"It is not enough," he would say, "for them to repeat by heart that man was created in God's image, and that he must live and die as a child of God, but they must feel this truth in their hearts with such divine force as to rise not merely above the ox that ploughs, but above the man clothed in silk and purple who lives unworthily of his high destiny."

In his eyes, this was the only way of relieving the distress of the people; in all charitable institutions, which accustom the poor to eat bread they have not earned, he saw nothing but temporary remedies, which, in the end, do but aggravate the evil.

He held these convictions so strongly, and his desire to improve the condition of the people was so real, that he decided to carry out an experiment in his own house and on his own land, hoping in this way to make Neuhof the model and centre of this great work of regeneration.

Having failed in his attempts to grow madder, and also in his attempts to establish a cheese-dairy, for which purpose he had laid down a considerable quantity of pasture-land, he had found it necessary to conduct his operations on a scale more consistent with his reduced means. But he still owed some four hundred pounds of the purchase money, and had not only to complete his buildings, but to carry out the various improvements he had begun on the land.

He had tried the system of paid workmen, but with very unsatisfactory results; he found that they seldom worked with a will, that they nearly always had inveterate vices, and hopelessly bad methods; he hoped more, however, from the children, who, brought up under his own roof, would owe him everything.

He was determined then, at all costs, to undertake this new work. Many years afterwards, in the Song of the Swan, he spoke of his determination in these words:

'Our position entailed much suffering on my wife, but nothing could shake us in our resolve to devote our time, strength, and remaining fortune to the simplification of the instruction and domestic education of the people."

In the winter of 1774 the experiment began, and several

children, some from the neighbouring villages, some mere vagrants from the roadside, went to live at Neuhof with Pestalozzi, who clothed them, fed them, and treated them in every way as his own. They were always with him, sharing in the work of the garden, the fields, and the house, and in bad weather spinning cotton in a large out-house. Very little time was given to actual lessons; indeed the children were often taught while working with their hands, Pestalozzi being in no hurry to teach them to read and write, convinced as he was that this is only useful for those who have learned to talk. He gave them constant practice in conversation, however, on subjects taken from their everyday life, and made them repeat passages from the Bible till they knew them by heart.

This first experiment, which was made with not more than twenty children, was apparently a complete success. In a few months the appearance of the poor little creatures had entirely changed; notwithstanding the extreme simplicity of their fare, they looked strong and robust, and their faces wore an expression of cheerfulness, frankness, and intelligence, which, when they first arrived, had been entirely wanting. They made considerable progress with their manual work, as well as with the lessons that were joined to it, taking great pleasure in both. All they did and said, moreover, seemed to express their appreciation of their benefactor's kind care for them.

In this way the year 1775 passed. But the experiment, modest as it was, was far beyond Pestalozzi's means, nor did the work of the children in any way suffice for the proper cultivation of his land. Many more were anxious to come, it is true, and Pestalozzi longed to receive them, but he could not do so without new domestic arrangements and increased expense.

This experiment at Neuhof had been talked of far and wide, and had excited the interest and admiration of all such men as were capable of appreciating the beautiful and noble thought that had suggested it. Money was offered to Pestalozzi to carry it on with, and he was advised to appeal to the friends of humanity for help to extend his undertaking, and so make it a complete success.

This advice he was not slow to follow, and in the beginning of 1776 his appeal appeared in the weekly paper, pub

lished by Iselin of Basle, entitled, Ephemerides of Humanity (p. 293). It ran thus:

Appeal to the friends and benefactors of humanity to support an institution intended to provide education and work for poor country children.

"I appeal to the friends and benefactors of humanity to help me to maintain an institution which I can no longer maintain alone.

"I have for a long time thought it probable that, under favourable circumstances, young children might be able to earn their own living without undue labour, provided that enough capital were advanced to organize an establishment, in which they would not only live, but at the same time receive a certain elementary education. I consider that any careful experiment in this direction would be of the highest importance for humanity.

"In the poor district in which I live, I have been struck by the misery of children placed with peasants by the parish. I have seen them crushed by hard selfishness, and left for the most part without spirit or energy, I might almost say without life in body or soul, and I have seen them grow up entirely devoid of those feelings and powers that make useful and upright men. As the situation of my property near Koenigsfelden seemed favourable for the purpose, I felt irresistibly impelled to put my idea into execution. I thought at first that my means would be sufficient, but I find now that they are not. Still, more than a year's experiment has convinced me that now that the first difficulties have been surmounted, there is nothing to prevent my plan being carried to a successful issue.

"I have proved that children will thrive and grow on the very simplest diet, if properly varied; such, for instance, as potatoes or other vegetables, and a little bread.

"I have proved that it is not regular work that stops the development of so many poor children, but the turmoil and irregularity of their lives, the privations they endure, the excesses they indulge in when the opportunity offers, the wild rebellious passions so seldom restrained, and the hopelessness to which they are so often a prey.

"I have proved that children, after having lost health, strength, and courage in a life of idleness and mendicity,

have, when once set to regular work, quickly recovered their health and spirits, and grown rapidly. Such is the effect of altered circumstances, and the absence of disquieting influences.

"I have found that when taken out of their abject condition, they soon become kindly, trustful, and sympathetic; that even the most degraded of them are touched by kindness, and that the eyes of the child who has been steeped in misery, grow bright with pleasure and surprise, when, after years of hardship, he sees a gentle friendly hand stretched out to help him; and I am convinced that when a child's heart is thus touched, his whole moral nature is the better for it.

"I have found, too, that living together in a well-managed house not only lessens the expense of supporting these children, but increases their zeal for work, and encourages their proper development.

"Had I but had the necessary means, I do not doubt but that I should have succeeded in my object and attained these two great and useful results: instruction adapted to the limited needs of ordinary workmen, and the rescue of children from the very lowest conditions of humanity. The boy who only grows up into a vagabond, perhaps a criminal; the girl, who, without guide or support, prepares for herself a life of misery and dishonour; all, in short, who would almost inevitably be lost both for themselves and their country, these are they whom I was anxious to save, and whom I wished to prepare by education for a useful and active life.

"From an economical point of view, and in many other respects, the position of my house and land seems admirably adapted for the purpose; but to this simple and feasible scheme of agricultural education I unfortunately joined a great industrial and commercial experiment, and with culpable thoughtlessness, entered on paths entirely unknown to me, and engaged in undertakings of too varied and complicated a character. These experiments did not answer my expectations, and I found myself suddenly deprived of resources on which I had thought I could depend, and in imminent danger of ruin. I had therefore to abandon commerce and industry, and return, not too late I hope, to my original idea of simply educating children.

"But to-day I can no longer do even that without help,

and I accordingly submit my plan to the friends and benefactors of humanity.

"My prayer is that they will advance me a small sum yearly, for six years. After the tenth year, the money will be paid back in yearly instalments from the earnings of the workmen I have trained.

"I promise that if I succeed in getting this help, I will abandon every other occupation, and devote my whole time and strength to the education of poor friendless children. I promise that the number of the children shall be regulated by the financial support I receive. I promise to teach them all to read, write, and cipher; I promise to give all the boys, so far as my position and knowledge will allow me, practical instruction in the most profitable methods of cultivating small plots of land, to teach them to lay down pasture-land, to understand the use and value of manures, to know the different sorts of grasses, and the importance of mixing them; the nature and use of marl; the effect, still disputed, of the repeated application of lime; the management of fruit-trees, and perhaps of a few forest trees. All this will come naturally out of the work connected with the actual needs of the house, and will not be a special study calling for increased expense. It will be the household needs, too, that will give the girls an opportunity of learning gardening, domestic duties, and needlework.

"The chief occupation in bad weather will be cottonspinning.

"I undertake to furnish all these children with suitable food, clothing, and lodging, and have already made many of the necessary alterations and arrangements in my house.

"I promise to give the most conscientious attention to their religious instruction, and to do all I can to put gentleness and purity into their hearts.

"I have still to add that in support of my views I can point to the twenty children who are now living and working with me. They are in perfect health, and their happiness, in spite of hard work, has surpassed my expectations. Their general cheerfulness and courage, and the delicate feeling and affection of which several of them have given proof, fill me with great hopes for the future. The care and expense of these children will continue to be mine alone."