of " intellectual culture, moral discipline, arid physio!
training," But as he disliked mechanical routine, had
a great intolerance of monotony, and had ideas of hiĞ
own, it seems likely enough that if he had embraced
the profession of teacher, he would sooner or later
have "thrown it up in diftguttt." The experiment
was not to be tried further* however, for in November
1837, his uncle William wrote from London that he
had obtained for his nephew a post under Mr Charley*
Fox as a railway engineer, " The profession of' a civil
engineer had already been named as one appropriate
for me; and this opening at once led to the adaption
of it,"

We may sum up the firat two -periods of Spencer**
life. The period of childhood was marked by t more
than usual freedom from the conventional responsi-
bilities of juvenile tasks, by the large proportion of
open-air life, and by much more intercourse* with
adults than with other children, The tablt* talk
between his father and uncles had an important
moulding influence, all thİ more that there wa* '* t
comparatively small interest in gossip," ** Their can*
versation ever tended towards the imper&mai, . Ğ ,
There was no considerable leaning toward* litera-
ture. . . , It was rather the scientific interpretation*
and moral aspects of things which occupied their
thoughts." The period of boyhood and of more
definite education was marked by freedom and variety,
by a relative absence of linguistic discipline, by a
preponderance of scientific training, by much family
influence, and by an unusual amount of independent
thinking.n at this early age (17 years) Spencer had ideals