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THE

American Journal of Education.

Nos. 25, 26, 27, 28-VOLUME VII.-1872.

(Entire Series-Number 70, 71, 72, 73—Vol. XXIII.)

CONTENTS.

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GERMAN PEDAGOGY.-GOETHE.

GOETHE.

In the vast and varied literary production of the master-mind of German literature-extending over a period of seventy years of unprecedented activity in discussion, legislation, and administration in every department of the educational field, Goethe found occasion to touch on most of the problems, which occupied the attention of statesmen and educators among his cotemporaries.

Mr. Carlyle, in his Essay in the Foreign Review for 1828, on Goethe, dwells with earnest approbation on the chapters (the tenth and eleventh) of Wanderjahre, devoted to the nature, objects, and present ground of religious belief. "They come from the depths of his mind, and are not in their place till they reach the depths of ours. The wisest man, we believe, may see in them a reflex of his own wisdom; but to him who is still learning, they become as seeds of knowledge; they take root in the mind, and ramify as we meditate them, into a whole garden of thought." Forty years later, in his Address to the University of Edinburgh, on the occasion of his installation as Rector (fifty-six years after he entered that city a boy of not quite fourteen), when, with a beautiful enthusiasm, the third generation of his dear old native land welcomed him as, 'not altogether an unworthy laborer in the vineyard,' the Rector pronounces these ten pages "the most remarkable bit of writing which I have known to be executed in these late centuries. These I would rather have written, been able to write, than have written all the books that have appeared since I came into the world." Of these chapters, instead of attempting to give them in full, we will here introduce Mr. Carlyle's own version and epitome of them. We must confess to our inability to see either novelty or profundity of the wisdom which Mr. Carlyle finds secreted in them. The old New England schoolboy reverence was of the same type.

•Wanderjahre denotes the period which a German artisan is obliged by law or usage to pass in traveling, to perfect himself in his craft, after the conclusion of his Leherjahre (Apprenticeship), and before his mastership can begin. Most of the guilds extend help in some shape to the needy wandering brothers, as they travel from city to city, studying their future craft.

CULTIVATION OF REVERENCE.

We must fancy Wilhelm in the 'Pedagogic province,' proceeding towards the 'CHIEF, or the THREE,' with intent to place his son under their charge, in that wonderful region, where he was to see so many singularities.'

Wilhelm had already noticed that in the cut and color of the young people's clothes a variety prevailed, which gave the whole tiny population a peculiar aspect: he was about to question his attendant on this point, when a still stranger observation forced itself upon him: all the children, how employed soever, laid down their work, and turned, with singular yet diverse gestures, towards the party riding past them; or rather, as it was easy to infer, towards the Overseer, who was in it. The youngest laid their arms crosswise over their breasts, and looked cheerfully up to the sky; those of middle size held their hands on their backs, and looked smiling on the ground; the eldest stood with a frank and spirited air,-their arms stretched down, they turned their heads to the right, and formed themselves into a line; whereas the others kept separate, each where he chanced to be.

The riders having stopped and dismounted here, as several children, in their various modes, were standing forth to be inspected by the Overseer, Wilhelm asked the meaning of these gestures; but Felix struck-in and cried gaily: "What posture am I to take then ?" "Without doubt," said the Overseer, "the first posture: the arms over the breast, the face earnest and cheerful towards the sky." Felix obeyed, but soon cried: "This is not much to my taste; I see nothing up there: does it last long? But yes!" exclaimed he, joyfully, "yonder are a pair of falcons flying from the west to the east: that is a good sign, too?”—“As thou takest it, as thou behavest," said the other: "Now mingle among them as they mingle." He gave a signal, and the children left their postures, and again betook them to work or sport as before.

Wilhelm a second time 'asks the meaning of these gestures;' but the Overseer is not at liberty to throw much light on the matter; mentions only that they are symbolical, 'nowise mere grimaces, but have a moral purport, which perhaps the CHIEF or the THREE may farther explain to him.' The children themselves, it would seem, only know it in part; 'secrecy having many advantages; for when you tell a man at once and straightforward the purpose of any object, he fancies there is nothing in it.' By and by, however, having left Felix by the way, and parted with the Overseer, Wilhelm arrives at the abode of the Three 'who preside over sacred things,' and from whom farther satisfaction is to be looked for.

Wilhelm had now reached the gate of a wooded vale, surrounded with high walls on a certain sign, the little door opened, and a man of earnest, imposing look received our Traveler. The latter found himself in a large beautifully umbrageous space, decked with the richest foliage, shaded with trees and bushes of all sorts; while stately walls and magnificent buildings were discerned only in glimpses through this thick natural boscage. A friendly reception from the Three, who by and by appeared, at last turned into a general conversation, the substance of which we now present in an abbreviated shape.

"Since you intrust your son to us," said they, "it is fair that we admit you to a closer view of our procedure. Of what is external you have seen much that does not bear its meaning on its front. What part of this do you wish to have explained?"

"Dignified yet singular gestures of salutation I have noticed; the import of which I would gladly learn: with you, doubtless, the exterior has a reference to the interior, and inversely; let me know what this reference is."

"Well-formed healthy children," replied the Three, "bring much into the world along with them; Nature has given to each whatever he requires for time and duration; to unfold this is our duty; often it unfolds itself better of

* Carlyle's Critical and Miscellaneous Essays. Vol. I, 204.

its own accord. One thing there is, however, which no child brings into the world with him; and yet it is on this one thing that all depends for making man in every point a man. If you can discover it yourself, speak it out." Wilhelm thought a little while, then shook his head.

"Reverence!" Wilhelm

The Three, after a suitable pause, exclaimed, seemed to hesitate. "Reverence!" cried they, a second time. "All want it, perhaps yourself.”

"Three kinds of gestures you have seen; and we inculcate a threefold reverence, which, when commingled and formed into one whole, attains its full force and effect. The first is Reverence for what is Above us. That posture, the arms crossed over the breast, the look turned joyfully towards heaven; that is what we have enjoined on young children; requiring from them thereby a testimony that there is a God above, who images and reveals himself in parents, teachers, superiors. Then comes the second; Reverence for what is Under us. Those hands folded over the back, and, as it were, tied together; that down-turned smiling look, announce that we are to regard the earth with attention and cheerfulness: from the bounty of the earth we are nourished; the earth affords unutterable joys; but disproportionate sorrows she also brings us. Should one of our children do himself external hurt, blamably or blamelessly; should others hurt him accidentally or purposely; should dead involuntary matter do him hurt; then let him well consider it; for such dangers will attend him all his days. But from this posture we delay not to free our pupil, the instant we become convinced that the instruction connected with it has produced sufficient influence on him. Then, on the contrary, we bid him gather courage, and, turning to his comrades, range himself along with them. Now, at last, he stands forth, frank and bold; not selfishly isolated; only in combination with his equals does he front the world. Farther we have nothing to add."

"I see a glimpse of it!" said Wilhelm. "Are not the mass of men so marred and stinted, because they take pleasure only in the element of evil-wishing and evil-speaking? Whoever gives himself to this, soon comes to be indifferent towards God, contemptuous towards the world, spiteful towards his equals; and the true, genuine indispensable sentiment of self-estimation corrupts into self-conceit and presumption. Allow me, however," continued he, "to state one difficulty. You say that reverence is not natural to man: now has not the reverence or fear of rude people for violent convulsions of nature, or other inexplicable mysteriously foreboding occurrences, been heretofore regarded as the germ out of which a higher feeling, a purer sentiment, was by degrees to be developed ?"

"Nature is indeed adequate to fear," replied they, "but to reverence not adequate. Men fear a known or unknown powerful being; the strong seeks to conquer it, the weak to avoid it; both endeavor to get quit of it, and feel themselves happy when for a short season they have put it aside, and their nature has in some degree restored itself to freedom and independence. The ⚫ natural man repeats this operation millions of times in the course of his life; from fear he struggles to freedom; from freedom he is driven back to fear, and so makes no advancement. To fear is easy, but grievous; to reverence is difficult, but satisfactory. Man does not willingly submit himself to reverence, or rather he never so submits himself: it is a higher sense which must be communicated to his nature; which only in some favored individuals unfolds itself spontaneously, who on this account, too, have of old been looked upon as Saints and Gods. Here lies the worth, here lies the business of all true Religions, whereof there are likewise only three, according to the objects towards which they direct our devotion."

The men paused; Wilhelm reflected for a time in silence; but feeling in himself no pretension to unfold these strange words, he requested the Sages to proceed with their exposition. They immediately complied. "No Religion that grounds itself on fear," said they, "is regarded among us. With the reverence to which a man should give dominion in his mind, he can, in paying honor, keep his own honor; he is not disunited with himself as in the former The Religion which depends on Reverence for what is Above us, we denominate the Ethnic; it is the Religion of the Nations, and the first happy deliverance from a degrading fear: all Heathen religions, as we call them, are

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