The Man and His Work. 381 



In the autumn of 1865 we were dismayed by the 

 announcement that Mr. Spencer would no longer be able to 

 go on issuing his works. In London they were published 

 at his own expense and risk, and those books which now 

 yield a handsome profit did not then pay the cost of 

 making them. By the summer of 1865 there was a 

 balance of 1100 against Mr. Spencer, and his property 

 was too small to admit of his going on and losing at such 

 a rate. As soon as this was known, John Stviart Mill 

 begged to be allowed to assume the entire pecuniary 

 responsibility of continuing the publication ; but this, Mr. 

 Spencer, while deeply affected by such noble sympathy, 

 would not hear of. He consented, however, with great 

 reluctance, to the attempt of Huxley and Lubbock, and 

 other friends, to increase artificially the list of subscribers 

 by inducing people to take the work just in order to help 

 support it. But after several months the sudden death of 

 Mr. Speocer's father added something to his means of 

 support, and he thereupon withdrew his -consent to this 

 arrangement, and determined to go on publishing as before, 

 and bearing the loss. 



But, as soon as the first evil tidings reached America, 

 Mr. Youmans made up his mind that $5500 must be forth- 

 with raised by subscription, in order to make good the loss 

 already incurred. It is delightful to remember the vigor 

 with which he took hold of this work. The sum of $7000 

 was raised and invested in American securities in Mr. 

 Spencer's name. If he did not see fit to accept these 

 securities, they would go without an owner. The best 

 Waltham watch that could be procured was presented to 

 Mr. Spencer by his American friends ; a letter, worded 

 with rare delicacy and tact, was written by the late Robert 

 Minturn; and Mr. Youmans sailed for England to convey 

 the letter and the watch to Mr. Spencer. It was a 

 charming scene on a summer day in an English garden 

 when the great philosopher was apprised of what had been 

 done. It was so skillfully managed that he could not 

 refuse the tribute Avithout seeming churlish. He therefore 

 accepted it, and applied it to extending his researches in 

 descriptive sociology. 



Of the many visits which Mr. Youmans made to England, 

 now and then extending them to the Continent, one of the 

 most important was in 1871, for the purpose of establishing 



