FELL FELLENBERG. 



159 



species, under the appellation of Cleavelandite, in 

 honour of professor Cleaveland, of Bowdoin college. 

 This mineral cleaves parallel to the planes of a 

 doubly oblique prism of 119 30', 115, and 93 30 7 . 

 It occurs in thin rhombic tables, variously replaced 

 upon their lateral edges, and transparent ; also mas- 

 sive the individuals being compressed, and giving 

 to the composition a lamellar appearance. Lustre, 

 hardness and colour similar to feldspar ; brittle ; 

 specific gravity, from 2-61 to 2'68: composition of a 

 specimen from Chesterfield silica, 70'68 ; alumine, 

 19-80 ; soda, 9-06 ; lime, 0'23 ; oxide of iron, and 

 manganese, I'll. For Labrador feldspar, see Labra- 

 dorite. 



FELL, FIELL, and FIELD, is a Scandinavian 

 word, signifying rock ; as, Dofrefiell, sad rocks. 



FELLENBtRG, EMANUEL VON, the celebrated 

 founder of the institution for the improvement of 

 education and agriculture at Hofwyl, in the canton 

 of Berne, in Switzerland, was born in 1771. His 

 father was a man of patrician rank, of the city of 

 Berne, and, in consequence, a member of the govern- 

 ment. His mother, a grand-daughter of the cele- 

 brated admiral Van Tromp, appears to have been 

 distinguished no less for enlarged benevolence than 

 for sincere piety, and to have exerted an important 

 influence on his character and usefulness. The 

 unshrinking devotedness with which she encountered 

 and sustained considerable personal injury, to snatch 

 her son from a sudden danger at the age of three or 

 four years, left a permanent impression on his mind 

 of the excellence of such conduct. She seized every 

 occasion, which the recollection of history or passing 

 events afforded, to urge upon him the duty of reliev- 

 ing the unfortunate, and called upon him to unite 

 with her to ask the divine aid in executing the resolu- 

 tions which he formed on this subject at an early age. 

 The details which she often gave of the public 

 services of her grandfather in Holland, in connexion 

 with the memorials presented by his country, which 

 she still retained, awakened a spirit of patriotism ; 

 and the ardent feelings she exhibited in his presence 

 in favour of the Americans, during their struggle for 

 independence, excited in him a peculiar interest in 

 that country. He was confirmed in these feelings by 

 the example of his father, whom he describes as fre- 

 quently returning from the council-hall, fatigued, and 

 almost disheartened by the failure of efforts to 

 promote salutary measures, and charging him to live 

 for his country. It is to these impressions of his 

 childhood that Fellenberg ascribes, in a great 

 measure, his subsequent character and destination. 

 At the age of fifteen, he was placed under the instruc- 

 tion of the celebrated blind poet Pfeffel, at Colmar. 

 On his return to Switzerland, an address, delivered 

 by his father, as president of the Helvetic society, on 

 the importance of education, excited in his mind a 

 deep interest on this subject. The intimacy of his 

 father with Pestalozzi, whom he early learned to revere 

 for his genius and benevolence, strengthened this 

 interest, and probably contributed much to give to 

 his efforts the direction they have taken. On his 

 return to his native city, at the age of sixteen, he 

 found the pursuits and character of the young men 

 of his own age so frivolous and corrupt, that lie 

 abandoned their society for his study, notwithstand- 

 ing the petty persecutions to which this conduct 

 subjected him. In order to improve his health, wlu'ch 

 had been impaired by study, he gave up the delica- 

 cies of his father's table for very simple fare, and 

 employed other means to liarden his constitution. 

 He endeavoured to render himself independent of 

 artificial wants, and devoted to benevolent objects 

 the money wasted by his companions in luxury and 

 amusement. He soon begged his father's permis- 



sion to seek a situation more favourable for the 

 pursuit of his studies, and preparation for future use- 

 fulness to his country. After repeated experiment, 

 he was keenly disappointed at finding no where 

 that elevated view of the subject and the objects of 

 education which he anticipated and desired, as an aid 

 to the completion of his own, and felt the need of 

 some regenerating influence on the mass of society. 



At this period, the effects of a pious education 

 were strikingly visible in his preservation from the 

 influence of that spirit of infidelity which then spread 

 like a flood over the face of Europe. His own faith 

 in revelation never wavered ; and so confident was 

 he that no reflecting men could resist the evidence 

 of Christianity, that he spent months of fruitless 

 discussion in the residence of an unbeliever, on the 

 banks of the lake of Zurich, with the persuasion that 

 he should convince him of his error. For ten years 

 subsequent to this period, he made it a leading object 

 to acquaint himself with the state of the people of his 

 country, in order to learn how he could be most use- 

 ful to it. For this purpose, he occupied a great 

 deal of his time in travelling through Switzerland, 

 usually on foot, with his knapsack on his back, 

 residing in the villages and farm-houses, mingling in 

 the labours and occupations, and partaking of the 

 rude lodging and fare of the peasants and mechanics, 

 and often extending his journey to surrounding 

 countries. In 1790, he went to the university of 

 Tubingen, to complete his studies in civil law, where 

 he still distinguished himself by a spirit of research, 

 and, not satisfied with the public lectures, received 

 private lessons from his professor. 



Immediately after the fall of Robespierre, in 1795, 

 he visited Paris. Here he often attended the ses. 

 sions of the committee of instruction, and had his 

 interest in the subject still further excited by the 

 noble spirit of Gre'goire and other philanthropic 

 members of the committee, who seemed like beacons 

 in the midst of this ocean of tumult and corruption. 

 During his residence in Paris, he perceived the storm 

 which was impending over Switzerland, from the 

 schemes of the French revolutionists, and returned 

 to warn his countrymen against it. He urged the 

 sacrifice of some of the oppressive claims and exclu- 

 sive privileges of the patricians, as the only means of 

 averting it. But his predictions were disbelieved, 

 and his warnings disregarded. 



At the approach of the French troops, in 1798, to 

 overthrow the government of Switzerland, he was 

 active in raising and leading on the levy en masse, 

 from Lucerne, to resist them. But Berne was taken, 

 and the cause lost, before any efficient force could be 

 organized. Fellenberg was proscribed, a price was 

 set upon his head, and he was compelled to fly to 

 Germany. At this time, he sent some of his funds 

 to the United States, as a resource, in case of the 

 utter ruin of affairs at home, and had some intention 

 of coming himself. He was, however, recalled to 

 Switzerland soon aftenvards, and sent on a mission 

 to Paris, to remonstrate against the rapacious and 

 oppressive conduct of the agents of the French 

 republic. He was instrumental in procuring the 

 recall of one of the most profligate ; but the utter 

 disregard of principle and honesty, which pervaded 

 the public men and public measures of the day, dis- 

 gusted him with the diplomatic career, and he re- 

 signed his office. 



For a short period after his return home, he occu- 

 pied a public station ; but the want of faith and 

 public spirit which he found on the part of the govern 

 MICH! , in executing measures whose direction had 

 been committed to him, confirmed his disgust with 

 political life, and he resolved to abandon it entirely, 

 until a better day should dawn upon his country. 



