break off your conversation, no matter what may be the rank of the person
who is speaking to you," and who also directed that the child should
receive not only love but respect. The first postulate shows that he
valued the demands of the soul far above social forms. Thus it happened
that during the first years of the institute, which he then governed
himself, he was reproached with paying too little attention to the
outward forms, the "behaviour," the manners of the boys entrusted to his
care. His characteristic answer was: "I place no value on these forms
unless they depend upon and express the inner self. Where that is
thoroughly trained for life and work, externals may be left to
themselves, and will supplement the other." The opponent admits this,
but declares that the Keilhau method, which made no account of outward
form, may defer this "supplement" in a way disastrous to certain
pupils. Froebel's answer is: "Certainly, a wax pear can be made much
more quickly and is just as beautiful as those on the tree, which require
a much longer time to ripen. But the wax pear is only to look at, can
barely be touched, far less could it afford refreshment to the thirsty
and the sick. It is empty--a mere nothing! The child's nature, it is
said, resembles wax. Very well, we don't grudge wax fruits to any one
who likes them. But nothing must be expected from them if we are ill and
thirsty; and what is to become of them when temptations and trials come,
and to whom do they not come? Our educational products must mature
slowly, but thoroughly, to genuine human beings whose inner selves will
be deficient in no respect. Let the tailor provide for the clothes."

Froebel himself was certainly very careless in the choice of his. The
long cloth coat in which I always saw him was fashioned by the village
tailor, and the old gentleman probably liked the garment because half a
dozen children hung by the tails when he crossed the court-yard. It
needed to be durable; but the well-fitting coats worn by Barop and