Second and TJiird Visits to Eno;land. 201 



of Layton, for fear some accident mi<;ht cause it to tran- 

 spire at 88).* Read it, and then hide it. Neither let 

 Spencer nor anybody else but Jay have a glimpse of it ; it 

 might be fatal to all future action. I send it for your satis- 

 faction alone, and to show that I have not been idle. I 

 came down to the city last week expressly'on this business. 

 Of course 1 cannot tell now what will be the result. I had 

 but one day here to try it after I got the circular, but 

 things look fair. ... I called on Beecher — I had spoken 

 to him when he lectured in Saratoga that I wanted to see 

 him about some such matter. I called with the proof of 

 the circular. He says, " Well, what's this nonsense ? " "I 

 want your distinct opinion of this circular — its suitableness 

 for its work, its redundancy, its diffuseness." He glanced 

 it over : " ' Mongrel scheme of aristocratical and ecclesias- 

 tical government ' ! That won't do ; strike out mongrel. 

 Spencer never calls names or uses an epithet, not even 

 when he is going to cut a thing up root and branch. Well, 

 it's very good. Have you seen X, Y, and Z ? " f " No," 

 said I ; '^ I sort of disliked to call on them. I did so before 

 and thought they were a little afraid." *' Yes, that's it ; 

 nobody so cowardly as your half liberal, who has got to 

 take care of his position. See here ! leave those old infidel 

 fellows to me. I'll say, ' Here, you needn't be afraid of this 

 if I ain't.' It's revolutionarv, but who cares. Turn which 

 way it will, I'm bound to come out on top, for I go in for 

 the truth. J; Send me some of those circulars as soon as 



* He means 88 Kensington Gardens Square, Mr. Spencer's lodging at 

 that time. 



f Naming three distinguished liberal preachers. I do not think it 

 necessary to give the names. 



\ Nobly said, old Beecher ! His head was always sound and clear on 

 such points. In a letter of November, 1864, Youmans says: "I saw 

 Beecher yesterday. He says : ' Stir them up — subsoil the people with 

 Spencei", Huxley, and Tyndall. I have got them all, and go in for them 

 all. If the trellis of old philosophies is rotten and falling down, take it 



