Student and Private Teacher 97to be godfather during this period. Though the pastor's family spoke Ger¬
man, Kant also had to speak French to at least some of the members of the
congregation. If so inclined, he could have practiced his French quite
easily.^161 He also had to attend some of the services at the Reformed
Church, and while Andersch was probably no great theologian, his ser¬
mons were different from those of the Königsberg Pietists. Given the dif¬
ferences between strict Lutheran and Reformed Protestants — differences
that for a long time prevented anyone belonging to the Reformed Church
from taking an oath of allegiance to the University of Königsberg - it is
significant that Kant allowed himself to become a godfather to someone
from the Reformed Church.
After three years in this community, Kant left to enter the services of
von Hülsen, a Prussian knight who owned a large estate near Arnsberg. The
town was located approximately sixty miles southwest of Königsberg.^162
There, Kant instructed the three older sons of the family, probably for
several years. This family liked him, for after he left, they continued to
write to him and to "make him a participant in any interesting occasion in
the family."^163 When he was back in Königsberg (August 10, 1754) Kant
sent them two textbooks in history and Latin as well as pictures for the
youngest two boys, asking that everyone be "a good example" to this "little
fine man," who was born in 17 50.^164 Two of the sons later lodged with Kant
when they studied at the University of Königsberg, and Kant later recom¬
mended teachers for the children of one of his former charges.
Kant himself thought that he was probably the worst private teacher, or
Hofmeister, who ever lived. "One of his most unpleasant" dreams was that
he was again such a teacher. He also admitted that the profession of a
teacher "always appeared [to him] as the most bothersome." But he was very
likely a better teacher than he thought.^165 The way in which the families
of his pupils stayed in contact with him suggests that they thought him to
be a good teacher and a good person. Their friendly overtures also suggest
that he probably did not have to suffer the ignominies that many poor pri¬
vate teachers had to endure in noble families.
During his time as a Hofmeister, Kant not only polished his manners and
his skills in polite society, but also pursued independent studies. We do not
know how much time Kant had for private study, but Borowski claims that
he drew up the basic outline of some of his later works during this period
and even produced drafts of parts of them: "he collected in his miscellanies
from all the parts of human knowledge all that seemed somehow useful to