And, like St. Francis, we have believed that by carrying the hard and barren stones...

"And, like St. Francis, we have believed that by carrying the hard and barren stones of the experimental laboratory to the old and crumbling walls of the school, we might rebuild it.  We have looked upon the aids offered by the materialistic and mechanical sciences with the same hopefulness with which St. Francis looked upon the squares of granite, which he must carry upon his shoulders." Maria Montessori, The Montessori Method, Chapter 1, p.6-7, Schocken Books, Inc., 1964.