2.1 Barneveld
13
Fig. 2.1 The boarding school Benno in Barneveld. This illustration comes from Henriette
Hertzsprung–Kapteyn’s biography [1]
The Kapteyn children received the same treatment as the boys who attended
the boarding school; Jacobus later emphatically complained about the great
lack of love and attention from his parents, who were too busy caring for the
large group of boys. The Kapteyn children did not give each other any special
attention either; they treated each other like the other pupils, so that there
was no special bond between the brothers and sisters. The atmosphere at the
boarding school was stern and religious; there was a strict regime and people
studied hard and seriously. The old Kapteyn set himself the goal of shaping his
students ‘with the blessing of the Lord into virtuous and able men’. Every day
started at seven o’clock with a reading from the Bible before breakfast.
Jacobus Kapteyn proved to be an excellent pupil. He went through primary
school (at the school of his parents) in a short period of time and turned out
to have special talents. In J.C. Kapteyn; His life and works, his daughter tells us
that, as a boy of about ten years old, he was watching a game of chess between
his father and elder brother Hubert. The latter invited the boy to play a game
as well: Jacobus defeated his older brother in a quick game. And then a second
and a third time. The brother from then on refused to play chess with him.
And when a friend of the same brother once offered Jacobus to help with a
mathematical exercise, he turned out to be well ahead of this friend. Such
incidents happened more often and helped him to feel more and more isolated
and lonely. It undoubtedly explains, at least in part, the lack of friendship and
attention that he experienced during his childhood. His shyness also prevented
him from feeling at ease in the company of girls.
Kapteyn spent a lot of time in the library of the boarding school and developed, among other things, a great interest in animals. Throughout his life
he would entertain an extensive knowledge of and attention for birds. He rec-
13
Fig. 2.1 The boarding school Benno in Barneveld. This illustration comes from Henriette
Hertzsprung–Kapteyn’s biography [1]
The Kapteyn children received the same treatment as the boys who attended
the boarding school; Jacobus later emphatically complained about the great
lack of love and attention from his parents, who were too busy caring for the
large group of boys. The Kapteyn children did not give each other any special
attention either; they treated each other like the other pupils, so that there
was no special bond between the brothers and sisters. The atmosphere at the
boarding school was stern and religious; there was a strict regime and people
studied hard and seriously. The old Kapteyn set himself the goal of shaping his
students ‘with the blessing of the Lord into virtuous and able men’. Every day
started at seven o’clock with a reading from the Bible before breakfast.
Jacobus Kapteyn proved to be an excellent pupil. He went through primary
school (at the school of his parents) in a short period of time and turned out
to have special talents. In J.C. Kapteyn; His life and works, his daughter tells us
that, as a boy of about ten years old, he was watching a game of chess between
his father and elder brother Hubert. The latter invited the boy to play a game
as well: Jacobus defeated his older brother in a quick game. And then a second
and a third time. The brother from then on refused to play chess with him.
And when a friend of the same brother once offered Jacobus to help with a
mathematical exercise, he turned out to be well ahead of this friend. Such
incidents happened more often and helped him to feel more and more isolated
and lonely. It undoubtedly explains, at least in part, the lack of friendship and
attention that he experienced during his childhood. His shyness also prevented
him from feeling at ease in the company of girls.
Kapteyn spent a lot of time in the library of the boarding school and developed, among other things, a great interest in animals. Throughout his life
he would entertain an extensive knowledge of and attention for birds. He rec-