Herbert Spencer a)id //' 

 form a coherent body tific truth.. 



Philosophy, 



It is proper to state in this place that, in rmitrmp: 

 tlic execution of so comprehensive a work, t: 

 culty that arose was a pecuniary one. Mr. Spencer : 

 frittered away the greater part of what little : 

 in writing and publishing books that did not pay their ex- 

 penses, and a period of eighteen months of ill health 

 enforced idleness consequent on the writing of one of 

 them had further diminished his resources. His state of 

 health was still such that he could work, at the out- 

 but three hours a day, and very frequently not that 

 that what little he could do in the shape of writing for peri- 

 odicals, even though tolerably paid for it, did not suffice 

 to meet the expenses of a very economical bachelor life. 

 How, then, could he reasonably hope to prosecute a scheme 

 elaborating the doctrine of Evolution throughout all its de- 

 partments in the way contemplated a scheme that would 

 involve an enormous amount of thought, labour, and inquiry, 

 and which seemed very unlikely to bring any pecuniary re- 

 turn, even if it paid its expenses ? Unable to see any so- 

 lution of the difficulty, Mr. Spencer wrote, in July, 1858, 

 to Mr. John Stuart Mill, explaining his project, and asking 

 whether he thought that in the administration for India, in 

 which Mr. Mill held office, there was likely to be any post, 

 rather of trust than of much work, which would leave him 

 leisure enough for the execution of his scheme. Mr. 

 replied sympathetically, but nothing turned out to be 

 available. In despair of any other possibility, Mr. Spencer 

 afterward extended his application to the Governs 

 being re-enforced by the influence of various leading s< 

 tific men, who expressed themselves strongly re^ 

 the importance of giving him the opportunity he wished.* 



* See Note E. 



