276 Edward Livingston Youmans. 



far from being forgotten as possible. I did my other work 

 too effectually, as I now find. They seem to have believed 

 in me awfully, and there is something proportional in the 

 reaction. They listen now with a kind of rapt incredulity 

 as I expand and expound and " expredge " myself on Occi- 

 dental possibilities. Yet my case is so strong that it gives 

 me the inside track, and they are precious careful about 

 bluffing me. It turns out when I get here, and get serious 

 hold of my subject, that I have in hand a pretty large thing. 

 Its importance grows upon me, and when I think of the 

 quality and difficulty and delicacy of the enterprise, and of 

 the important consequences that may flow from it, although 

 nothing is completed and all is in the crudest grizzle, I am 

 anything but dissatisfied with the aspect of things. It will 

 take but three weeks more to decide it. The British As- 

 sociation meets in Edinburgh August 2d. I shall fumble 

 till that occasion, and then act. 



Darwin was in town this week and called on Mr. W. H. 

 Appleton, who presented me. I was invited to lunch 

 Wednesday at his brother's, Mr. Erasmus Darwin. There 

 were Mr. D., Mrs. D., Miss D., and Master D. It was 

 altogether juicy and jolly. This was fresh material no 

 dregs of '68 and it went with a rush. I took Mrs. D. in 

 to lunch. They were all curiosity about America. Mr. D. 

 had just resolved to send two of his boys across the 

 Atlantic, and they leave the last of August. I told him 

 about my lecturing the Brooklyn clergymen on evolution. 

 " What ! " said he, " clergymen of different denominations 

 all together ? How they would fight if you should get 

 them together here ! " They were greatly amused with a 

 spiritualistic paper they had received from Chicago, which 

 stated that if it were known that God were dead Beecher 

 would be unanimously elected by the American people to 

 fill his place. 



Well, my point is this: that Mr. Darwin insisted on 



