3 Herbcii Spencer. 



much as he could without interfering with his work, and 

 has been a welcome and an agreeable guest in many house- 

 holds. 



His most regular associations of this sort have been at 

 the Athenffium Club, Avhich is instituted, in the language of 

 its constitution, " for the association of individuals known 

 for their scientific or literary attainments, artists of em- 

 inence in any class of fine arts, and noblemen and gentlemen 

 distinguished as liberal patrons of science, literature or the 

 arts." The Athenseum gives the privileges of its home to 

 such non-residents as its Committee of Invitation may 

 select, for the period of their sojourn in London. If I may 

 be pardoned personal references, it was my good fortune to 

 be honored with this limited membership at one time, and, 

 happening to be writing home to a gentleman who was an 

 editor, I mentioned various items regarding my stay in Lon- 

 don, among others my frequenting the Athenaeum. To off- 

 set any possible suggestion to his mind that I spoke of this 

 from motives of vanity, I put in my letter, Avith the proper 

 quotation-marks and exclamation-point, the jocose remark 

 of an English friend in descriljing the Club, that it was 

 '• composed of distinguished people at home and less-distin- 

 guished people from abroad." I think my correspondent 

 must have been of Scotch ancestry : but, whatever may 

 have been his pedigree, my feelings may be imagined when 

 I afterwards saw, in my friend's paper, a paragraph setting 

 forth seriously, and without the quotation-marks and excla- 

 mation-point, that " Mr. D. G. Thompson had been elected 

 a member of the Athenaeum in London, a Club which is 

 composed of distinguished people at home and less-distin- 

 guished people from abroad " ! 



The Athenseum includes people of all sorts of opinions. 

 Men are there of as wide differences in religion as are ex- 

 emplified in Cardinal Manning and Frederick Harrison; 

 or in politics as in Lord Salisbury, Earl Selborne and Jo- 

 seph Chamberlain. It naturally follows, especially when 

 v/e consider that the membership of the Club is twelve 

 hundred, that social intercourse within its pale lies in groups 

 formed according to affiliations proceeding from sympathies 

 in ideas, or in work. Mr. Spencer's friends are chiefly those 

 in scientific or philosophical pursuits, among whom Huxley 

 and Tyndall are the most intimate. It is his usual habit to 

 visit the Club-house every day about three o'clock. Al- 



