Evening star., 1937-10-24
By F. Macdonald Bryan.

and a long infantile upper lip
- was ushered into the world in a
tiny back bed room over small china
shop, drab. inconspicuous unit of a
d row of shabby, badly-built houses at
Bromley, in Kent. now suburb OF
London. Food and fuel we're usually
nearly out" The furniture had all
been acquired secondhand at sales
About the only commotion caused by
his entrance into this building was his
mothers mingled exclamations of re-
lief and JOY and his fathers combined
pleasure and bewilderment. A son
was wanted and welcomed, but they
had so little to share, even with this
: tiny mite.
This past week fine, broad-shoul-
dered, aristocratic appearing man,
looking and acting more like so than
10, alighted from luxurious automo-
bile at the White House. A brilliant
mind, constructive, far-seeing think
er, an outstanding personality, his
coming had long been anticipated in
the Nations most distinguished house
hold, where comfort, efficiency and
hospitality abound. H. G. Wells, the
scion of lady's maid, herself the
daughter of an innkeeper, and gar
dener, who kept small china shop,
was the honored friend and guest of
the President of the United States.
sit was long journey from shabby
sHigh street, in London, to Washing
eton, journey earned by achievements
sonly the few have experienced, as H.
G. Wells has made scores Of dreams
come true.
So much and yet so little is known
about this man who has in real life
acknowledgement the old master
of success stories himself that the
high spots of Mr.. Wells background
will in all probability so far in en-
ebling one better to understand his
advanced thoughts and theories.
& CONCERNING his boyhood. Mr..
Wells says: MY mother in those
days was just the unpaid servant of
everybody. Her instinct for appear
snces was very strong. Whatever the
realities of our situation, she was re-
solved that to the very last moment
we should keep up the appearance of
being comfortable members of that
class to which her imagination had
been nodded. She believed it was a
secret to all the world that she had
no servant and did all the household
drudgery herself / was enjoined never
to take my coat off carelessly, because
my underclothing was never quite up
to the promise of my exterior gar
ments. 1t was never ragged, but it
abounded in compromises. This him
dered my playing games.
IT was never to mingle with COM
mon children who might teach me
naughty words. So my universe was
limited She preferred to have me in
doors rather than out" he said. She
taught me the rudiments of learning.
I learned my alphabet from a big
sheet of capital letters pasted up in
the kitchen. I learned the nine figures
from the same sheet. began to Won
der what went on in her brain when
WI al lily carly eCSllos dbN A4oN
wondered every since. Reverie, l am
sure, made the substance of her rare
leisure Religion and love, except for
her instructive pride in her boys, had
receded imperceptibly from her life
and left her dreaming. She was a
conscientious mother, mother far
better than many have or deserve"
OF HIS father Mr.. Wells says rather
pointedly: Essentially he was
baf1ed, unsuccessful stuck man, but
he had light and cheerful disposition,
and a large part of his waking ener-
gy was spent in evading disagreeable
realizations. He had kind of at
tractiveness for women. He chatted
great deal at the shop door to fellow
tradesmen in a similar state of leisure.
He read diversely, bought books at
sales, brought them home from the
library institute. My mother was never
able to master the mysteries of cards
or chess or draughts, so that allevia-
ton of their evenings was out of the
question. He realized the justice of
her complaints, and yet for the life
of him he could not see what was to
be DONE"
A broken leg, shortly after he was 7.
introduced Mr.. Wells to books, papers,
pencils and toys-particularly books.
Healing a broken tibia required con-
siderably more time then than at
present. His father brought him books
nearly every day from the library in
stitute. Friends brought more. His
world began to expand rapidly, and
when he could put his foot to the
ground the reading habit had gripped
him securely.
Having arrived at knickerbockers
and the reading of books. he was
sent to little private school, where
he began learning the mysteries of
life" None of his schoolmates came
from bookish homes and he passed for
an exceptionally BRIGHT and clever
little boy.
The new order of things that was
appearing in the world, when he was
born, was already arousing con-
versal elementary education. 1t was
being realized by the ruling classes
that a nation with a lower stratum
Of illiterates would compete at
disadvantage against the foreigner
A condition of things in which every
one would read and write and do 1
sums, dawned upon startled minds.
MoRLEY's COMMERCIAL AcAD-
ENVY, where the young Wells
spent six trying but forms i've years,
was heavy with Dickens-like qualities.
Thomas Morley. the proprietor, was
putting into practice several of the
new educational trends. His pupils
impressions were not those of COM
petent elucidation and guidance, of
8 universe being made plain and
understandable.
When the moody headmaster found
the Wells boy could be interested
hxy the oro n, m q tical palveiS of O