Page:The Great Didactic of John Amos Comenius (1896).pdf/112

 We now approach the question, “What was the effect of the personality and of the theoretic writings of Comenius on the generation that immediately succeeded him, and on the following century?” The answer is somewhat surprising. The man whom we unhesitatingly affirm to be the broadest-minded, the most far-seeing, the most comprehensive, and withal the most practical of all the writers who have put pen to paper on the subject of education, the man whose theories have been put into practice in every school that is conducted on rational principles, who embodies the materialistic tendencies of our “modern side” instructors, while avoiding the narrowness of their reforming zeal, who lays stress on the spiritual aspect of true education while he realises the necessity of equipping his pupils for the rude struggle with nature and with fellow-men-Comenius, we say, the prince of schoolmasters, produced practically no effect on the school organisation and educational development of the following century. His school-books, frequently reprinted, were thumbed for years to come by boys in every corner of Europe; but the theoretic works, The Great Didactic, The Newest Method of Languages, The Mother School, remained unknown and ineffective. For all the result that they produced, they might as well have perished in the flames at Lissa.

The cause of this is not far to seek. If we have laid stress on his entanglement with the prophet Drabik, the reason has been less the intrinsic value of that worthy’s revelations than their effect on the reputation of his unfortunate dupe. Comenius was not alone in believing them to be heaven-sent. As we have seen, the prophet had a large following. Few members of the Bohemian Church but had followed the example of their bishop, and put their faith in the misty fabrication; and throughout Europe, Protestants, if not convinced of its truth, awaited the future with interest.

Imagine the effect produced, when, eight months after Comenius’ death, Drabik formally retracted all the prophecies and went over to the Roman Catholic faith.