Switzerland.  Very often my pupils had the answer ready when the last word of the question had scarcely been spoken.  Yet I presently found out some defects in this method of teaching, of which I shall speak later on.[53]

When we were out walking together, I endeavoured to my utmost to penetrate into the lives of the children, and so to influence them for good.  I lived my own early life over again, but in a happier way, for it now lay clear and intelligible before me in its special as well as its general characteristics.

All my thoughts and work were now directed to the subject of the culture and education of man.  This period of my life became full of zeal, of active development, of advancing culture, and, in consequence, of happiness.  And my life in the Model School also, with my boys and with my excellent colleagues, unusually clever men, was very elevating and encouraging.