86 A Century of Science 



cheer, it was delightful to hear him. And when 

 we join with all this his unfailing common sense, 

 his broad and kindly view of men and things, and 

 the delicious humour that kept flashing out in 

 quaint, pithy phrases such as no other man would 

 have thought of, and such as are the despair of 

 any one trying to remember and quote them, we can 

 seem to imagine what a power he must have been 

 with his lectures. 



When such a man goes about for seventeen 

 years, teaching scientific truths for which the world 

 is ripe, we may be sure that his work is great, 

 albeit we have no standard whereby we can exactly 

 measure it. In hundreds of little towns with queer 

 names did this strong personality appear and make 

 its way and leave its effects in the shape of new 

 thoughts, new questions, and enlarged hospitality 

 of mind, among the inhabitants. The results of 

 all this are surely visible to-day. In no part of the 

 English world has Herbert Spencer's philosophy 

 met with such a general and cordial reception as in 

 the United States. This may no doubt be largely 

 explained by a reference to general causes ; but as 

 it is almost always necessary, along with our gen- 

 eral causes, to take into the account some personal 

 influence, so it is in this case. It is safe to say 

 that among the agencies which during the past 



