246 Edward Livingston Youmans. 



I therefore took a succession of colds, day by day and 

 night by night, and when I returned to Winona was quite 

 ill hard cough, great hoarseness, extreme and painful 

 soreness of the chest, and headache. Jay at once took me 

 in hand, and what with going to bed, two days' rest, and 

 mustard plasters on my chest, I came out this morning 

 feeling very much better, headache and lung soreness gone, 

 and cough diminished but tightened. The weather has for- 

 tunately relaxed. ... I have mentioned to you repeatedly 

 how predominant is the religious excitement in the various 

 towns where I have lectured. A note from Mr. Cowles, of 

 Freeport, states that Rev. Mr. Gary (who sent me up that 

 series of questions to be publicly answered) announced 

 that he wauld preach from Genesis i, j, a sermon entitled 

 Thoughts suggested by the Recent Lectures of Prof. 

 Youmans. The Methodist clergyman of Rochester also 

 advertised that he would preach on the Dynamics of Life. 

 I doubt not that both houses will be jammed. My lecture 

 at St. Paul was very satisfactory on my part, but for ex- 

 actly the same cause the house was slender. All the 

 churches were aflame with the religious excitement. I 

 met the Methodist bishop coming down on the cars (to 

 dedicate some church), who regretted that I had come to 

 St. Paul just at this time when there was so much religious 

 interest. Several gentlemen attacked him because the 

 clergymen did not attend the lectures. He replied : " We 

 never suspend religious meetings for such reasons." The 

 quick rejoinder was, "You did suspend them for Gough 

 and Anna Dickinson," which of course made him angry. 

 He replied, " If they had not adjourned them they would 

 have been left alone." He said, " It is not science that 

 the world wants, but Christ ! " 



I hope I may soon see you, and be at home somewhere. 

 I am very, very tired with this life of vagrancy. 



