358 Edward Livingston Youmans. 



NICE, FRANCE, January /j, 7^79. 



DEAR FATHER AND MOTHER : . . . To-day has been 

 very fine. I had a long walk in the morning, and another 

 this afternoon. Mr. Spencer went off by rail to Mentone 

 to-day to reconnoitre for a place, as we propose not to 

 jump in again so suddenly. I took advantage of his ab- 

 sence to write an editorial, which I mail to Jay to-day. I 

 shall try and squeeze out another in time for the March 

 Monthly. . . . 



MENTONE, January 27, 1879. 



DEAR SISTER : . . . I have not seen a paper from the 

 United States these three weeks, and am therefore in the 

 dark as to weather there as well as everything else. But 

 perhaps it is best; as, if there were home news, I should 

 inevitably be reading it, and my eyes are very bad. Spen- 

 cer doctors them often and vigorously, but the muscular 

 tone is low, and is kept so low by the depressing weather 

 that congestion continues. If the weather should clear up 

 I think it would find me better. I use my eyes the least 

 possible, and read but very little. Nor do I write much, 

 but jot down various things. If we could have bright, ex- 

 hilarating weather, I should be able to get some things in 

 shape soon to use. Since Spencer has commenced working 

 with my eyes and begins really to find out in how bad a 

 state the left eye is, he is very vehement against my read- 

 ing at all, or even writing. He says : " I never saw a per- 

 son subject to such changes of aspect; sometimes your 

 face looks coloured and healthy, and at other times pale, 

 flabby, and haggard ; and from what I can see it is reading 

 that makes the change. It is clear to me that you will have 

 to stop writing and go to lecturing." At this point he 

 came, and we had an hour and a half of digging through 

 the mud. 



As for leaving, I am ready and anxious, but Spencer re- 

 sists it, saying he is not coming down here for nothing. 



