CHAPTER IX. 



THE APOSTLE OF EVOLUTION. 

 1S63-1864. Age 42-43. 



The next year (1863) was the mid-year of the war, 

 the year of the great victories at Gettysburg, Vicks- 

 burg, and Chattanooga, but none the less a time of 

 sore anxiety, for no one could as yet see how near the 

 end was. The publishing business, in which Mr. You- 

 mans had already so many broad and generous inter- 

 ests bound up, suffered severely. Telegrams from 

 the battlefield withdrew people's attention from sci- 

 ence and philosophy ; and the violent fluctuations of 

 an ill-advised currency of inconvertible paper added 

 to the losses of a curtailed publishing trade. '' As 

 things are," said Mr. W. H. Appleton one day, " it is 

 no object to publish any book ; we would rather stop 

 business if it were possible." The plates of Social 

 Statics were offered, by way of experiment, to '' three 

 of our best publishers. They liked the book, and 

 were aware of the favourable position of the author 

 in this country, but they did not want to publish any- 

 thing. They were compelled to issue a book now 

 and then to keep their names before the public, but 

 would far rather sell the works of other houses than 

 manufacture themselves." 



I cannot expect to give you a satisfactory account of 

 the state of things here [wrote Youmans to Spencer a little 



(t4i) 



