tudents, it was brought to the verge
of ruin, for the spirit of 1815 was incarnate within it, and it was this
spirit which at the time (about 1827) was the object of the extremest
irritation.[126] It would carry me too far were I to attempt to give a
complete account of these things. At times it really seemed as if the
devil himself must be let loose against us. The number of our pupils
sank to five or six, and as the small receipts dwindled more and more,
so did the burden of debt rise higher and higher till it reached a giddy
height. Creditors stormed at us from every side, urged on by lawyers who
imbrued their hands in our misery. Froebel would run out at the back
door and escape amongst the hills whenever dunning creditors appeared.
Middendorff, and he alone, generally succeeded in quieting them, a
feat which might seem incredible to all but those who have known the
fascination of Middendorff's address. Sometimes quite moving scenes
occurred, full of forbearance, trustfulness, and noble sentiment, on the
part of workmen who had come to ask us for their money. A locksmith, for
instance, was strongly advised by his lawyer to "bring an action against
the scamps," from whom no money was to be got, and who were evidently on
the point of failure. The locksmith indignantly repudiated the insult
thus levelled against us, and replied shortly that he had rather lose
his hard-earned money than hold a doubt as to our honourable conduct,
and that nothing was further from his thoughts than to increase our
troubles. Ah! and these troubles were hard to bear, for Middendorff had
already married, and I followed his example. When I proposed for my
wife, my future father-in-law and mother-in-law[127] said, "You surely
will not remain longer in Keilhau?" I answered, "Yes! I do intend to
remain here. The idea for which we live seems to me to be in harmony
with the spirit of the age, and also of deep importance in itself; and I
have no doubt but that men will come to believe in us because of our
right understanding of this idea, in the same way that we ourselves
believe in the invisible." As a matter of fact, none of us have ever
swerved one instant from the fullest belief in our educational mission,
and the most critical dilemma in the times we have passed through has
never revealed one single wavering soul in this little valley.

When our distress had risen to its highest pitch, a new and unexpected
prospect suddenly revealed itself.[128