(XIII,9) Wilhelm Karl Otto Wessel (XIII,9) Teacher The following notes were taken from Wilhelm of clergymen or former clergymen. There was much Wessel’s own biography. reading and still more writing. There was no basic Wilhelm, like both of his siblings, was born in instruction in geometry and singing. Although the Brenkenhof, Pommern, during an especially severe language used in teaching was high German, the verbal and snowy winter on 14 Jan 1881. On the day of exchange with the teacher was in low German. The his baptism, which took place at the parental home children addressed the teacher with “Schoolmaster.” on 16 Feb 1881, and was performed by the pastor of Mr Eggert began his well-deserved retirement Gramzow, a very old gentleman, another snowstorm Easter 1888; but he had no successor. The teaching blanketed the area. Godparents were the three oldest position offered such low wages that no one applied. residents of Brenkenhof: the teacher Friedrich Eggert, The school fees were suspended on 14 June 1888, and the colonist Friedrich Ketz, a farm neighbor, and the the State paid an annual salary subsidy of 400 Marks. colonist Johann Lorenz of the last farm at the west end Teachers of Wussentin and Medow instructed all classes of the village. All of them had white hair. simultaneously in Brenkenhof for three hours every An accident almost afternoon during the summer. cost little Wilhelm his life The local ecclesiastical during his early years. A school inspector tried another deep manure, pit filled with solution for this problem. The water, was located in the new oldest son of the teacher barn where later, the feeding Saare of Medow attended the station was. When Wilhelm teacher’s seminary in Pölitz, was on his way to Mr Witt, a but he had to quit after a while neighbor, the boy slipped on because of incompetence. the loamy soil and skidded Thereafter he enlisted in the helplessly down in the pit. armed forces and sought to Miraculously he got caught in obtain a position as a public the branches of a willow bush servant after the completion of which had grown down to the his military service in 12 years. water surface; his father, who He was discharged from the saw the accident, came to military after a few years, rescue him. because he had developed After reaching his 6th lung tuberculosis. After his year of life, he was enrolled discharge, he received a in school. The school was document which entitled him located at the east side of the to apply for a position in the old shepherd’s house, that civil service, on the basis of his was not needed after 1836, knowledge and abilities. The when the communal properties local school inspector was of were given to private hands. the opinion that Karl Saare One of Wilhelm’s godfathers, was qualified for the teacher’s Friedrich Eggert, was the position in Brenkenhof, since school director. He had not Wilhelm Wessel Teacher his predecessor was a cotton yet attended a teacher’s Wussentin, Pommern weaver who filled the position seminary; because such an for decades, and the new institution did not exist when he began his teaching applicant who had served in the military would mean career. He belonged to the guild of industrial arts somewhat of an improvement, since he had received teachers and was a cotton weaver. The salaries were some education at the teacher’s seminary. His illness so miserably low that the cost of living expenses had was ignored. Saare began his teaching position in to be paid by the guild instead of by the school. Every Brenkenhof during the winter semester of 1888–89. He child, regardless of how many there were in a family was challenged, since he was required to pass his first or from what social background, had to pay a monthly teacher’s examination pro loco (at the location). The fee of 12½ Pfennigs. Total enrollment was between time of the exam arrived, but Saare did not pass this 30 and 40 children and the monthly fees amounted to examination before the government official. He had to about 5.00 Marks at most. In addition, a free apartment resign and his brother Martin, who had also attended and the use of seven Morgen acreage, which abutted the teacher’s seminary, took his place. He also suffered the school property on the north, were provided. The from lung disease. instruction consisted mainly of religious subjects. This Because the enrollment of students in was not surprising, since the supervisors consisted Brenkenhof had shrunk to seven, the ecclesiastical – 289 – (XIII,9) school inspector ordered the closure of the school. Because life at the boarding school did not The children should be sent to the school in Medow. agree with him, it was hard for him to keep up with the The parents responded with a school strike. The instruction for the time being. Nevertheless, he was representative of the legislature, Mr Frentz-Tramstow, easily promoted after one year and was admitted to negotiated with the education minister and obtained the seminary examination after three years’ study. He permission to continue the local school. However, the passed it with flying colors and was transferred to the village was obligated to build a new school house and a teacher’s seminary in Pölitz. The house rules of the farm building with no subsidies from the state. A teacher boarding school were very strict. Time to get up in the from Preetzen, a Mr Glave, instructed the children for morning was at 5:30 during the summer, and a half hour three hours daily during this time. later in winter. Instruction began at 7 o’clock, ending On 1 April Ewald Bartelt of Woserow near at noon. This was followed by a communal lunch and Anklam, who just had finished his seminary studies, free time from 1 to 3 o’clock. Instruction resumed at 3 took over the school in Brenkenhof. He was transferred p.m. and lasted until 5 p.m. From 5 to 7 p.m. there was after three months and the almost 70-year-old Wilhelm again free time, followed by self-study until 9:30. This Schuhmacher of Langkafel near Naugard took over. was followed by a brief evening devotion and bedtime Thus Wilhelm Wessel in eight years had eight different at 10 p.m. Each room was occupied by 8 seminarians teachers. In order to fully utilize the many hours of from the three classes, and the seminarians of all three schooling, the old teacher told the children to count all classes slept in a communal hall. The study was very the words of their resp. reading assignments and group intensive, and the need to live close together created a them into one, two, three and poly-syllabic words, to see real collegiality. how many of each were among them. The total had to Wilhelm passed the first teacher’s exam on 7 agree with the number of words contained in the resp. March 1901 with an above average grade. Since all of story. This was supposedly a training for accuracy. the students were in their 19th year of life, the mustering This extremely poor education was very was held at the military district command in Stettin detrimental for Wilhelm, as he himself had stated. Since after the graduation. 95% were declared fit for military he was considered fairly gifted for the circumstances in service, the remaining 5% had insufficient eyesight. Brenkenhof, he opined that the others were less gifted Public schoolteachers either served voluntarily for one than he; the one-eyed man in the realm of the blind year or actively (by being drafted) for one year; which would be king. There were 40 students. The decision meant either at own expense or being paid by the to choose an occupation became a priority after his State. There was no difference in training. To spare confirmation. His father had noted Wilhelm’s talent for his parents the expense of 1,000 Marks, Wilhelm was woodworking very early on and encouraged him in his drafted. He was assigned to the Fusilier Regiment No. endeavors. The saw mill work of his forefathers was 34 in Bromberg on 1 April 1901. The drill took place still in his blood. The millers had to build their mills with the II. Battalion. The draftees had their quarters at themselves, which required skills in construction. As a the military barracks and were assigned to the non-com boy Wilhelm made a big model of a windmill with sails officers’ quarters, while the volunteers were allowed to and cog wheels, which he took with him to the pasture live privately in the city and could eat wherever they when he tended the cows from August to October. wanted. The draftees had to clean their uniforms While his parents believed that the boy should become themselves while the volunteers could hire a cleaner. a master mason (bricklayer), the pastor advised that he The time of military service wasn’t too difficult should take up the teacher’s profession. He prevailed, physically, all of the enlistees were good gymnasts. In not only because the teacher’s profession was then a order to allow time for participating in cultural events, promising career but also that the mother worried about leave was granted until midnight. Bromberg had a very the hard competition which he would have to face as a good theater for the “furtherance of the Germanness master mason. in the easterly provinces”, and Wilhelm often attended The education to become a teacher was fairly the performances.