Prefatory Note. vii 



rejoice that the time has come at last when a man 

 may abandon old mythologies and devote himself 

 to the disinterested pursuit of science, without 

 being supposed to be an aider and abettor of the 

 colossal vagaries of the vainest of modern French- 

 men. 



The two other early papers, on " Liberal Edu- 

 cation " and " University Reform," deal with sub- 

 jects about which we used sometimes to talk to- 

 gether ; and on looking them over, they seem to 

 contain suggestions not wholly without a bearing 

 upon questions just now warmly discussed at our 

 Cambridge. I have therefore added them to the 

 book. In some of the twelve essays of the origi- 

 nal edition I have made a few slight changes. 



I say now, as I said before, that I wish it were 

 a better book I were offering you. But, such as 

 it is, it is offered with all my heart. 



Ever faithfully yours, 



JOHN FISKE. 

 PETERSHAM, October 14, 1885. 



