XVI NOTICE OF HERBERT Sl ENJEE S 



to opinions which I do hold ; but I object to have added the 

 odium attaching to opinions -which I do not hold. If, by publish 

 ing this letter in your forthcoming number, you will allow me to 

 Bet myself right with the American public on this matter, you will 

 greatly oblige me. I am, Sir, your obedient servant, 



HERBERT SPENCER. 



We take the liberty of making an extract froiu^i private lettei 

 of Mr. Spencer, which, contains some further observations in the 

 same connection : 



&quot; There appears to have got abroad in the United States, a 

 very erroneous impression respecting the influence of Comtek 

 writings in England. I suppose that the currency obtained by 

 the words Positivism and Positivist, is to blame for this. 

 Comte having designated by the term Positive Philosophy all 

 that body of definitely-established knowledge which men of 

 science have been gradually organizing into a coherent body of 

 doctrine, and having habitually placed this in opposition to the 

 incoherent body of doctrine defended by theologians, it has be 

 come the habit of the theological party to think of the antagonist 

 scientific party under this title of Positivists applied to them by 

 Comtc. And thus, from the habit of calling them Positivists 

 there has grown up the assumption that they call themselves Posi 

 tivists, and that they are the disciples of Comte. The truth is 

 that Comtc and his doctrines receive here scarcely any attention. 

 I know something of the scientific world in England, and I cannot 

 name a single man of science who acknowledges himself a fol 

 lower of Comte, or accepts the title of Positivist. Lest, however, 

 there should be some such who were unknown to me, I have re 

 cently made inquiries into the matter. To Professor Tyndall I 

 put the question whether Comte had exerted any appreciable in 

 fluence on his own course of thought : and he replied, So far as 

 I know, my own course of thought would have been exactly the 

 fame had Comte never existed. I then asked, Do you know 

 any men of science whose views have been affected by Comtc s 

 writings? and his answer was: His influence on scientific 

 thought in England is absolutely /&amp;lt;//. To the same questions 

 Prof. Huxley returned, in other words, the same answers. Profe* 



