man would be unable to preach, and consequently famishing souls would die for the need of gospel food. Those were solemn hours in the history of the child, when sitting there with his grandfather in the shadowy room in silence so chillingly wierd, and fearing to speak or move his little foot lest his grandfather and God should see him and be displeased. Yet about this feeling there seems to be no singular feature such as would in any way account for the after extraordinary results of his religious life.

Some of the social events, however, connected with his home at Stambourne must have made a very deep impression upon his thoughts and consequently upon his character. His dear old grandmother one Sabbath morning remarked to her husband that she did not feel able to attend services, and so would remain at home and read her Bible there, while he was preaching the gospel in the Chapel. She seated herself in that old arm-chair not far from that dear old fireplace and spreading the Bible out upon her lap, adjusted her spectacles and began its devoted perusal. They left her sitting there and went across the yard into the old church. But when they returned after the service, walking into the house without premonition of harm, they found the sweet old Christian woman with her head bowed upon her breast, her spectacles lying across the Bible and her finger pointing to the words "the

hand of God hath touched me." She was dead! Her spirit had ascended to her long-expected home.

Mr. Spurgeon has frequently, too, referred to his boyish experiences in three places which were ever especially dear to his memory. One being the Sunday-school room, in which he says "his Sabbathschool companions frequently kicked up the dust and sometimes kicked the teachers." It was there that he learned Watt's Catechism, and heard the homely stories related as illustrations of Bible truth in a manner peculiar to the humble people of that day, but wonderfully expressive and correct in their exegesis.

Another place was the old tombstone in the churchyard near his home, which was placed over the grave like a reversed box, bottom upward. It was made of marble and one side was loose, so that he could easily remove it and, crawling into the box over the grave, replace the slab at the side, thus hiding himself securely beyond discovery. Often he lay there in hiding and thought on many childish air castles; and sometimes remained there past his dinner hour, even when he had distinctly heard the call. He says that he often lay there facetiously holding his breath while the household searched the churchyard, and while some of them, frequently standing directly above his head, searched vainly for the truant. Another place dear to his childish heart was the horsing-block, which also was constructed in the form of a box, although made of

One

wood, and much larger than the tombstone. side of this horsing-block, used also as a hitchingpost, was partially open, and into it the farmers pressed the falling leaves which were swept up from the neatly-kept highway. Those lime-tree leaves were crisp, dry, and warm, and made a most comfortable nest into which the boy crawled clandestinely.

There, secure from observation, warmly ensconced in a luxurious bed, richer to the boy than the couches of palaces are to the man, he would lie and repeat his lessons, which Mrs. Burleigh, the day-school teacher, had assigned him, or sang over and over a verse of Scripture which he was expected to repeat at the next Sunday's prayers.

But he was like a wild bird in that retreat, and on the approach of any footstep, became quickly silent, and even became an unwilling or willing listener to neighborhood gossip, carried on by persons seated on the horsing-block, or leaning against it, while they stopped for conversation.

CHAPTER II.

EARLY EDUCATION.

The study of any successful man's biography, whatever his profession, business or trade, is helpful to every other man in any other station. For the same great causes which carry a man to success in one part of our civilization are necessary to the accomplishment of great purposes in any other position. The fact that Mr. Spurgeon was a preacher, need not make his life any less useful in the most practical sense, to the farmer, the mechanic, the merchant or the lawyer. There is, however, one discouraging feature in using the life of Mr. Spurgeon for the purposes of imitation, in the fact to which reference has already been made, viz.: that some of the events which led to his promotion are beyond explanation, and remain in the realm of the miraculous. No study nor reasoning, no contemplation of facts seems to clear up the wonderful mystery.

Let us nevertheless devote a short time to the study of the natural causes and influences which may not be considered mysterious and which will be very helpful to every reader who desires to make the most possible of his life.

Many of the most trustworthy biographers ascribe a large share of all human success to the influence of early education; others make equally prominent the inheritance of hereditary traits carrying with them the force of genius.

Some writers upon Mr. Spurgeon's career, like that most excellent Christian, Rev. James J. Ellis, ascribed much to his family and ancestry. This is quite natural to an Englishman, trained under a hereditary monarchy.

The evangelist George C. Needham and also Mr. Stevenson, Mr. Spurgeon's most excellent biographers, lay considerable stress upon his inherited mental characteristics. But to an American, taught by American literature and with a life-long association with a leveling democracy, these kindly efforts to give great credit to the long line of good men which preceded him appear to be rather strange and often quite absurd. Some men are born great, but families are not. To be a great man's son gives no patent on human greatness. More often we find that the great man was the son of a poor man, and often a descendent of the ignorant or of the very commonplace. Families like the Peels in England and the Adams of America are exceedingly rare, and as a usual thing there is no hope of genius nor is great intellectual force expected in the second generation of any great man.

It is said that Mr. Spurgeon's ancestors were among the religious reformers of Holland, who