My life : a record of events and opinions - Wallace-online.org
My life : a record of events and opinions - Wallace-online.org My life : a record of events and opinions - Wallace-online.org
44 MY LIFEemployed all lived in the small streets surroundingthe shop. The working hours were from six to halfpastfive, with one and a half hours out for meals,leaving a working day of ten hours.Having nothing else to do, I used to spend thegreater part of my time in the shop, seeing the menwork, doing little jobs occasionally, and listening totheir conversation. These were no doubt an averagesample of London mechanics, and they were on thewhole quite as respectable a set of men as any in asimilar position to-day. I soon became quite at homein the shop, and got to know the peculiarities of eachof the men. I heard their talk together, their jokesand chaff, their wishes and their ideas, and all thoselittle touches of character which come out in thefamiliar intercourse of the workshop. My generalimpression is that there was very little swearingamong them, much less than became common thirtyyears later, and perhaps about as much as among asimilar class of men to-day. Neither was there muchcoarseness or indecency in their talk, far less indeedthan I met with among professional young men a fewyears afterwards. One of the best of the workmenwas a very loose character—a kind of Lothario or DonJuan by his own account—who would often talk abouthis adventures, and boast of them as the very essenceof his life. He was a very good and amusing talker,and helped to make the time pass in the monotony ofthe shop ; but occasionally, when he became tooexplicit or too boastful, the foreman, who was a ratherserious though very agreeable man, would gently callhim to order, and repudiate altogether his praises ofthe joys of immorality.As my brother was, at the time I am now speakingof, nearly nineteen and a very good workman, he
:LONDON WORKERS, SECULARISTS, ETC. 45had complete liberty in the evenings after seveno'clock, the only limitation being that he had to beback about ten ;while on special occasions he wasallowed to take the door-key. He often took me withhim on fine evenings to some of the best businessstreets in London to enjoy the shops, and especiallyto see anything of particular interest exhibited inthem. But our evenings were most frequently spentat what was then termed a " Hall of Science," situatedin John Street, Tottenham Court Road (now alteredto Whitfield Street). It was really a kind of club ormechanics' institute for advanced thinkers amongworkmen, and especially for the followers of RobertOwen, the founder of the Socialist movement inEngland. Here we sometimes heard lectures onOwen's doctrines, or on the principles of secularismor agnosticism, as it is now called ; at other times weread papers or books, or played draughts, dominoes,or bagatelle, and coffee was also supplied to any whowished for it. It was here that I first made acquaintancewith some of Owen's writings, and especiallywith the wonderful and beneficent work he hadcarried on for many years at New Lanark. I alsoreceived my first knowledge of the arguments ofsceptics, and read among other books Paine's "Ageof Reason."It must have been in one of the books or papersI read here that I met with what I dare say is a veryold dilemma as to the origin of evil. It runs thus" Is God able to prevent evil but not willing ? Thenhe is not benevolent. Is he willing but not able ?Then he is not omnipotent. Is he both able andwilling ? Whence then is evil ? " This struck mevery much, and it seemed quite unanswerable, andwhen at home a year or two afterwards, I took the
- Page 17 and 18: ILLUSTRATIONSAlfred R. WallaceFront
- Page 19 and 20: MY LIFEA RECORD OF EVENTS AND OPINI
- Page 21 and 22: MY RELATIVES AND ANCESTORS 3How or
- Page 23 and 24: MY RELATIVES AND ANCESTORS 5master
- Page 25 and 26: MY RELATIVES AND ANCESTORS 7in 1837
- Page 27 and 28: MY RELATIVES AND ANCESTORS 9England
- Page 31: MARY ANNE WALLACE. AGED 1 8.{.4i ti
- Page 34 and 35: 12 MY LIFEwere told it was a histor
- Page 36 and 37: 14 MY LIFEtrout in their season. It
- Page 38 and 39: i6MY LIFEtwo to the woods beyond, t
- Page 40 and 41: 18 MY LIFEamid which I have lived a
- Page 42 and 43: 20 MY LIFEhair was of a very light
- Page 44 and 45: 22 MY LIFEwe often saw him standing
- Page 46 and 47: 24 MY LIFEwas an old-fashioned mill
- Page 48 and 49: CHAPTER IIIMY SCHOOL LIFE AT HERTFO
- Page 50: 28 MY LIFEThis was appropriate, as
- Page 54 and 55: 30 MY LIFElaziness and ignorance we
- Page 56 and 57: 32 MY LIFEOur regular games were cr
- Page 58 and 59: 34 MY LIFEIn an article on the civi
- Page 60 and 61: 36 MY LIFEoutside by which hay coul
- Page 62 and 63: 38 MY LIFEmy father's family, to be
- Page 64 and 65: 40 MY LIFEof Wakefield," and some o
- Page 66 and 67: 42 MY LIFEextempore prayers, the fr
- Page 70 and 71: 46 MY LIFEopportunity one day to re
- Page 72 and 73: ;48 MY LIFEdenied free-will, becaus
- Page 74 and 75: soMY LIFEexpired at the ages of thi
- Page 76 and 77: 52 MY LIFEchildren ; but difficulti
- Page 78 and 79: 54 MY LIFEword of censure, for the
- Page 80 and 81: 56 MY LIFEbeneficial results at whi
- Page 82 and 83: CHAPTER VSURVEYING INBEDFORDSHIREIt
- Page 84 and 85: 6oMY LIFEchurch spires of Barton an
- Page 86 and 87: —!—;62 MY LIFEexcited much indi
- Page 88 and 89: 64 MY LIFEthe roadside, were six an
- Page 90 and 91: '"66 MY LIFEBedfordshire, to which
- Page 92 and 93: •68MYLIFEtwo shops, and, like mos
- Page 94 and 95: '70 MY LIFEAt the same time the can
- Page 96 and 97: 72^MY LIFEa development of glaciers
- Page 98 and 99: —CHAPTER VIRADNORSHIREIn the autu
- Page 100 and 101: 76 MY LIFElike Wales, where, from a
- Page 102 and 103: 78 MY LIFEwhich he told us where to
- Page 104 and 105: 8oMY LIFEwas simple robbery, as the
- Page 106 and 107: 82 MY LIFEbe well for a moment to s
- Page 108 and 109: —;84 MY LIFEthe banks of every ri
- Page 110 and 111: 86 MY LIFEcertainly was, both unjus
- Page 112 and 113: 88 MY LIFEmile of the summit, makin
- Page 115 and 116: RESIDENCE IN SOUTH WALES 89bounded
- Page 117: PLAN OF TOP OF BEACONS.SECTION OF T
:LONDON WORKERS, SECULARISTS, ETC. 45had complete liberty in the evenings after seveno'clock, the only limitation being that he had to beback about ten ;while on special occasions he wasallowed to take the door-key. He <strong>of</strong>ten took me withhim on fine evenings to some <strong>of</strong> the best businessstreets in London to enjoy the shops, <strong>and</strong> especiallyto see anything <strong>of</strong> particular interest exhibited inthem. But our evenings were most frequently spentat what was then termed a " Hall <strong>of</strong> Science," situatedin John Street, Tottenham Court Road (now alteredto Whitfield Street). It was really a kind <strong>of</strong> club ormechanics' institute for advanced thinkers amongworkmen, <strong>and</strong> especially for the followers <strong>of</strong> RobertOwen, the founder <strong>of</strong> the Socialist movement inEngl<strong>and</strong>. Here we sometimes heard lectures onOwen's doctrines, or on the principles <strong>of</strong> secularismor agnosticism, as it is now called ; at other times weread papers or books, or played draughts, dominoes,or bagatelle, <strong>and</strong> c<strong>of</strong>fee was also supplied to any whowished for it. It was here that I first made acquaintancewith some <strong>of</strong> Owen's writings, <strong>and</strong> especiallywith the wonderful <strong>and</strong> beneficent work he hadcarried on for many years at New Lanark. I alsoreceived my first knowledge <strong>of</strong> the arguments <strong>of</strong>sceptics, <strong>and</strong> read among other books Paine's "Age<strong>of</strong> Reason."It must have been in one <strong>of</strong> the books or papersI read here that I met with what I dare say is a veryold dilemma as to the origin <strong>of</strong> evil. It runs thus" Is God able to prevent evil but not willing ? Thenhe is not benevolent. Is he willing but not able ?Then he is not omnipotent. Is he both able <strong>and</strong>willing ? Whence then is evil ? " This struck mevery much, <strong>and</strong> it seemed quite unanswerable, <strong>and</strong>when at home a year or two afterwards, I took the
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