evening before the birthday, the Major and Charlotte were sitting
together expecting Edward, who had gone out for a ride; Mittler was
walking up and down the saloon; Ottilie was in her own room, laying out
the dress which she was to wear on the morrow, and making signs to her
maid about a number of things, which the girl, who perfectly understood
her silent language, arranged as she was ordered.

Mittler had fallen exactly on his favorite subject. One of the points on
which he used most to insist was, that in the education of children, as
well as in the conduct of nations, there was nothing more worthless and
barbarous than laws and commandments forbidding this and that action.
"Man is naturally active," he said, "wherever he is; and if you know how
to tell him what to do, he will do it immediately, and keep straight in
the direction in which you set him. I myself, in my own circle, am far
better pleased to endure faults and mistakes, till I know what the
opposite virtue is that I am to enjoin, than to be rid of the faults and
to have nothing good to put in their place. A man is really glad to do
what is right and sensible, if he only knows how to get at it. It is no
such great matter with him; he does it because he must have something to
do, and he thinks no more about it afterward than he does of the
silliest freaks which he engaged in out of the purest idleness. I cannot
tell you how it annoys me to hear people going over and over those Ten
Commandments in teaching children. The fifth is a thoroughly beautiful,
rational, preceptive precept. 'Thou shalt honor thy father and thy
mother.' If the children will inscribe that well upon their hearts, they
have the whole day before them to put it in practice. But the sixth now?
What can we say to that? 'Thou shalt do no murder;' as if any man ever
felt the slightest general inclination to strike another man dead. Men
will hate sometimes; they will fly into passions and forget themselves;
and as a consequence of this or other feelings, it may easily come now
and then to a murder; but what a barbarous precaution it is to tell
children that they are not to kill or murder! If the commandment ran,
'Have a regard for the life of another--put away whatever can do him
hurt--save him though with peril to yourself--if you injure him,
consider that you are injuring yourself;'--that is the form which should
be in use among educated, reasonable people. And in our Catechism
teaching we hav