Leiden und Freuden eines Schulmeisters

Jeremias Gotthelf (1797-1854) was the pseudonym of the Swiss writer and pastor Albert Bitzius. His novels reflect the rural life of the 19th century with a sometimes shocking realism. With just a few strong, powerful words, he was able to describe people and landscapes. Gotthelf had a unique ability among writers of his time to incorporate both Christian and humanistic demands into his work.

From the book: "I did not contradict the pastor. But once he was gone, all sorts of things came to mind that I should have said to him. Then the farmers themselves came after me, slandering terribly that I wanted to lead them away from the true faith and probably had never read the Bible. If the sun stood still, then Joshua would not have called for it to stand still, and we would see it both day and night, they said. And whoever teaches that the earth goes around, their head goes around too, but not the earth. If we went around and were underneath at night, then there would be no water left in any trough by morning, and the water is the same in the morning and in the evening.".