First Acquaintance with Herbert Spencer. i i 5 



nificent long-sustained argument of First Princij)les. 

 A second selection, under the title, Essays, Political, 

 Moral, and Esthetic, soon followed, and the diversity 

 of themes served to widen the circle of Mr. Spencer's 

 readers. The publication of these books was an ex- 

 periment entirely due to Youmans's urgency. As 

 soon as they were ready for the market he wrote re- 

 views of them, and by no means in the usual perfunc- 

 tory way. His reviews and notices were turned out 

 by the score, and scattered about in the magazines 

 and newspapers w^here they would do the most good. 

 Not content with this, he made numerous pithy and 

 representative extracts for the reading columns of va- 

 rious daily and weekly papers. Whenever he found 

 another writer who could be pressed into the service, 

 he would give him Spencer's books, kindle him with a 

 spark from his own blazing enthusiasm, and set him to 

 writing for the press. The effects of this work were 

 multifarious and far-reaching, and — year in and year 

 out — it was never for a moment allowed to fiag. The 

 most indefatigable vender of wares w^as never more 

 ruthlessly persistent in advertising for lucre's sake 

 than Edward Youmans in preaching in a spirit of the 

 purest disinterestedness the gospel of evolution. As 

 long as he lived Mr. Spencer had upon this side of the 

 Atlantic an alter ego ever on the alert, with vision like 

 that of a hawk for the slightest chance to promote his 

 interests and those of his system of thought. 



