to hit the bull’s-eye!  There was good swimming in the pond of the institute, and skating was practised there on the frozen surface of the neighbouring meadow; then we had our coasting parties at the “Upper House” and down the long slope of the Dissau, the climbing and rambling, the wrestling and jumping over the backs of comrades, the ditches, hedges, and fences, the games of prisoner’s base which no Keilhau pupil will ever forget, the ball-playing and the various games of running for which there was always time, although at the end of the year we had acquired a sufficient amount of knowledge.  The stiffest boy who came to Keilhau grew nimble, the biceps of the veriest weakling enlarged, the most timid nature was roused to courage.  Indeed, here, if anywhere, it required courage to be cowardly.

If Froebel and Langethal had seen in the principle of comradeship the best furtherance of discipline, it was proved here; for we formed one large family, and if any act really worthy of punishment, no mere ebullition of youthful spirits, was committed by any of the pupils, Barop summoned us all, formed us into a court of justice, and we examined into the affair and fixed the penalty ourselves.  For dishonourable acts, expulsion from the institute; for grave offences, confinement to the room—­a punishment which pledged even us, who imposed it, to avoid all intercourse with the culprit for a certain length of time.  For lighter misdemeanours the offender was confined to the house or the court-yard.  If trivial matters were to be censured this Areopagus was not convened.

And we, the judges, were rigid executors of the punishment.  Barop afterwards told me that he was frequently compelled to urge us to be more gentle.  Old Froebel regarded these meetings as means for coming into unity with life.  The same purpose was served by the form of our intercourse with one another, the pedestrian excursions, and the many incidents related by our teachers of their own lives, especially the historical instruction which was connected with the history of civilization and so arranged as to seek to make us familiar not only with the deeds of nations and bloody battles, but with the life of the human race.

In spite of, or on account of, the court of justice I have just mentioned, there could be no informers among us, for Barop only half listened to the accuser, and often sent him harshly from the room without summoning the school-mate whom he accused.  Besides, we ourselves knew how to punish the sycophant so that he took good care not to act as tale-bearer a second time.

Manners, and Froebel’s kindergarten

The wives of the teachers had even more to do with our deportment than the dancing-master, especially Frau Barop and her husband’s sister Frau von Born, who had settled in Keilhau on account of having her sons educated there.

The fact that the head-master’s daughters and several girls, who were friends or relatives of his family, shared many of our lessons, also contributed essentially to soften the manners of the young German savages.