SYBEL, THE GERMAN TEACHER. 227

seemed to start from the long sleep of every-day life
to a romantic interest, which we can scarcely compre-
hend. This inspiration was wonderfully breathed into
the youth of the country. Arnold Sybel, at ten
years of age, already longed to be a soldier, and wrote
patriotic verses. To understand what. follows, it is
necessary to refer to the associations of the Turnleben,
as it was called. These institutions were intended to
revive the spirit of chivalry, in a fanciful connection
with patriotism, manly vigour, and religion: a truly
German conception, which resulted in much good and
much evil. They stimulated the youthful mind in an
unexampled degree, raising it to a seriousness, ardour,
and precocious heroism, which had extraordinary fasci-
nations, At twelve years of age, Sybel began to visit
these earnest and awakening meetings, which were
spread over a large part of Germany, under the influ-
ence of Jahn, who was a type of German enthusiasm.
Here boys were trained to sacrifice everything on the
altar of the Katherland ; and, after serving in the army
against the invader, many of them returned to the Turn-
platz, to throw fresh warmth into the circulation. It
was a part of this beautiful dream, to restore the
national integrity, to revive old German simplicity and
valour, to cherish a tender brotherhood, and to connect
all this with a sort of religion, which, however latitu-
dinarian in tenets, was full of passion. The -youth was
introduced to a band of ardent associates; to a series