148 Edward Livingston Youmans. 



of the turmoil of war, were satisfactory. His faith 

 that new science had but to be known to be appre- 

 ciated was justified. 



While enthusiastic in propagating modern views 

 in physics, chemistry, geology, and the organic sci- 

 ences, contained in the works of Tyndall, Huxley, 

 Darwin, and their allies, Youmans felt their work to 

 be tributary to that of disseminating the philosophy 

 of evolution. As presenting the supreme organizing 

 idea of modern thought, his chief effort at all times lay 

 in directing inquirers to Mr. Spencer's works, in ex- 

 plaining their doctrines, defending them from mis- 

 quotation and misunderstanding in being, in short, 

 the American apostle of evolution, fervid, instant in 

 season and out of season, making opportunities where 

 he did not find them. A series of extracts from the 

 correspondence of 1863 and 1864 will illustrate the 

 zeal and efficiency with which this work was carried on. 



NEW YORK, March 28, 1863. 



MY DEAR MR. SPENCER : I ought to have written you 

 before, but have been delayed partly from being very busy 

 and partly to get some information concerning the state of 

 your account. But so great is the pressure in the depart- 

 ment which has your subscription in charge that I have as 

 yet quite failed. The new Cyclopaedia is just finished, and 

 is having an enormous sale ! The presses are driven day and 

 night upon it, and they are far behind their orders. The 

 clerks are overworked, and I have not pressed them for the 

 information I wanted. . . . The subject of an American 

 edition of the Essays is still in my mind. I suspect it will 

 come to that at last, and perhaps soon. The book trade is 

 recruiting. I feel a sort of embarrassment at soliciting 

 anything further from you under present commercial cir- 

 cumstances, and I must take the liberty of very strongly 



