HERBERT SPENCER 127 



not work more than two or three hours a day, succeeded so well. 

 He succeeded because of the synthetic power of his mind, but also 

 because of his indomitable will, of his tenacity, of his faith. 



And Spencer's relative success gives one much hope, for it is 

 easy to conceive of a man having his synthetic grasp, his faith, and 

 far more systematic knowledge and physical endurance. One has 

 only to think of a Spencer endowed with a greater reserve of 

 health and a competence which would have enabled him in his 

 youth to pursue long university studies and to master the rudi- 

 ments and the technique of many sciences. One may object that 

 Spencer's audacity was partly the result of his ignorance. That is 

 plausible. Ignorance has been more than once a source of inspira- 

 tion; on the other hand, knowledge is always a heavy burden to 

 bear. Many are so overburdened that they can hardly move. But 

 again we may conceive a man strong enough to accumulate a 

 great deal of experience, and yet to remain imaginative and young 

 and keep a clear vision of his purpose. 



Let us think of Spencer with gratefulness, not so much for the 

 knowledge which he added to ours, as for the example of moral 

 courage and of faith which he gave us. He helped us to under- 

 stand the nature and the desirability of synthetic science, to 

 realize its possibility and to keep alive the need and the love of it. 

 As long as there are men who care not simply for material results, 

 but yearn for unified and harmonious knowledge, the memory of 

 Herbert Spencer will be revered. 



