THE OPENING OF HIS POSSIBILITY AS A THINKER.
The beginnings of the mental preparation were shown in an indirect way in the previous chapter, but the subject was not viewed in all its aspects. What was said there will suffice until he reaches his thirteenth year. At this stage the mental aspect of things begins to dawn upon him.
I. WRITING HIS AUTO-BIOGRAPHY
When thirteen years of age, he began to write an autobiography. We regard this as one of the exceptional things of his life. A curious idea this, to strike the mind of a child. It proves two things. (1) That some imaginations of a strange character passed through his mind. An idea of this kind could not enter the mind of a child who was not subject to flights of lively imagination. At fifteen or eighteen the thing would not seem strange; but it is extraordinary in a boy of thirteen. (2) The inner aspect of his life must have been rich ere he could be so desirous of putting it on paper. He felt there were things and incidents in his mental, moral, and practical life that ought to be recorded. We hardly believe that many such instances as this could anywhere be found. At least I have neither heard nor read of but a very few. A pity it is that we have not what he committed to writing. It would be a substantial addition to the knowledge of the philosophy of mental activities in the period from thirteen as far back as his memory could take him. What became of this autobiography after it was written? Some of the members of the family got to know of it, and spoke lightly of it, and began to tease him, saying that conceit had caused him to write it. He feared lest others would think so too, and that it was, perhaps, wrong in him to attempt such a task; and so that none might see it and have occasion to misunderstand the object of his work, he threw it into the fire. Then, as now, pride was hateful to him, and the thought that any deemed him proud was to him unbearable. That biography would be invaluable to us if it were in our possession now, for in it we would undoubtedly find the history of the origin of some of his ideas, the childish feelings of his heart, the longings of his soul, his actions, his hopes and intentions. We must, however, be content without it. From it one thing is certain, that Evan Roberts was a thinker when thirteen years of age — a strange thinker, and different from the ordinary.
II. A GREAT READER
His great book, both during the years before he became a church member and after, was the Bible. It has continued to this day to be his delight. This is proved by his extensive knowledge of the Old and New Testament by heart. But there came a time in his history when he desired a more extensive field, and would read every good novel that he could find. He went through seven of the works of the Rev. C. M. Sheldon, the author of ‘In His Steps, or What would Jesus do?’ Although it gave him pleasure to read this book, and the six that followed from the pen of the writer, he felt that there was some intense longing in his soul still unsatisfied. They seemed too small for his soul, and he thirsted for something greater. Turning away from them all, he would seek the Book of books. His library shows him to be of a superior taste in reading. It affords an excellent example of what a young man’s library ought to be. The books are not numerous, but all are good. At the bottom of the fine mahogany bookcase in the room, we find the Welsh Encyclopædia, the king of Welsh books. This in itself is a library. It contains articles that cannot be surpassed in any other language Next comes the Charles’s Dictionary, and the Outlines of Theology, by Dr. A. A. Hodge. To be familiar with the contents of these books is to possess a wealth of theological knowledge. The Sunday School Testament is here too — the best Welsh Commentary on the New Testament, also, the Dictionary of the Rev. D. Silvan Evans — unequalled by any English-Welsh dictionary. The poetical works of Islwyn, one of the best poets of Wales, are in his bookcase. We have here again several volumes of the Lladmerydd (‘Messenger’) and Cymrn (Wales) neatly bound; and two of the writers books. Next come English books — Ellicott’s Commentary on the Bible, Blackie’s Encyclopaedia; the Popular Educator; History of England in several volumes, and Cruden’s Concordance. A more useful library for a young man could not easily be found. The majority of the books are standard works, covering a vast field of knowledge. He who would make a diligent study of these would be a giant in thought. Many of them are beautifully bound in strong and serviceable leather, which further shows his good taste. These, with the Bible, were the books which were ever Evan Roberts’s field of study. This suffices to shew the falsity of the statement sometimes made that he is one of only average mental ability. What young man of inferior mental capacity and Iow literary taste would buy works of this class. No one, surely. These books too, were not bought to be ornaments We need not converse with him long in order to learn that his knowledge of many subjects is general and extensive, which is ample testimony of his diligent study of books. After confining himself for a long period to writings of this kind, he was seized with a strong desire for reading newspapers; and would go through every column in them. This continued for some time. But in spite of this, he felt a great dissatisfaction with what he read. This created a deep dislike in him for reading, and for a time he read but very little. It must have been difficult for him to be without reading, after his close perusal of newspapers. Yet, we believe that this proved a great advantage to him, for it gave him opportunities to reflect upon things. To ponder upon materials acquired by the mind through reading is fruitful in results.
III. LEARNING MUSIC
He commenced to learn the art of music when very young, but at first without any assistance. His sister, on emigrating to America, left the organ she possessed behind, which was fortunate for him, as it afforded him the opportunity of learning to play it. Feeling a desire to become proficient in music, he took lessons for two quarters in the Tonic Sol-fa. By this time he had made marked progress, and was able to play much better. This six months tuition proved invaluable to him, for it gave him a clear view of the rudimentary principles of music. With persistent practice, he can now play with ease, and run over many tunes at first sight. He takes every opportunity he can of playing on the harmonium, the piano, or the organ, which evidently gives him much delight. His knowledge of music becomes of great service to him, for in some of his meetings he makes much use of it. He understands the spirit and quality of the singing at once; and if it is not up to his standard, he interferes, and immediately corrects the audience. At the beginning of the Revival, he was seen to lead some of the richest tunes himself with the ease of master-hand, and continues to do so now if the singing lacks in spirit. We have no doubt but that he would attain a high position as a musical conductor if he had continued his study. But God had a more important work for Evan Roberts than this. He learned sufficient for the requirements of his high calling, more than that was not necessary. That he will yet make progress in the art is evident, for he is full of the musician. In visiting the various places in the course of his mission, he gets the chance to play in houses that possess instruments. When he sees an organ, a piano, or a violin in a house where he stays on his tours, he soon takes to playing it.
IV LEARNING SHORTHAND
His mind could not be quiet for a day. It was ever at work, and moving continually from one thing to another. The great ruling principle of all his actions was the desire to better himself. When about twenty years of age, he became very anxious to learn shorthand. Characteristic of himself, one of the first things he did was to buy a shorthand Bible. If he was to give time to read anything in particular, he must give the best portion of that to the Bible. His teacher was Mr. Torn Morgan, Bwlchymynydd, Loughor. He made good progress in this branch again for the few months he devoted himself to it. Undoubtedly had he continued with the study, he would have become one of the quickest of shorthand writers. Ere long, he felt that he was not using his time to the best advantage in this direction, and so he left this department in order to perfect himself in English. He saw that this would serve him better in practical life. His progress with English has been so remarkable that he can speak it freely and with ease, and can write it correctly and pithily.
V LEARNING MATHEMATICS
What one would not, perhaps, expect in Evan Roberts is his love of mathematics. With the exception of theology, this is his favourite branch out of all that he has studied. He is delighted with every stage of the art, especially with Euchd. ‘I was simply charmed with it’, he remarked, when speaking to him about it; and at the mention of it now his eye beams with joy. His study of it sharpened his mind a great deal, and also gave it power and stability. He will benefit for his life time by his study of this subject. No doubt the secret of his liking for Euchd lies in his love of order from childhood. Order, as we pointed out in another chapter, is one of his characteristics. In this tendency towards order, mathematics had a place to put its foot down.
VI. COMPETING AND WRITING
As we go on, the variety of the Revivalist’s capabilities become more and more manifest. Of all people, we find him competing in a meeting for the best love letter. The competitors are numerous, but his letter was one of the best two, and he took half the prize. This was unexpected in a young man of such a quiet disposition, and a man whom one would never expect to see taking part in a contest of this kind. Still, we are glad to know of the competition, for it shows that Evan Roberts is alive to every aspect of life, and has an eye which sees the movements of others around him. We have proof here that he took note of young life in all its aspects, and received correct impressions from it. He was also a competitor in translating at local eisteddfodau. But it was in poetry that he took the chief part in this direction. He won a prize for a poetical composition on ‘The Teacher’, and another in a competition on ‘Judas Iscariot’. If unsuccessful in a competition, he would not be discontented and cherish any bad feeling; but benefiting always from the adjudication, he would turn it to his advantage in the next competition.
In these years he wrote short articles to the Children’s Treasury, as well as puzzles for the children. These are of a high taste, and coloured by a strong religious tendency.
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