Concerning the Suppressed Book. 



greater importance that he should seize the opportunity 

 offered by Mr. Harrison's attack to develop more fully his 

 fundamental religious opinions. He had published but 

 little upon that subject for a long time, his views had been 

 much controverted and much misunderstood, and I knew 

 there was a strong desire on the part of many to read 

 everything he might say in further interpretation and elu- 

 cidation of them. His distinctive doctrines were now vig- 

 orously and formally attacked by a sagacious adversary, 

 long prepared by his special studies to put them to the 

 severest test. For the same reason that I encouraged Mr. 

 Spencer to give time to the discussion, I desired that his 

 readers in this country should be put in ready possession 

 of it when done. I may add that in this I was impelled by 

 the same general motives that had prompted me for many 

 years to do what I could to bring Mr. Spencer's ideas be- 

 fore the American people. 



But there were special reasons which made me wish 

 that the publication should be issued by D. Appleton & 

 Co. This house had printed all of Spencer's works; and 

 as a present statement of his religious views would be an 

 important addition to them, and would naturally be called 

 for in connection with them, it seemed important that his 

 controversy with Harrison should be brought out in a rep- 

 utable and permanent shape to take its place with his other 

 books. Besides, there was a high degree of certainty that 

 the discussion would be published by somebody. The 

 names of the eminent contestants, and the interest felt by 

 a large number of people in the subject, were evinced by a 

 strong demand for the publication. The discussion in its 

 separate form was called for by the friends of Mr. Harrison 

 and by the friends of Mr. Spencer, and by others who were 

 friends of neither. It was open to anybody to print it, and 

 there was every probability that it would be picked up 

 and issued in a cheap, catchpenny edition, which is now so 



