16 LIFE OF SIR JOHN LUBBOCK oh. 



the present we have him at the point of leaving 

 his private school and about to enter the larger 

 world of Eton. 



The following is an account penned by him- 

 self of his impression of the life and the course 

 of education at Eton. It will be seen that in 

 spite of his criticism, or perhaps as a testimony 

 to its justice, the preparation given him at Mr. 

 Waring's, aided by his own uncommon talents 

 and diligence, enabled him to take a very good 

 position on entering the big school. 



When I was eleven I went to Eton, and was placed 

 in the " remove," i.e. as high as a boy could be placed. 

 This was rather unfortunate for me as I was in the same 

 division with boys four or five years older than I was, 

 and with whom I had no ehance of competing. The 

 division was a very large one containing over 100 boys, 

 and was consequently divided into two. My place 

 was generally somewhere between the 20th and 25th. 



At that time the whole education consisted of Latin 

 and Greek with one lesson a week in Geography — 

 confined mainly to Italy, Greece and Asia Minor. We 

 had each week to write out a description of some country, 

 but the master in whose division I was when I first went 

 to Eton attached so little importance to Geography 

 that he never once looked at my productions, which I 

 fear became under the circumstances more and more 

 perfunctory. 



Neither Arithmetic, Modern Languages, Science, nor 

 Drawing were regarded as essential portions of Education, 

 and they did not enter into the School course. Arith- 

 metic, French, and German had indeed just been 

 started, but they were treated as extras — like Fencing 

 or Dancing. They were only taken if the Parents 

 especially wished it and then in play time. 



My father did not think they were well taught, and 

 the result was that I never did a sum or had a lesson in 

 any modern language the whole time I was at Eton, 

 nor indeed if I had stayed till I was Captain of the 

 Oppidans should I have done so. The excuse for the 



