From the tops of the high mountains near by I used to rejoice in the
clear and still sunset, in the pine-forests, the glaciers, the mountain
meadows, all bathed in rosy light. Such an evening walk came indeed to
be an almost irresistible necessity to me after each actively-spent day.
As I wandered on the sunlit, far-stretching hills, or along the still
shore of the lake, clear as crystal, smooth as a mirror, or in the shady
groves, under the tall forest trees, my spirit grew full with ideas of
the truly god-like nature and priceless value of a man's soul, and I
gladdened myself with the consideration of mankind as the beloved
children of God. There is no question but that Pestalozzi's general
addresses, especially those delivered in the evening, when he used to
delight in evoking a picture of noble manliness and true love of mankind
and developing it in all its details, very powerfully contributed
towards arousing such an inner life as that just described.
Yet I did not lose myself in empty fancies; on the contrary, I kept my
practical work constantly before my eyes. From thinking about my dead
parents my thoughts would wander back over the rest of my family,
turning most often to that dear eldest brother of mine, who has now not
been referred to for some time in these pages.
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