Omaha daily bee., 1899-01-29

meant $500 a year for three years, to be
spent at London or Edinburgh, as l might
elect. / chose London, not so much Tor
any educational advantages as because l
had been stepped in English history ana l
wanted to see and know the famous city.
Lake all the Canadian youth of the time, l
knew my British history thoroughly, bu. OF
American history l knew nothing at all.
For a youth brought up as / had been,
London was naturally a great revelation
The university was the center for the ad-
vanced scientific thought of the time. l
was plunged at once into Darwinian biology,
Spencerian philosophy and the teachings or
Huxley and Tyndall. I had grown up with
some pretty orthodox beliefs, which 1 found
very rudely handled by those great teach
ers. To a young man WHO had seriously
Thought OF the ministry as a vocation 1T
was nothing less than a terrible ordeal. For
a time / did not know what to believe. l
almost lost belief in everything. But l
determined to go through with it, to learn
the truth, whether it seemed good or bad to
me.
In my second year I got some light on
the questions that were perplexing me from
James Martineau. He was not attached to
the University of London, but was lectur-
ing to Unitarian divinity students in Man
chester college, then in Gordon square, but
since removed to Oxford. l got permits
sion to attend his lectures, and n the win
ter OF 1S76-77 ! got a great deal of good out
of them, for it was then that Martineau
delivered the lectures which have since been
published in the two stately volumes OF his
ethics. He delivered them before two di-
vinity students, a Miss Macintosh and
myself.
Interested in Philosophy.
at was at this time that l first became
deeply interested In philosophy, and came
to the conclusion that the study and teach
ing OF the great truths with which 1t deals
would be the most satisfactory work that !
could undertake. Therefore, for the third
year of my course, ] decided to go to Edin-
burgh, which was still regarded throughout
the length and breadth of the kingdom as
the very home Of philosophy.
During my stay in Edinburgh I learned
Of the Hibbard travelling fellowship which
had Just been established. 1t offered 81, 900
a year for philosophical study anywhere on
the continent that the holder might elect.
1t was open to all graduates in the United
Kingdom, and / saw that this was just
what l needed to round out my philosophical
education, and determined to try for it.
hSi VNiS Say iouh SobiPSNANoho, -
Guiding a number of Oxford and Cambridge
men. After an extensive examination Of
our credentials and recommendations the
examining committee narrowed the number
down to four. These four were summoned
to appear before the in London.
Struggle for Another Prize.
"A fellow student and close friend OF
mine in Edinburgh, Andrew Seth, had been
a competitor for the fellowship. We had
often talked the matter over. wondering
who would get the prize, and whether it
might be either one of us. When the sum-
mons to London came we were both in
cluded In the four.
AFTER some further deliberation the COM
mittee informed us that they had decided 10
establish two fellowships. They were
awarded to Seth and myself. So We went
to Germany together.
That year in Heidelberg and Berlin was
very delightful and profitable to me, for /
had the opportunity OF meeting and becom-
ers in philosophic and scientific thought.
But in reality the 81, 900 Hibbard fellowship
was less valuable to me than the $50 scholar
ship / had won years before In Prince of
Wales college. That had given me my start.
AT the end of my year in Germany l re-
turned home and began my work as a teacher
in Acadia college, where I had spent part
Of my student days. / soon gave up this