JOHN FISKE. 669 



eighteen, and was graduated in 1863. His study of the modern lan- 

 guages, which as we have seen already comprehended nearly all those in 

 use in ICastern Europe, was followed by an attack on the ancient 

 tongues, Hebrew and Sanskrit ; the former before he entered college, the 

 latter after he reached Cambridge. While in college he is said to have 

 worked from twelve to fifteen hours each day, during vacations as well 

 as terms, his time being divided between comparative philology, ancient 

 and modern history, and modern literature. His philological studies at 

 this period comprehended the Icelandic, Gothic, Danish, Swedish, Dutch, 

 and Roumanian tongues, and an attack on the Russian. 



" He was but a lad of seventeen," says one of his eulogists, " when 

 Darwin's great work appeared and aroused in him the zeal that deter- 

 mined his mental activity for more than a score of years." Mr. Mead, in 

 his sketch, <rives a Ions list of the authors whose books were read in 

 prosecution of the study thus kindled, and adds that Fiske's training 

 was that of a literary character even when he studied science. It is per- 

 haps unnecessary to recapitulate the names of these writers. Every 

 page of the Cosmic Philosophy bears evidence of Fiske's extensive 

 researches at this time, and apart from the fact that he is avowedly 

 preaching the doctrines of Spencer, it is cWnv that the scientific work 

 upon which his reasoning is based does not claim to be original. He 

 had not prosecuted laboratory researches in chemistry or biology ; he had 

 not gained his knowledge of astronomy at the observatory ; he simply 

 made skilful use of that which was done by others, never claiming for 

 himself more than was his due. 



While still an undergraduate he published two papers. The first, 

 in 1861, was entitled Mr. Buckle's Fallacies; the second, in his senior 

 year, was an essay on the Evolution of Language. The latter is said 

 to have attracted the attention of Mr. Spencer, and thus laid the founda- 

 tion for the intimate friendship which afterwards existed between Fiske 

 and himself. 



After his graduation, Mr. Fiske entered the Harvard Law School, 

 and in 1865 took his degree of LL.B. In 1864, while a member of 

 the Law School, he was admitted to the Suffolk bar, and in September 

 of that year he married Abby Morgan Brooks of Petersham. After 

 receiving his degree from the Law School, he opened an office in 

 Boston and entered upon the practice of his profession. It is said that 

 his prospects at the bar were fairly good, but he found professional 

 work distasteful, and in about a year abandoned his office. In thus 

 closing the door to a possible success in the profession which he had 



