VII. 



CONCERNING THE SUPPRESSED BOOK. 



It will be no news to the readers of this Monthly that 

 the volume entitled The Nature and Reality of Religion ; A 

 Controversy between Herbert Spencer and Frederic Harri- 

 son, published by D. Appleton & Co. last March, has been 

 suppressed by order of Mr. Spencer. This catastrophe was 

 the result of a public correspondence carried on between 

 these gentlemen in the columns of the London Times. 

 Fragments of the letters were cabled to this country as they 

 appeared, and were widely disseminated by the newspapers, 

 producing some suspense, and giving a confused impression 

 of the affair. At length came the announcement that the 

 disagreeable difference was happily composed ; but with it 

 came also a despatch ordering the destruction of the book 

 — copies, plates, and all — the damage to be charged to Mr. 

 Spencer. This seemed a curious way of bringing an un- 

 pleasant difference between two authors to a harmonious 

 termination ; but without waiting for explanations, the 

 mandate was obeyed and the book suppressed. The letters 

 themselves are now before us, and as they have not all been 

 previously published in this country, they are herewith sub- 

 mitted to the reader in full : 



THE SPENCER-HARRISON CORRESPONDENCE. 



[London Times, May 2g, i88^.^ 

 A NEW FORM OF LITERARY PIRACY. 



Mr. Frederic Harrison has forwarded to us for publication the 

 inclosed letter, which he has addressed to Mr. Herbert Spencer : 



(562) 



