lO THOMAS J, COMBER. 
door but one to the building in which the school met. 
The father becoming a teacher, took the child with 
him to the infant class, which at that time was con- 
ducted by Miss Annie Hatwood, now Mrs. Holmden, 
widely known as the translator of Dr. Pressense's 
valuable works. It is not easy to determine how 
early in life, and to what extent, a child may be 
benefited by the influence of his teacher ; but we 
may quite believe it was to the decided advantage of 
little Tom to be brought, at this tender age, under 
the religious training of so gifted and devoted a lady. 
We may here observe that the like advantage was 
also enjoyed by his sister and two brothers, all four 
of whom — surely a most remarkable if not unique 
fact in family life — were hereafter to become mission- 
aries to the heathen. 
Tom was equally fortunate in the influence brought 
to bear upon him in the British School, held in the 
same building in Crawford Street ; for the school- 
master, Mr. Holmes, was a man of high character, as 
well as a teacher of more than ordinary ability. As 
a schoolboy, Tom displayed commendable diligence, 
as may be gathered from the circumstance that, every 
morning at eight o’clock, his home lessons would 
invariably be presented to one or other of his parents 
for inspection, and this with “pleasure more than 
pressure.” 
The necessities of Mr. Comber’s business did not, 
however, permit his son to pursue his school studies 
under Mr. Holmes’s tuition beyond the age of twelve. 
At that early period in life the boy was required to 
enter his father’s workshop, but a thirst for learning 
had already been excited, which led him eagerly to 
avail himself of every opportunity for the improve- 
ment of his mind. In this respect he was much 
stimulated and encouraged by Mr. Reginald Hodder, 
who, soon after his promotion from Miss Harwood’s 
class, became his Sunday - school teacher ; which 
relationship existed greatly to Tom’s benefit, for six 
