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to memorize what I did not understand; and, my memory being so good, it refused to be insulted in 
that manner. Similarly, I could never memorize the ordinary "repetitions" of Greek and Latin poetry. 
I took to trigonometry with ardour; but became disgusted as soon as I found my calculations were to 
be applied to such vulgarities as architecture. The only pure science for me was algebra and I 
progressed in that with amazing rapidity. On one occasion, at Malvern, the mathematical master 
wished to devote the whole hour to the three elder boys, who were going up for some scholarship, 
and set us juniors to work out quadratic equations. There were sixty-three in the chapter set. At 
the end of forty minutes I stood up and said, "Please, sir, what shall I do now?" he would not believe 
that I had worked them correctly, but I had. I seem to have an instinct for appreciating the relations 
of pure numbers and could find factors by intuition. 
My intellectual activity has always been intense. It was for this very reason that I could not bear to 
waste a moment on subjects which seemed to me alien to my interest, though I had no idea what 
that interest was. As soon as I heard of chemistry, I realized that it dealt with reality as I 
understood the word. So I soon had "Little Roscoe" practically by heart, though it was not a school 
subject. I furnished a laboratory in the house at Streatham, and spent all my time and money in 
making experiments. It may be interesting to mention how my mind worked. I had heard of the 
petard as a military engine; and I was hoist with it. Roscoe told me that chloride of nitrogen was the 
most powerful and sensitive explosive known. My idea was to dissolve it in some volatile fluid; one 
could then leave a bucket of it at the enemy's gate. The fluid would evaporate and the chloride 
explode at the first vibration. After several minor misadventures, I collect it over benzine --- about 
a quart --- and the whole thing exploded and nearly burnt the house down. 
I had also a plan for manufacturing diamonds. By various analogies I came to the conclusion that a 
true solution of carbon might be made in 
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iron and I proposed to crystallize it out in the regular way. The apparatus required was, however, 
hardly within the compass of a boy of fourteen and my diamonds are still theoretical. 
Talking of theory, I came to the conclusion, which at that time was a damnable heresy and a 
dangerous delusion, that all the elements were modifications of one substance. My main argument 
was that the atomic weights of cobalt and nickel were practically identical and the characteristic 
colours of their salts suggested to me that they were geometrical isomers like dextrose and 
laevulose. This is all obvious enough today, but I still think that it was not bad for a boy in his 'teens 
in the early 'nineties, whose only source of information was "Little Roscoe". 
An amusing situation arose out of this early devotion to the art of Flamel. In my last term at Malvern 
a panic-stricken board of governors determined to create a science side and started a chemistry 
class. With laudable economy they put it in charge of one Mr. Faber, a broken-down classical 
master, possibly in the belief that as he had a German name he knew as much as Ostwald. The 
result was that I had constantly to correct him in class; and he could do nothing, because the 
authorities, when consulted, proved to be on my side. 
I had thus no difficulty at school as far as lessons were concerned, but in my three years at 
Champney's I had no lack of trouble; the nature of this can only be understood if I adduce a few 
facts to indicate the atmosphere. I used to tell people about my school life and met with such 
consistent incredulity that I made a little collection of incidents in the preface to my The World's 
Tragedy. I quote the passage as it stands. 
A Boyhood in Hell 
The Revd. H. d'Arcy Champney, M.A. Of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, had come out of sect. 
He had voted at the parliamentary elections by crossing out the names of the candidates and 
writing, "I vote for King Jesus."