HERSCHEL 



ILLIAM HERSCHEL, born in the city 

 of Hanover, in 1738, was the fourth child 

 in a family of ten. Big families, I am told, 

 usually live in little houses, while little 

 families live in big houses. The Hersch- 

 els were no exception to the rule. 

 Isaac Herschel, known to the world as 

 being the father of his son, was a poor 

 man, depending for support upon his 

 meagre salary as band-master to a regi- 

 ment of the Hanoverian Guards. At the 

 garrison school, taught by a retired cap- 

 tain, William easily was the star scholar. 

 In mathematics he propounded problems 

 that made the worthy captain pooh-pooh 

 and change the subject. 

 At fourteen he was playing a hautboy in 

 his father's band and practicing on the 

 violin at spare times. For music he had 

 a veritable passion, and to have a pas- 

 sion for a thing means that you excel in 

 it excellence is a matter of intensity. 

 QOne of the players in the band was a 

 Frenchman, and William made an ar- 

 rangement to give the " parle vous " les- 

 sons on the violin as payment for lessons 

 in French jt & 



This whole brood of Herschel children 



129 



