offender might be pardoned.  The rest joined in the petition, and, extending to him the hand of fellowship, soon turned their festival into a season of rejoicing over the returned prodigal.  The pardon thus accorded was complete; no subsequent reference was made to his misconduct; and the next day, to show our confidence in him, a confidence which we never had occasion to retract, we sent him on an errand to a considerable distance.”

“How did they behave at the time of the great fire?” I inquired; “the excitement must surely have reached you.”

“No event in our whole history,” answered Dr. Wichern, his fine countenance lighting up as he spoke, “so fully satisfied me of the success which had attended our labors, as their behavior on that occasion.  On the second day of the fire, the boys, some of whom had relatives and friends in the burning district, became so much excited by the intelligence brought by those who had escaped from the flames, that they began to implore me to permit them to go and render assistance.  I feared, at first, the consequences of exposing them to the temptations to escape and plunder by which they would be beset; but at length permitted a company of twenty-two to go with me, on condition that they would keep together as much as possible, and return with me at an appointed time.  They promised to do this, and they fulfilled their promise to the letter.  Their conduct was in the highest degree heroic; they rushed into danger, for the sake of preserving lives and property, with a coolness and bravery which put to shame the labors of the boldest firemen; occasionally they would come to the place of rendezvous to reassure their teacher, and then in a moment they were away again, laboring as zealously as ever, and utterly refusing any compensation, however urgently pressed upon them.  When they returned home, another band was sent out under the direction of one of the house-fathers, and exerted themselves as faithfully as their predecessors had done.  But their sacrifices and toils did not end here.  Among the thousands whom that fearful conflagration left homeless, not a few came here for shelter and food.  With these our boys shared their meals, and gave up to them their beds,—­themselves sleeping upon the ground, and this for months.”

I could not wonder at the enthusiasm of the good man over such deeds as these on the part of boys whom he had rescued from a degradation of which we can hardly form an idea.  It was a triumph of which an angel might have been proud.

I was desirous of learning something of the industrial occupations of the pupils, and made some inquiries respecting them.

“A considerable portion of our boys,” said Dr. Wichern, “are engaged in agricultural, or rather, horticultural pursuits.  As we practise spade husbandry almost exclusively, and devote our grounds to gardening purposes, we can furnish employment to quite a number.  For those who prefer mechanical pursuits, we have a printing-office, book-bindery, stereotype-foundry, lithographing and wood-engraving establishment, paint-shop, silk-weaving manufactory, and shoe-shop, as well as those trades which are carried on for the most part out of doors, such as masonry and carpentry.  The girls are mostly employed in household duties, and are in great demand as servants and assistants in the households of our farmers.”