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.

I mention our "manners" especially because, as I afterwards learned, they
had been the subject of sharp differences of opinion between Friedrich
Froebel and Langethal, and because the arguments of the former are so
characteristic that I deem them worthy of record.

There could be no lack of delicacy of feeling on the part of the founder
of the kindergarten system, who had said, "If you are talking with any
one, and your child comes to ask you about anything which interests him,
break off your conversation, no matter what may be the rank of the person
who is speaking to you," and who also directed that the child should
receive not only love but respect. The first postulate shows that he
valued the demands of the soul far above social forms. Thus it happened
that during the first years of the institute, which he then governed
himself, he was reproached with paying too little attention to the
outward forms, the "behaviour," the manners of the boys entrusted to his
care. His characteristic answer was: "I place no value on these forms
unless they depend upon and express the inner self. Where that is
thoroughly trained for life and work, externals may be left to
themselves, and will supplement the other." The opponent admits this, but
declares that the Keilhau method, which made no account of outward form,
may defer this "supplement" in a way disastrous to certain pupils.
Froebel's answer is: "Certainly, a wax pear can be made much more quickly
and is just as beautiful as those on the tree, which require a much
longer time to ripen. But the wax pear is only to look at, can barely be
touched, far less could it afford refreshment to the thirsty and the
sick. It is empty--a mere nothing! The child's nature, it is said,
resembles wax. Very well, we don't grudge wax fruits to any one who likes
them. But nothing must be expected from them if we are ill and thirsty;
and what is to become of them when tempta