HERBERT SPENCER AT SEVENTY-NINE. 543 



of works comprising the Synthetic Philosophy as " complete yet in- 

 complete," because more things might have been put into it, Mr. 

 Spencer has the unquestionable right to look upon his "system" 

 as finished in all the essentials of a symmetrical and self-sustaining 

 structure; and more than this, he finds it generally accepted as a 

 masterpiece, embodying, if not all the truth, yet a fundamental 

 truth manifested in the growth and order of the universe of matter 

 and mind. 



When we regard the comprehensiveness of Mr. Spencer's system, 

 embracing everything there is, and the multitude of the details that 

 had to be considered in the course of its preparation, we wonder at the 

 magnitude of the aggregation that may be formed by the repetition 

 of small daily tasks. The portions of time he was able to give to 

 work were at most very brief, and would be regarded by the ma- 

 jority of workers as insufficient for any great accomplishment; and 

 when the frequent and sometimes long interruptions that occurred 

 are considered, seem absolutely insignificant. Yet in these small 

 fragments of two or three hours a day with many lost days in the 

 year, and several lost years, one of the greatest works in the his- 

 tory of the human mind was carried to its end. The old figure of 

 the dropping of the water on the stone and the fable of the tortoise 

 and the hare are newly illustrated. 



Outside of his work in the composition of the Philosophy, Mr. 

 Spencer has always taken a vital interest in leading public questions, 

 making them the subjects of frequent communications to the press, 

 and seeking the co-operation of others when opportunity offered either 

 in combating some needless innovation or aiding some important 

 reform. True to the teaching of his philosophy, it will be observed 

 that in any attempts of the kind his reliance has always been on 

 the power of gradual development, rather than abrupt changes by 

 act? of Parliament or otherwise, to bring about desired conditions. 

 Before his visit to the United States, in 1882, he interested himself 

 in forming an Anti- Aggression League, for the purpose of opposing 

 schemes for extending the lines of British dominion in various parts 

 of the world. Among his associates in this effort were Mr. John Mor- 

 ley, Mr. Frederic Harrison, and the Kev. Llewellyn Davis and Canon 

 Fremantle, now Dean of Kipon, liberal-minded clergymen of the 

 Church of England. The movement found little public sympathy, 

 and no adequate support. Mr. Spencer, severely taxing his strength 

 in promoting it, suffered another breakdown (from which he has 

 never fully recovered), in consequence of which the next number 

 of his Philosophy Part VI of the Principles of Sociology: Ec- 

 clesiastical Institutions did not appear till the close of 1855. It 

 is worthy of remark in connection with this incident that it seems 



