[Footnote 7]: "Arise, my heart and spirit," and "It costs one much (it is a difficult task) to be a Christian."
[Footnote 8]: Christoph Froebel is here meant. He studied at the University of Jena.
[Footnote 9]: In this case Froebel's usually accurate judgment of his own character seems at fault; his opinions being always most decided, even to the point of sometimes rendering him incapable of fairly appreciating the views of others.
[Footnote 10]: Froebel is alluding to his undertaking the education of his brother Christoph's sons, in November 1816, when he finally decided to devote his life to the cause of education.
[Footnote 11]: At the time Froebel was writing this autobiographical letter (1827), and seeking thereby to enlist the Duke of Meiningen's sympathies in his work, in order to found a fresh institution at Helba, he was undergoing what was almost a persecution at Keilhau. All associations of progressive men were frowned upon as politically dangerous, and Keilhau, amongst the rest, was held in suspicion. Somewhat of this is seen in the interesting account by Barop further on ("Critical Moments at Keilhau").
[Footnote 12]: Herr Hoffmann, a clergyman, representing the State in Church matter for the district of Stadt-Ilm; a post somewhat analogous to that of our archdeacon.
[Footnote 13]: Equal to an English middle-class school.
[Footnote 14]: The Ilm, flowing through Thuringia into the Saale, a tributary of the Elbe. Oberweissbach is upon the Schwarza, also flowing into the Saale. Weimar stands upon the Ilm, Jena upon the Saale.
[Footnote 15]: Superintendents. The ephors of ancient Sparta amongst their duties had that of the superintendence of education, whence the German title.
[Footnote 16]: This story is not now popular, but its nature is sufficiently indicated in the text.