Looking back upon my boyhood from the standpoint of to-day, I am inclined to think that, practically, education does not begin until the first steps are taken in the business of life, although from my own experience the great influence exercised upon character by a good mother, which I fortunately had, lasts with a boy and helps to mould his life and disposition more than he can at the moment anticipate. I am quite sure that through the early start I made both in the country and in London, nothing contributed more to my even routine and carefully considered actions than the influence exercised upon me by a mother's love.
In September, 1857, I was sent on trial, before being apprenticed, to a Mr. Bucknell, a bookseller in George Street, Stroud, and, apparently proving satisfactory, was afterwards apprenticed for five years, "out of doors," that is living at home, with the magnificent remuneration of one shilling per week for the first year, increasing by one shilling per week at the beginning of the next year, and to be continued upon the same ratio for five years.
Mr. Bucknell, however, after fifteen months of my apprenticeship sold the business to Mr. John Clark and I was what is called "turned over" to him, but the period of my apprenticeship was extended to seven years and a little more liberal salary given me. When Mr. Bucknell left, he presented me with a copy of Charles Mackay's poems in which he wrote the following after my name: "With an earnest wish that his future life may be deserving of that approval from his fellow-men which he now receives after fifteen months of his apprenticeship from S.G. Bucknell." Without being in any way conceited, I cannot help feeling that his good wishes have to a certain extent been fulfilled.
From a quiet village life to the busy town of Stroud was a great change. My time for work was from eight o'clock in the morning until eight at night six days of the week, summer and winter, and my only holidays were Good Friday and Christmas Day. The Bill originating Bank Holidays had not then been passed. Sometimes during the winter months the walk home was anything but pleasant, especially as I had to walk beside the canal for a considerable distance and more than once had a narrow escape from falling in. It is a truism that familiarity breeds contempt, and I must admit that this familiarity strengthened me in what to many would have been a dangerous journey, and it has no doubt helped me in keeping my nerves and my temper from running away with me. However, all's well that ends well, and although during my seven years' apprenticeship I had many temptations and dangers, yet I think I came through them stronger both in mind and body. I remember that occasionally on my morning walk through some of the lanes to business, I would meet that sportsman Mr. Paul Hawkins Fisher with his attendants, each carrying a hawk on his hand, well hooded; sometimes, I have seen them let fly when they would attack some startled bird, but I understood they were only training the hawks for future warfare. It was, however, sportive food for my imagination.
During my years of apprenticeship many events happened, both social and political, that interested me, and I can only write them down as my memory helps me and not in any way in the order of their happening. One of my earliest recollections was of an election before vote by ballot was introduced. The members for the Borough were Edward Horsman and G. Poulet Scrope, the latter an author of considerable importance. I remember that, although there was no opposition to the members, speaking on the hustings, for the nomination, continued until twelve o'clock, with the intention of nominating Lord John Russell should he not have been successful in the constituency he was fighting; but he was successful, so no nomination was necessary. I had occasionally the pleasure of seeing Lord John Russell, as he lived near Amberley, from which his eldest son took the title of Viscount Amberley.
Speaking of contests but of another character, it was in 1860 the fight between Tom Sayers and J.C. Heenan took place. What a tremendous excitement it produced! I well remember the day after the fight, having fetched the newspapers from the London train and folded them in the shop, how I stopped every minute to read another line describing the fight and how angry my master was at my taking so long. But I could not help it, for the details were quite worth the trouble I brought upon myself. Some months later I had the pleasure of seeing Sayers box in connexion with a travelling circus. It was one of the red-letter days in my life to see the man of whom I had thought so much, showing his skill as a boxer. It was generally understood that it was at Stroud that Tom Sayers had his first fight; he was a bricklayer and was engaged in work at the Stroud Brewery, and falling out with one of his fellow-workmen, a fight followed which probably led to further developments. I have also seen his opponent J.C. Heenan boxing in a circus, but I did not consider him in any way an equal to Tom Sayers.
Although my time was fully occupied, I was able to enjoy a good game of cricket with some of my many friends on Rodborough Common. We used to meet at five o'clock in the morning, and, after a good game, had breakfast before starting work at eight o'clock. I also joined a class to learn Latin: there was a dear old gentleman bachelor who loved literature and education and he took in hand some half-dozen young fellows to teach them Latin. We used to meet at his house at eight in the evening for one hour's tuition. I enjoyed it and managed to master the early chapters of Virgil's "Æneid," and, though I am afraid the results have not been very great, the little knowledge I obtained has been useful. I was also much interested in a singing class, over which a Mr. Helmore, brother to the Rev. T. Helmore, the great Church choirmaster, presided. We gave performances in the Subscription Rooms of "The Messiah," "The Creation" and other musical classics. I have often thought of the absurdity of one of the choirmaster's eccentricities when performing "The Creation." Very early in the oratorio the words are, "And God said let there be light, and there was light." Before the singing began the lights were turned down and I was placed near the man who turned on the gas. At the opportune moment I had to give the signal, the light was turned on and light became a fact. I have often thought how almost profane it was, but I believe it passed without any serious protest.
Another yearly event which became fixed in my mind was the appearance of Dr. Cumming to speak on the coming end of the world. There was a wealthy lady of Amberley who was a great believer in Dr. Cumming, and each year he came down and stayed with her and always delivered one of his unfulfilled prophecies. It was my duty to take the tickets and see the audience into their seats, but, as the audience year by year grew smaller by degrees and beautifully less, this was very easy work. Like most moderate-sized towns at this period, Stroud had its Young Men's Institute, of which I was a member, and it was the custom during the winter to have lectures, etc. I well remember the great success that always attended the lectures given by George Dawson, a preacher, lecturer and politician, and George Grossmith, the father of the well-known actor in Gilbert and Sullivan's plays. These lectures were usually of a literary or biographical character and undoubtedly laid the foundations for thought and study in the minds of those who listened to them.
During my apprenticeship, my master, Mr. John Clark, was sometimes very exacting, and I know I had to thank Mrs. Clark and some of their daughters for helping to an extent to ease my work, and for making my strenuous life run smoothly. Part of my work was to learn printing. This I did, and was able to set up the type of a volume of sermons by a local vicar. The volume made no reputation, either for the vicar or the producer of the work.
It was, however, in the buying and selling of books that I was most interested. These were the great days of the poets, who then had large sales, Tupper's "Proverbial Philosophy," I think the greatest. What a change from then to now! I have no doubt that if you asked for this book to-day in a bookseller's shop no one would know of its existence, but, without doubt, those of Tupper and other poets were the principal books given as presents. I remember that Tennyson's "Enoch Arden," published by Edward Moxon in 1864, even in such a small town as Stroud had a large sale. I understand that 50,000 copies of this book were sold during the first year of its publication.