XXVI] 



HERBERT SPENCER 



31 



and his often eloquent delineations of its results. I remember 

 that some years earlier, when I asked Herbert Spencer what 

 he thought of Buckle's " History of Civilization," which I took 

 for granted that he had read, his reply was somewhat similar 

 to that here given in the case of Henry George — that on 

 looking into the book he saw that its fundamental assumption 

 was erroneous, and therefore he did not care to read it. I 

 believe he referred to Buckle's view of the immense influence 

 of the aspects of nature in influencing human character, which, 

 even if much exaggerated, cannot be said to be wholly untrue, 

 and certainly does not destroy the value of a work of such 

 research, eloquence, and illumination as the " History of 

 Civilization." 



The next letter of much interest I have from Herbert 

 Spencer is, when acknowledging receipt of a copy of my little 

 book, entitled "Bad Times," on November 21, 1885. In it 

 he says, " Much of what I read I quite agreed with, especially 

 the chapters on * Foreign Loans* and * War Expenditure.' . . . 

 There is one factor which seems to me not an improbable 

 one, which neither you nor any others have taken account of. 

 During the past generation, one of the causes of the great 

 exaltation of prosperity has been the development of the 

 railway system, which while it had the effect of opening up 

 sources of supply and means of distribution, had also the 

 effect during a long period of greatly exalting certain in- 

 dustries concerned in construction. There was consequently 

 a somewhat abnormal degree of prosperity, which lasted long 

 enough to furnish a standard of good times, and to be mis- 

 taken for the normal condition. Now that this unusual and 

 temporary cause of prosperity has in considerable measure 

 diminished, we are feeling the effect." 



This was no doubt true, and in the case of America I 

 had adduced the railway mania in the United States, from 

 1869 to 1873, and our own over-production of shipping 

 while we were supplying the whole world with rails and 

 engines, as causes of the subsequent depression in both 

 countries. 



