Taken for a Tramp
Several times Pestalozzi, on account of his negligent appearance, was taken for a tramp and locked up, once at Bern, and later on at Solothurn; at both places he was taken to the hospital. At Bern, Baron von Fellenberg, to whom he sent a note, hastened to the hospital to explain the error made and secure his release. Pestalozzi comforted his distressed friend by telling him that he had had a very good bed and an excellent soup. In Solothurn, they put him in a room with a barred window, from which, luckily, he saw the friend he was to visit, and by calling to him, told him of his plight. “But, for goodness’ sake, Pestalozzi, what did they lock you up for?” asked his liberator.
“Oh well,” replied he, “they took me for a fool or a rogue.”