Hudson Taylor, schooling, and vacation

The biography of Hudson Taylor (1832-1905), missionary to China, is available to listen to online here.

As a homeschooling Dad, I was struck by the fact that Taylor did not attend a formal school until he was 11 years old and then only for a few years. How did previous generations produce such literate, committed, and able men without what we consider to be conventional schooling?

I leave for Spring break vacation this week, so no more entries till next week.