New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-06-06
HERBERT SPENCER.
THE ENGLISH PHILOSOPHERS EARLY
ENVIRONMENT AND STRUGGLES

ENVIRONMENT AND STRUGGLES
herbert Spencer belongs to the great genera
tion or thinkers and writer's Of whom but a few
last survivors still remain. Twenty years young
er than the century. five years younger than the
thunders OF Waterloo. he born at Derby in
1920. OF a cultivated and scientifically minded
ancestry. Time place and circumstances were
all significant AS regards date. he belonged to
the nrst race OF evolutionary giants Darwin was
Just eleven years his senior: Hooker and Lewes
arrived three years before him on the scene.
while Wallace and Huxley were respectively tive
and hve years his juniors. Roughly speaking.
therefore, he was well in the midlne of the
coming van OF evolutio nary thinkers. abreast OF
inc iui Toe that was to lead on in time that
momentous change in mems conceptions of the
universe AS regards place. once more he was
an Englishman Of the Midlands. Moreover 1use
then was the day OF the Midands Earlier
thought and literature had had their home for
the most part in the South, around Thames and
cam: later. they have begun to fix their seat iy
the north. from Mersey and Humber to the foot
OF the Scotch Highlands But in the forties
hfties and Sixties the days of Spencer's prize
the Midlands led the vanguard Of the movement
In England Darwin was a Shrewsbury man:
spencer came from Derby; George Eliot was Of
Warwickshire. Nor Is it point to be
looked that Mr.. Spencer was descended from
Nonconformist house. like George Eliot and
Bright his father was Wesleyan. All these
antecedents helped to give direction to his pc
culiar genius rebel and a dissenter, the
prophet Of the mixed influences of heredity and
environment, he is himself conspicuous and
striking instance Of the practical working of his
own theories
The sacrifices involved in the preparation and
production of his gigantic work were little short
OF heroic Those who know Mr. Spencer by his
books al)ne may have thought Of him merely
as devoting himself to philosophy out OF the
abundance of his material wealth and comfort
The truth Is far otherwise. No man ever lived
a more ascetic life denied himself more for
the sake OF the task he had undertaken fog
humanity. In his evidence given before the
Commission on Copyright he tells in plaia
words. though in the most severely impersonal
and abstract manner. the story OF his hard
and noble fight during the unrecognized days
or his early manhood Not fight for bread,
not a fight for fame. but a fight for truth. For
his first book Social States" in 1850, he could
not find a publisher willing to take any risk: -
he was Obliged to print 1t at his own cost. and
sell 1t on commission. The edition consisted Of
only $50 copies and it took less than four
teen years to sell. Such are the rewards of serf-
Gus thought In cur generation! Five years latea
he printed the original form of the principles
OF Psychology" Again publisher would un-
dertake the risk, and he published commits.
sion. Once more $50 copies were printed: and
the sale was very slow. II gave away a con-
siderable number" says Mt. Spencer patheti.
cally; 'and the remainder sold in twelve and q
half years" During all that time he not only
made nothing out OF those two important and
valuable books. but actually kept out OF
pocket for his capital sunk in them. Similar
experiences with his collected Essays and with
the work on Education led him to conclude in q
few years more that philosophical qualifications
was not veritable Golconda.