128 MY LIFE [Chap. VIII] 



which was reflective and imaginative, but more perhaps to 

 the quiet and order of my home, where I never heard a rude 

 word or an offensive expression. The effect of this was 

 intensified by my extreme shyness, which made it impossible 

 for me to use words or discuss subjects which were altogether 

 foreign to my home-life, as a result of which I have never 

 been able to use an oath, although I have frequently felt 

 those impulses and passions which in many people can only 

 find adequate expression in such language. This, I think, is 

 a rather striking example of the effects of home influence 

 during childhood, and of that kind of education on which 

 Robert Owen depended for the general improvement of 

 character and habits. 



