52 Kant: A Biographyspeaks of the "leaden atmosphere of punishment" that pervaded the en¬
tire place.^101 Kant himself attested to this fact when he told Jachmann that
all of his teachers, with the exception of one, had tried but failed to keep
discipline by being very strict.^102 As Kant was industrious and diligent
and almost always finished the class as the "Primus" (the student with the
highest grades), he probably was not often punished.^103 However, if he
could not produce his schoolbooks because he had left them behind when
he stopped to play, he would have been chastised in some way.^104 Late in
his life he told a story about how "when he was still a student there, an in¬
solent boy came to the inspector Schiffert and asked: Is this the school of
the Pietists? Hearing this, the inspector gave him a solid beating, saying:
Now you know where the school of the Pietists is."^105 Even if Kant himself
never experienced corporal punishment firsthand, it was a part of his daily
experience.
During this period Kant also lost his mother. She died three years be¬
fore he left the school. From then on, he and his sisters and brother had
to rely on their father alone. The "leaden atmosphere" at school would have
been complemented by a less than joyful climate at home. It is no wonder
that Kant did not like to remember his school years.
At the end of his schooling, Emanuel was perfectly well qualified to
pursue a course of studies in theology, law, philosophy, or the classics.
While he could also have undertaken studies in medicine or the natural
sciences, he was neither as well prepared for these disciplines nor would
he have received much encouragement in school to pursue these studies.
On the other hand, the Collegium Fridericianum prepared him well for
the world of eighteenth-century Prussia. It provided a good foundation
for a career in the Lutheran Church or in the Prussian state under Fred¬
erick William I.
It was not an education that encouraged critical or independent thinking.
Though it was typical for the time, it probably had a greater emphasis on
obedience and discipline than did comparable schools in the rest of the
German countries. One of the most important ideals of Pietist education
was to instill self-discipline. Pietists were not just interested in controlling
the body, they also wanted to control the mind by implanting certain reli¬
gious and moral principles. They were aiming ultimately at "converting"
the students from "children of the world" to "children of God." To this
end, they felt it was necessary to educate not only the intellect, but also the
will. In fact, Francke, who inspired the Königsberg Pietists in their edu¬
cational practices, felt that