One day the great pedagogue was obliged to borrow five hundred gulden from his friend, the burgomaster of Aarau. On his way home to Neuhof, he met a poor man, who told him that his barn had burned down and that he had been to Aarau to borrow the money to rebuild it, but had met with no success. What was the philanthropist to do! He gave the man the five hundred gulden. Of course it was necessary to return to his friend and borrow the same sum over again, and also to ask him to look the family up, but—now he came to think of it—he had never even asked the man’s name.
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.”
Caught for a Thief
Another time Pestalozzi was caught by a guard, just as he had climbed into an orchard and picked up a fallen pear. The looks of the poorly dressed stranger justified the man’s action, who collared him and took him to the village lock-up which was in the schoolhouse. As luck would have it, the magistrate had read Pestalozzi’s “Lienhart and Gertrud,” and set the author at liberty with many excuses. On leaving the great pedagogue said: “In future, do not lock up old rogues in your schoolhouse or you will have young ones come from it.”
His Awkwardness
One day Pestalozzi was at a large dinner. He wished to be gallant, and, on offering a dish to his neighbor on the right, a lady dressed very elaborately, emptied the contents of it over her silk dress. To excuse himself he rose, and his hasty movement caused his spur to catch in the dress of his neighbor to the left, tearing it badly. This was more than he could stand. With one bound he rushed to the door, hurried down-stairs, out to the stable, mounted his horse and galloped off.
Melanchthon’s Hobby
Philipp Melanchthon’s hobby was palmistry. One day he dined with one of Wittenberg’s councilmen. The infant of the family was shown to him, and Melanchthon was ready at once to prove his skill. He took the tiny hand and said: “This child will be a great theologian.”