Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-05-21
AN AUTOBIOGRAPHY. By Heroer. Spencer.

n
Illustrated. In two volumes New York: ID.
Appleton & Co.
The death of Herbert Spencer released
work OF such Importance that its publica-
'tion now may be justly regarded as the
chief literary event of the book year. Yet
the autobiography was in fact published
before Mr.. Spencer's death. being privately
iprinted by him in an edition of six copies
| for the benefit of a very limited circle OF
| friends. This fact he notes in a PREDATORY
memorandum now printed, probably writ
ten In 1880. the actual preface itself having
been written in 1894 In this note the au-
fthor mentions the fact that he undertook
the preparation of the autobiography in
1885. when the state of his health became
such that he could not engage in work In
volving any degree of mental strain. and
he occupied himself in putting into shape
certain biogra phical memoranda he had set
down in previous years. He says:
T las the work advanced I became con-
scious that n constitutional lack Of reti-
cence Is displayed throughout 1t, to an ex-
tent which renders present publication I'M
desirable In years to come. when / shall
be no longer conscious, the frankness with
which the book Is written may add to
whatever value 1t has: but while I am allie
It would. think, be out of taste to address
the public though 1t consisted of per-
sonal friends. - 1t Is a provoking
necessity that an autobiography should be
egotistic. A biography is inevitably defec-
tive as lacking facts of Importance, and
still more as giving imperfect untrue in
Iferpretations OF those facts which 1t con-
tains: and an autobiography, by exhibiting
Its writer as continually talking about him.
self. Is defective as making very salient
trait which may not perhaps be stronger
4 hl ttStt oil A., ~
impression produced as well as he can"
r This paragraph suggests strikingly Mr..
lSpencers method of dealing with himself.
He apparently detached himself as far as
the work of disposition to analyze his
subject as thought 1t were absolutely i'm
personal The effect Is rather that of a
dissector AMI critic than a self-eulogist.
He seeks the causes of personal traits in q
remote ancestry expresses wonder at cer-
tain psychological phenomena he discovers
lan himself balances possible causes and
Ispeculates on motives. This combination
OF egotism and scientific scrutiny makes for
"a most readable human document q book
of pronounced interest.
Z Spencer's life was In a measure cratic,
yet otherwise extremely conservative.
He held rigidly to certain views and yet
his mind was of such character, often
noted by himself. that he flew off on innu-
merable tangents either of prejudice or in
tvestga ton. That he would never receive
an academic honor is we'll known, and
he even carried his prejudice so far as to
lrepudiate those bestowed upon him with
out his assent. He notes early in his
autobiography that at the age of seventeen
he saw the only royal procession or dis
play he ever witnessed. the progress of the
fyouHg Queen Victoria to dine with the
Lord Mayor of London, November o, 1887
HIS early life as civil engineer is described
with many interesting incidents illustra-
tive of his trend of mind at that stage of
his development. He was very evidently
an active youngster, inclined to offer his
own opinion without hesitation on the
score of his youth, and being very often
right In his contentious with his elders
perhaps too often for his good. That he
was absorbed in weighty topics rather than
the frivolities of youth is suggested by a
paragraph extracted from a letter to his
father at the age of eighteen:
;. In your next letter send me word what
are your ideas about the revolution of the
magnetic pole. Do you think 1t has any
connection with the procession of the equi-
noXes?'
Spencer acknowledges that he was diff
ficult young man, crude of manner and
blunt of speech. He notes that within
the prickly husk the kernel was not quite
So harsh as was supposed" 1t was his
fathers wish that he become interested in
ethical matters. but he refused to be led
to the discussion Of such topics. in
those days" he says. there was not any
decided conviction about the propriety or
improperly of this course (of rather unor-
thodox thought and conduct toward re-
ligion). Criticism had not yet shown me
how astonishing is the supposition that the
Cause from which have arisen thirty
millions of Suns with their attendant plan
cts. took the form Of a man. and made a
bargain with Abraham to give him terri
tory In return for allegiance. l had not
at that time repudiated the notion of a
deity who is pleased with the singing of
his praise and angry with the inflnitesimal
beings he has made when they fail to tell
him perpetually of his greatness
But though no definite propositions of this
kind had arisen in me, II is probable that
the dim consciousness out of which they
eventually emerged produced alienation
from the established beliefs and obser-
yances."
I Nevertheless it was due TO a visit to his
Uncle Thomas a clergyman, that caused
him to bend from his civil engineering to
his ethical studies and writings and led him
into the field in which he scored so highly
That nc had latent tendency in this direc-
ton which needed only either encourage
ment or opposition to develop 1t Is sug-
Gested by the following extract from let
ter to his father when he was twenty years
old:
Z II was thinking the other day that 1
should like to make public some of my
Ideas upon the state &C the world and re-
ligion. together with few remarks on edu-
cation. l think. however. that l may en-
ploy my time better at present"
The 'Synthetic Philosophy was probably
the direct result of that germ thought
How he came 10 his great work how he
grew to a realization of his extraordinary
analytical powers, how he developed a
Striking style of English composition de-
spite his utter lack OF early training in the
rudiments of syntaX-noted by him In his
preface-is vitality interesting story. Every
page Of the autobiography is important. To-
ward the end, in the course of long chap
ter of Reflections" which covers the
ground OF his whole life in retrospect he
'speaks OF his state of single blessedness'
as bearing upon lis work, in this language:
: LAS the difficulties of maintenance
while pursuing q career analogous to mine
are almost insuperable, the maintenance of
a wife and family must of course be i'm
possible. One wa) devotes himself to grave
literature must be content to remain cell
bate: unless, indeed. ne obtains a wife hav-
ing adequate means for both. and is con-
tent 20 put himself in the implied position
Even then, family cares and troubles are
likely to prove fatal to his undertakings.
AS was said 10 by a scientific friend
who himself knew by experience the effect
of domes tic worries: Had you married
there would have been no system of phi
1osophy.
SUSANNAH AND ONE OTHER. By q.
Maria Albanesi. New York Mcclure, Phil
lips & Co. Washington; Woodward & Lothrop
. When Lady Corneston. having fiirted des-
peratsly with various admirers. suddenly