Linhart and Guttag (Volume 1)

Author: Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi (Switzerland)
Publisher:
Publishing Date: Not available
Features: A kind-hearted man, yet his wife and children suffer greatly. In the town of Pfullendorf, there lived a mason named Lindauer. His wife's name was Goodwife. He had seven children, and his wages were quite good. However, he had one weakness—he was often tempted by taverns. As soon as he sat down in a tavern, his behavior became as foolish as that of a madman. There were originally some cunning and hateful rascals in our town who relied on others' food and drink, secretly scheming against honest and simple-minded people, robbing them of all their money. These rascals knew Lindauer was honest and often lured him to drink, and used gambling to deprive him of the hard-earned money he had worked for. But Lindauer would regret his losses in the morning after drinking at night, seeing his wife Goodwife and children hungry would only deepen his sorrow, trembling and crying, swallowing back his tears. Goodwife was the most virtuous wife in the town; yet because Lindauer could never give up drinking, she and her lovely children fell into danger. Their father was robbed, their family was about to be torn apart, and they would be pushed into the abyss. Goodwife felt that great misfortune was about to befall her, and her heart was filled with extreme sorrow. Sometimes she would go to the meadow to cut grass, sometimes to the pit to gather dry hay, and sometimes to pour milk into a clean pail—alas, no matter where she was, the more she thought, the more afraid she became, as if the meadow, the hay, and half the thatched roof might all collapse. If the children were around her, fighting to get close to her knees, her sorrow would only grow deeper. Each time, tears would stream down her cheeks. Until now, she could often hide her tears from her children; but one day, she could no longer. That was on the Wednesday before Easter, which was a great holiday in the town, yet her husband had not returned home. This joke was simply too much for her, and the children finally noticed her uncontrolled tears. "Oh, Mom," they all shouted in unison, "you're crying!" and they all rushed into her arms. Each little face showed worry and fear. Around the mother, there were anxious groans, great terror, and tears silently flowing. Even the infant in her arms showed a sorrowful emotion that was strange to her even then. The baby's worried and fearful expression, along with his lifeless, staring eyes, looked at his mother with a stiff, unnatural, and fearful gaze. All this truly shattered the mother's heart. Then, the mother's grievances burst into a great cry, and all the children, including the infant, joined her in weeping. It was a terrible wail of sorrow. Just then, Lindauer happened to open the door and enter. At that moment, Goodwife was lying on the bed, too distraught to hear the door open or see anyone enter, and the children did not notice their father's arrival. They were only focused on looking at their crying mother, holding her arms, hugging her neck, and pulling at her clothes. Lindauer entered and saw this scene. God has pity on the tears of the afflicted, and sorrow found an end. Goodwife's tears moved God with compassion! God's compassion led Lindauer to witness this tragic scene, filling him with shock and trembling. His face turned ashen, he was out of breath, and he stammered, "Oh, Lord Jesus, what is happening here?" At that moment, the mother saw her father, and the children saw their father, and the wail of sorrow suddenly ceased. "Mom, Dad's back!" the children all shouted in unison; now even the infant stopped crying. Just like a roaring mountain flood or a raging wildfire passing by, the violent terror had vanished, and quiet, tender care began. Goodwife had always loved Lindauer deeply, and as long as he was around, even the deepest sorrow she felt would lighten. And Lindauer, at that moment, had completely recovered from the earlier shock. P14-15