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8 HERBERT SPENCER

JBoyhood.--The father's ill-health had thin com-
pensation, that Herbert Spencer spent much of his
childhood (set, 4-7) in the country—at New Radford,
near Nottingham. In his later years he had ncili vivid
recollections of rambling among the gorse-bushes
which towered above his head, of exploring the
narrow tracks which led to unexpected places» arid
of picking the blue-bells " from among the prickly
branches, which were here and there flecked with
fragments of wool left by passing sheep," lie was
allowed freedom from ordinary "lessons/* And
enjoyed a long latent receptive period.

In 1827 the family returned to Derby, but for
some time the boy's life was comparatively un-
restrained, There was some gardening to do—an
educational discipline far too little appreciated—Hand
there was "almost nominal" school-drill j but there
was plenty of time for exploring the neighbourhood,
for fishing and bird-nesting, for watching the bees
and the gnat-larvae, for gathering mushrooms and
blackberries. " Beyond the- pleasunble exercfoe tnd
the gratification of my love of adventure, there
gained during these excursions much miacellaneoui
knowledge of things, and the perceptions were bene-
ficially disciplined." " Most children are instinctively
naturalists, and were they encouraged would readily
pass from careless observation* to careful and
deliberate ones. My father was wise in such
matters, and I was not simply allowed but en-
couraged to enter on natural hittory,**

He had the run of a farm it Inglcby during holi-
days 5 he enjoyed fishing in the Trent, in which lit
was within an ace of being drowned when itbotit ten



	8 HERBERT SPENCER JBoyhood.--The father's ill-health had thin com- pensation, that Herbert Spencer spent much of his childhood (set, 4-7) in the country—at New Radford, near Nottingham. In his later years he had ncili vivid recollections of rambling among the gorse-bushes which towered above his head, of exploring the narrow tracks which led to unexpected places» arid of picking the blue-bells " from among the prickly branches, which were here and there flecked with fragments of wool left by passing sheep," lie was allowed freedom from ordinary "lessons/* And enjoyed a long latent receptive period. In 1827 the family returned to Derby, but for some time the boy's life was comparatively un- restrained, There was some gardening to do—an educational discipline far too little appreciated—Hand there was "almost nominal" school-drill j but there was plenty of time for exploring the neighbourhood, for fishing and bird-nesting, for watching the bees and the gnat-larvae, for gathering mushrooms and blackberries. " Beyond the- pleasunble exercfoe tnd the gratification of my love of adventure, there gained during these excursions much miacellaneoui knowledge of things, and the perceptions were bene- ficially disciplined." " Most children are instinctively naturalists, and were they encouraged would readily pass from careless observation* to careful and deliberate ones. My father was wise in such matters, and I was not simply allowed but en- couraged to enter on natural hittory,** He had the run of a farm it Inglcby during holi- days 5 he enjoyed fishing in the Trent, in which lit was within an ace of being drowned when itbotit ten