CONCERNING THE SUPPRESSED BOOK. 445 



But, in the matter of " piracy," it is Mr. Spencer who comes in for 

 Harrison's hottest indignation. He accuses him of having invented a 

 new form of it, and aggravated the offense by its clandestine perpe- 

 tration. Now, let us see what it was that Spencer did. After finish- 

 ing the controversy in the "Nineteenth Century," Mr. Harrison trans- 

 ferred it to the "Pall Mall Gazette," in which he printed an additional 

 article, addressed to a new audience, and filled with very objectionable 

 misstatements. It would not do, in editing the volume which was in- 

 tended to be a full presentation of the discussion, to leave this article 

 out. But to print it without corrections would be unjust to Spencer, 

 and to the readers of the book, who wanted and were entitled to the 

 completest statement of the case. There was no call for anything 

 more from Mr. Harrison, who had had his last word, and declared that 

 he should pursue the controversy no further ; but there was a need 

 that corrections by Spencer should be supplied. He accordingly sent 

 me the substance of some additions to be appended as notes, and which 

 I inserted in their appropriate places. I deny the wrongfulness of this 

 act, and the ado that has been made over it seems to me perfectly 

 absurd. Mr. Spencer did what it was desirable and entirely proper 

 that he should do. He had not only the right but it was his duty to 

 defend himself against the erroneous representations of Mr. Harrison ; 

 and I insist that, if any apology was due either way, it was from Mr. 

 Harrison to Spencer for making the misstatements, rather than from 

 Spencer to Harrison for correcting them. 



Mr. Spencer, as will be seen, prints two paragraphs from a private 

 letter of mine giving reasons which induced him to favor the American 

 reprint, and Mr. Harrison characterizes them as chiefly " inventions." 

 I had said, " Harrison is coming over to lecture in this country," and 

 Mr. Harrison says he never thought of it. I wrote carelessly ; but my 

 meaning was, that he is expected to come, and in this there was no " in- 

 vention." It had been talked about, and there was nothing unlikely 

 in it. The coming of eminent Englishmen to this country to lecture 

 is certainly no unusual thing. Mr. Harrison is a lecturer, a man of 

 ideas which he is interested in propagating, and is reputed to have 

 means and leisure. He has many admirers in the United States, and 

 a reputation which would be certain to secure him good audiences. 

 As it turns out, " the wish was father to the thought," but the rumor 

 was not improbable. I should have referred to it as a contingency, 

 and I simply meant that it might be worth taking into account, with 

 reference to the publication of the controversy. 



Mr. Harrison says the idea that there was any danger of republica- 

 tion in this country by his friends rested also upon pure "invention." 

 But I did not say this. I wrote to Spencer, " There is danger that it 

 will be done by others, and if that should occur it would be construed 

 as a triumph of the Harrison party." Mr. Spencer's interpretation of 

 it was, "I had to choose between republication by my American 



