ABSTRACT

John Frederic Oberlin took great pleasure in conducting his guests through the house and explaining the exhibits. He liked especially to linger over an optical illusion that he often used as a visual aid in his pastoral function as a marriage counsellor. Although Oberlin had an abundance of friends, there were also people who considered him their enemy, for like any man who has ever set out to reform his fellow men or to improve their condition, Oberlin met with opposition from many of those he was trying to help. Oberlin gave him much charitable assistance in order to enable him to pay all his debts, but the man accepted all that he got from him and from others as if it were owed to him and did not pay his bills. Finally Oberlin turned the promissory note over to the bailiff for collection.