378 Edward Livingston Youmans. 



38 QUEEN'S GARDENS, April 12, iS8j. 



DEAR YOUMANS: I am glad to hear that though you 

 have had difficulties with the severe winter you have never- 

 theless got through it thus far without serious mischief. I 

 hope what remains will do you no harm. Next winter 

 pray do not take the risky course of trying to bear it ; but 

 take the safe course, and infer that you will not bear it with 

 impunity. It is this running of risks because on previous 

 occasions it has been done with impunity that habitually 

 leads to fatal results. 



I am glad to report myself considerably better. The 

 bad weather is pretty well ended; and since the improve- 

 ment set in I have been gaining ground considerably, so 

 that I am now doing a little work without much inconven- 

 ience. However, my sleeping has been considerably worse 

 than usual for the last week; and I am to-day going down 

 to Brighton for a few days to try and get some decent 

 nights. Fiske is going to accompany me as my guest for a 

 day or two. . . . 



I lately took up a book at the Athenaeum entitled Nat- 

 ural Law in the Spiritual World, by Henry Drummond. I 

 found it to be in a considerable measure an endeavour to 

 press me into the support of a qualified theology by show- 

 ing the harmony between certain views of mine and alleged 

 spiritual laws. It is an interesting example of one of the 

 transitional books which are at present very useful. It 

 occurs to me that while the author proposes to press me into 

 his service, we might advantageously press him into our own 

 service. Just look at the book and see. 



CONEY ISLAND, September 3, 1883. 



DEAR SPENCER : The erroneous view of your relation 

 to Darwin is very widespread, and Fiske told me, on his re- 

 turn from England, that he was surprised to find how gen- 

 eral it was there. It should not be suffered to extend and 



