296 Edward Livingston Yoummis. 



American periodical will not interfere with the publication 

 at the same date in that portion of the edition of the Con- 

 temporary which circulates in America. I have stipulated 

 for such interval as will allow of your having the sheets in 

 time to make simultaneous publication practicable. Pos- 

 sibly you have by this time taken some steps toward 

 making arrangements for me. I hope you have not made 

 any proposals for its publication in Appletons' Journal. To 

 this I should object. After so long a descending career in 

 respect of quality, I suspect that changing its character 

 would be very difhcult, if possible; and until such restora- 

 tion of character is effected I should not like contributions 

 of mine to appear in it. 



Should you start the proposed magazine with the under- 

 standing that you are to have full power in- the management 

 of it, the case will be quite different. It strikes me that if 

 you had the help of your brother and sister, and if they 

 devoted their whole time to it, the management of such a 

 magazine might not be too much for you along with other 



things. 



New York, January 26, 1872. 



My dear Spencer : I have yours of the 8th inst. As 

 respects the sociological articles, I have not for a moment 

 thought of offering them to Appletons' Journal, but 1 have 

 not made proposals elsewhere, as, if we do start a monthly, 

 I am very anxious to avail myself of them. I shall accept 

 nothing except full control of such a periodical, the only 

 question being whether I will take it at all. My brother is 

 very anxious that I should do so, and my sister inclines to 

 it. I mean to have an opportunity very soon to know just 

 what the publishers are prepared to do and will report 

 promptly; but there will be some little delay, probably, in 

 starting — if we do start — and I hope that you will not begin 

 over there until we are ready here. There would be no 

 harm if you had two or three of the articles done before 

 the first is printed. Indeed, this will be most desirable 



