544 Edward Livingston Youmans. 



with the examples which embody Colonel Higginson's con- 

 ception of strength in mental character. As to the decla- 

 ration that it seems absurd to attribute to Mr. Spencer any 

 vast enlargement or further generalization of the modern 

 doctrine of Evolution, we leave its author to reconcile his 

 opinion with the fact that the System of Psychology, 

 which first extended the principle of Evolution to the 

 sphere of mind, had been nine years before the world, the 

 conception of universal Evolution had been formulated 

 and promulgated four years, and First Principles had 

 been for some time published, when this statement was 

 made. 



Mr. Emerson's criticism of Spencer is summary and de- 

 cisive, as becomes a man who has gone to the bottom of a 

 subject. Reticent and mystical no longer, he plumps out 

 his opinion, when interviewed, with all the confidence of 

 one who knows what he is talking about. Into the pan- 

 theon of immortals, arranged for the reporter of Frank 

 Leslie's newspaper, none may enter but star-writers, and 

 Mr. Spencer is only a "stock-writer." We may, however, 

 presume that Mr. Emerson has here followed his trans- 

 cendental lights, as there are many who will insist that he 

 is not for a moment to be suspected of having ever read 

 Mr. Spencer's books though it will still remain a mystery 

 how he has so skilfully contrived to make his statement 

 as exactly wrong as it could be made. It will, probably, 

 matter little to Mr. Spencer what Mr. Emerson thinks of 

 his position, as it may matter nothing to Mr. Emerson 

 what we think of his judgment ; but it should matter a 

 good deal to him that he do not lend the influence of his 

 eminent name to the perpetration of injustice. Speaking 

 in the light of the facts here sketched, we say that Mr. 

 Emerson will search the annals of authorship in vain to 

 find an instance in which his epithet would be more grossly 

 misapplied. And we will do him the justice to say that in 



