William Dean Howells

The Children's Plutarch William Dean Howells

Frederick James Gould (19 December 1855 - 6 April 1938) was an English teacher, writer, and pioneer secular humanist. He was born in Brighton, the son of William James Gould and his wife Julia, who were evangelicalist Anglicans. He grew up in London, and at the age of seven was sent to study and sing in the choir at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle. He then went to school at Chenies, Buckinghamshire, where he became a day and Sunday school teacher. At the age of fifteen, he thought he heard voices in his head exclaiming "How wonderful is the love of God!", following which he studied theology "in a kind of devout fury". However, after he was appointed head teacher at Great Missenden church school in 1877, he began to develop doubts about his own religious faith