8 



before the public, it would do all it could to push 

 the sale of the book in New York and elsewhere. 

 The contents of the book, as you will soon learn, 

 completely overturns the science of Chemistry, and 

 presents its matter with the interminable properties 

 of the latter, in an entirely new light. The con- 

 servatism and caution of the Company were therefore 

 only justifiable. Upon the advice of this Company, 

 I then sent the matter to a Chicago firm for in- 

 spection. The latter firm did, upon its receipt, 

 submit its matter to a number of critics, who finally 

 were " unable to arrive at any decision " concerning 

 the truth of the subject matter, and I was duly 

 informed of the fact. After this I sent an outline 

 of the 'matter of the book, with its various dis- 

 coveries, which are very great in number, being- 

 culled from nearly all the branch sciences, to both I). 

 Appleton & Co., and Harper Bros., of New York; also 

 to the Houghton, Mifflin Co., of Boston. The former 

 two declined even to look at a MS., that attempted, 

 unsupported, to overthrow a scientific structure that 

 had stood, uncriticised, during a whole century. The 

 latter firm agreed to inspect the book, but candidly 

 expressed their doubts of the merit of a work of 

 such great latitude. After this experience I decided 

 that my endeavors to have the book published, 

 except at my own private expense, would be perfectly 

 useless, on account of the inability of the readers 

 or critics of these or other Publishing Companies 

 to handle the matter in a manner to mold public 

 opinion. The truth of the purported discoveries 

 ought to be, I am now convinced, settled by a 

 number of the scientific world's representative men, 

 in a body, and not by any Publishing firm's hired 

 "reader" or critic. I am, therefore, at the present 

 time without the funds that I otherwise should have 

 had, could I have disposed of my MS., and am con- 

 sequently compelled to appeal to you for assistance. 



