XXVI] 



HERBERT SPENCER 



27 



some blunders in my abstract of it. I was much relieved, 

 therefore, to find that my account of his views was satisfactory 

 to him. 



In 1874, when writing "The Principles of Sociology," 

 Herbert Spencer asked me to look over the proofs of the 

 first six chapters, and give him the benefit of my criticisms, 

 " alike as naturalist, anthropologist, and "traveller." I found 

 very little indeed requiring emendation, but I sent him a 

 couple of pages of notes with suggestions on points of detail, 

 which, I believe, were of some use to him. 



During the year 1881 I had several letters from him, 

 dealing with subjects of general interest. In consequence 

 of an article I wrote on " How to Nationalize the Land," 

 especially showing how to avoid the supposed insuperable 

 objection of State management, a " Land Nationalization 

 Society " was formed, of which I was chosen president. As 

 I had been induced to study the question by Herbert 

 Spencer's early volume on "Social Statics," I sent him a 

 copy of our programme and asked if he would join us. His 

 reply is very instructive, as showing how nearly he agreed 

 with us at that time, and also how slight were the difficulties 

 he suggested as the most important. 



The letter is as follows : — 



" 38, Queen's Gardens, Bayswater, W., 

 "April 25, 1 88 1. 



"Dear Mr. Wallace, 



" As you may suppose, I fully sympathize in the 

 general aims of your proposed Land Nationalization Society ; 

 but for sundry reasons I hesitate to commit myself, at the 

 present stage of the question, to a programme so definite as 

 that which you send me. It seems to me that before formu- 

 lating'^ the idea in a specific shape, it is needful to generate 

 a body of public opinion on the general issue, and that it 

 must be some time before there can be produced such 

 recognition of the general principle involved as is needful 

 before definite plans can be set forth to any purpose. 



