148 ENGLISH MEN OF SCIENCE. [CHAP. 



I have elsewhere met with when making in- 

 quiries in heredity, shown by men who, owing 

 enormously to natural gifts, wish to accredit 

 their own free will with being the real causes 

 of their success. One phase of this form of 

 vanity is prominently illustrated by the late 

 John Stuart Mill, in his strange and sad auto- 

 biography, who declares (p. 30) that he was 

 rather below par in quickness, memory, and 

 energy, and that any boy or girl of average 

 capacity and healthy physical constitution, who 

 was properly taught, could make as rapid pro- 

 gress in learning as he did himself ! As 

 regards the scientific men, I find, as I had 

 expected, vanity to be at a minimum, and 

 their returns to bear all the marks of a cool 

 and careful self-analysis. My bias has always 

 been in favour of men of science, believing 

 them to be especially manly, honest, and truth- 

 ful, and the results of this inquiry has con- 

 firmed that bias. 



The influences and motives which urged the 

 men on my list to occupy themselves with 

 science fall under the heads given below. I 



