HERBERT SPENCER 15 
When finally revising ‘‘ First Principles,’ which was dictated, 
the cutting out of superfluous words, clauses, sentences, and some- 
times paragraphs, had the effect of abridging the work by fifty 
pages—about one tenth. 
In as much as he gave his whole attention to any subject he 
discussed, he never talked for talking’s sake, and what is even still 
rarer, he always gave his whole attention to what was said to him, 
no matter how far he disagreed. 
He was always interesting and never tedious, fond of a joke and 
with a fund of anecdotes always well worth listening to. 
Even the absurdities of those who sometimes argued with him 
with an incomplete knowledge of the subject under discussion, gave 
him amusement and his sparkling eyes would often indicate that 
amusement before it brought out the happy laugh which was so 
infectious, that the indignant cause had to join and laugh with him. 
Troughton adds a note ‘‘Sentences clear and concise—you 
could hear the commas, semi-colons, colons, &c.” 
“Mr. Lott and friends” is an entry to be found in several 
American hotel registers in 1882; Mr. Spencer preferring thus to 
hide his identity during his American visit. 
The speech he made at a banquet given in his honour in New 
York, I believe, the only public speech he ever made, and it 
was practically an address to the American Nation warning them 
against too much slavery to work and too little healthy relaxation and 
pleasure. 
As he feared that his memory might prove at fault, after 
continual insomnia, he had the address printed, and asked my father 
who sat next to him to follow his delivery word by word, and if he 
faltered to hand up the sheet with his finger marking the last word 
delivered. Consequently my father followed that address word by 
word, and he told me that Mr. Spencer actually delivered the 2,250 
words verbatim not omitting or adding one word. 
I think you will all agree that this was a very wonderful 
example of memory. 
It was in 1858, when 38 years of age, that Spencer determined 
with splendid courage to write a complete philosophy which should 
