Democratic Northwest and Henry County news. [volume] (Napoleon, O. [Ohio]) 1894-1905, 1896-06-04
REWARDS or PHILOSOPHY.
Herbeft Spencer Has Not Pound Then
Very Great

Herbert Spencer's first important work,
"Social Statics," was published in 1850,
when he was just 80. The great work OF
his life-the "Systsm of Synthetic PHI
losophy"-was taken up In earnest ten
years later. The sacrifices involved in the
preparation and production Of the gigantic
work thus heEaldsd to the world were lit
lie short of heroic. Those who know Mr..
Spencer by his books alone may have
thought Of him merely az devoting himself
10 philosophy out of thSHbundaDce of his
material wealth and comfort. The truth
Is far otherwise. No man ever lived a
more asoetic life or denied himself more
for the sake of the task he had undertaken
for humanity. In his evidence given be-
| fore the commission ON copyright he tells
US in plain words, though In the most So
verely impersonal and abstract manner,
the story Of his hard and noble fight dur.
ing the unrecognized days Of his early
manhood. Not fight for bread, no5
| fight for fame, remember, but fight for
truth. For his first book, "Social States"
In 1880, he could not find publisher will
ing to take any risk; so he was obliged to
print it at his own cost and sell 1t on oom-
mission. The edition consisted Of only
$50 copies, and it took no less than Ia
years to sell.
Such are the rewards of serious thought
In our generationl Five years later he
printed the original form of the "Princi-
pies of Psychology" Again no publisher
would undertake the risk, and he publish
ed on commission. Once more $50 copies
were printed, and the sale was very slow.
~ gave away a considerable number, &"
says Mr.. Spencer pathetically, land the
remainder sold in 12H years" During all
that time we may conclude from the Sc
quel he not only made nothing out of those
two important and valuable books, but
was actually kept out of pocket for his
capital sunk in them.
"Before the initial volume First Prin-
ciples was finished, " he observes, II found
myself still losing. During the issue oi
the second volume the Principles of Biol,
ogy' was still losing, In the middle OF
the third volume was losing 80 much
that found was frittering away all
possessed. went back upon my accounts
, and discovered that in the course of Ia
years had lost nearly 81, ,200-adding In
terest, more than 91, 200. AS I was evi
IDENTIFY going on running myself issued
|
he had been living meanwhile in 'th'
, most economical way possible, " in spite o.
s which he found he had trenched to tina
r large extent on his very small capital
l Spartan fare had not suff1csd to make hi
experiment successful. Nevertheless, b.
: continued to publish, as he himself brave
g ly phrases it, II may say, by accident.
: Twice before in the course of those 1
: weary years he had been able TO persevere
: in spite of losses by bequests of money
a On this third occasion, just as he was o.
: the very point Of disseminating the produc
i ton of his great work, property which h
9 inherited came to him in the nick of tim
}, TO prevent such catastrophe.
d Any other man In the world would hav
II invested his money and fought shy in th
future Of the siren Of philosophy. Not s
= Mr.. Spencer To him life is thought. H
It went courageously on with his forlor
II hope in publishing, and it Is some oonsC
Il lation to know that be was repaid In th
end, though late and i'll, for his sing
II minded devotion. In 81 years after he bI
10 gan to publish he had retrieved his pos
10 ton and was abreast Of his losses Thin
of that, you men of business. Twenty -fou
II years Of hard mental work for no pay
l. all and at the end of 1t to find yourse
l. Just where you started! Since that tim
it Is true, Mr.. Spencer's works hay
brought him In, by degrees, satisfaction
revenue, but consider the pluck and dete
. mination of the man who could fight
-, W. long, in spite of poverty, against such te
~ rible experiences.-Review of Reviews.