HERBERT SPENCER 31 



believe he referred to Buckle's view of the immense influence 

 of the aspects of nature in influencing human character, which, 

 even if much exaggerated, cannot be said to be wholly untrue, 

 and certainly does not destroy the value of a work of such 

 research, eloquence, and illumination as the " History of 

 Civilization." 



The next letter of much interest I have from Herbert 

 Spencer is when acknowledging receipt of a copy of my little 

 book entitled "Bad Times," on November 21, 1885. In it 

 he says, " Much of what I read I quite agreed with, especially 

 the chapters on ' Foreign Loans ' and ' War Expenditures/ 

 . . . There is one factor which seems to me not an improb- 

 able one, which neither you nor any others have taken account 

 of. During the past generation, one of the causes of the great 

 exaltation of prosperity has been the development of the 

 railway system, which while it had the effect of opening up 

 sources of supply and means of distribution, had also the 

 effect during a long period of greatly exalting certain in- 

 dustries concerned in construction. There was consequently 

 a somewhat abnormal degree of prosperity, which lasted long 

 enough to furnish a standard of good times, and to be mis- 

 taken for the normal condition. Now that this unusual and 

 temporary cause of prosperity has in considerable measure 

 diminished, we are feeling the effect." 



This was no doubt true, and in the case of America I 

 had adduced the railway mania in the United States, from 

 1869 to 1873, and our own over-production of shipping while 

 we were supplying the whole world with rails and engines, as 

 causes of the subsequent depression in both countries. 



The last three letters I received from Herbert Spencer were 

 in 1894 and 1895, all on the subject of what he termed " the 

 absurdity of Lord Salisbury's representation of the process of 

 natural selection " in his British Association address at Oxford, 

 wishing me to write to the Times, pointing out his errors, 

 which were influencing many persons and writers in the press, 

 and suggesting certain points I should especially deal with. 

 He concludes, " It behooves you of all men to take up the 



