The Caxtons: A Family Picture — Volume 02

At twelve, the narrator has already exhausted the modest lessons of his preparatory school and feels a renewed, vigorous hunger for knowledge. Encouraged by a father who values learning but warns against letting books become a master, he prepares to leave the familiar halls for a place that promises more than rote memorisation. The new prospect is Dr. Herman’s “Philhellenic Institute,” a school that promises to reshape the very way a mind is formed.

Dr. Herman—a former German music‑master turned educational reformer—has built a curriculum that mixes classical languages with chemistry, engineering, natural history and even gymnastics. His disdain for outdated spelling drills and corporal punishment fuels a lively, eclectic classroom where pupils are urged to use their eyes, ears and limbs as tools of learning. The institute’s bustling atmosphere and bold methods promise to broaden the young scholar’s horizons, even as the growing number of students begins to test the limits of Herman’s ideals.