Life and Letters of Thomas Henry Huxley Volume I Part 37

Dined at the Smiths' last night. [Dr. (afterwards Sir William) Smith, of dictionary fame.] Lowe was to have been there, but had a dinner-party of his own...I have come to the conviction that our friend Bob is a most admirable, well-judging statesman, for he says I am the only man fit to be at the head of the British Museum [i.e. of the Natural History Collections.], and that if he had his way he would put me there.

[Years afterwards, on Sir R. Owen's retirement, he was offered the post, but declined it, as he greatly disliked the kind of work. At the same time, he pointed out to the Minister who made the offer that the man of all others for the post would be the late distinguished holder of it, Sir W.H. Flower, a suggestion happily acted on.

Early in August a severe loss befell him in the sudden death of his brother George, who had been his close friend ever since he had returned from Australia, who had given him all the help and sympathy in his struggles that could be given by a man of the world without special interests in science or literature. With brilliancy enough to have won success if he had had patience to ensure it, he was not only a pleasant companion, a "clubbable man" in Johnson's phrase, but a friend to trust.

The two households had seen much of one another; the childless couple regarded their brother's children almost as their own. Thus a real gap was made in the family circle, and the trouble was not lessened by the fact that George Huxley's affairs were left in great confusion, and his brother not only spent a great deal of time in looking after the interests of the widow, but took upon himself certain obligations in order to make things straight, with the result that he was even compelled to part with his Royal Medal, the gold of which was worth 50 pounds sterling.]

CHAPTER 1.18.

1864.

[The year 1864 was much like 1863. The Hunterian Lectures were still part of his regular work. The Fishery Commission claimed a large portion of his time. from March 28 to April 2 he was in Cornwall; on May 7 at Sh.o.r.eham; from July 24 to September 9 visiting the coasts of Scotland and Ireland. The same pressure of work continued. He published four papers on paleontological or anatomical subjects in the "Natural History Review" (On "Cetacean Fossils termed Ziphius by Cuvier," in the "Transactions of the Geological Society"; in those of the "Zoological,"

papers on "Arctocebus Calabarensis" and "The Structure of the Stomach in Desmodus Rufus"; and on the "Osteology of the Genus Glyptodon," in the "Philosophical Transactions."), he wrote "Further Remarks upon the Human Remains from the Neanderthal," and later, dealing with "Criticisms on the 'Origin of Species'" ("Collected Essays" 2 page 80 "Darwiniana"), he gently but firmly dispersed several misconceptions of his old friend Kolliker as to the plain meaning of the book; and ridiculed the pretentious ignorance of M. Flourens' dicta upon the same subject; while in the winter he delivered a course of lectures to working men on "The Various Races of Mankind," a choice of subject which shows that his chief interest at that time lay in Ethnology.]

Jermyn Street, January 16, 1864.

My dear Darwin,

I have had no news of you for a long time, but I earnestly hope you are better.

Have you any objection to putting your name to Flower's certificate for the Royal Society herewith inclosed? It will please him much if you will; and I go bail for his being a thoroughly good man in all senses of the word--which, as you know, is more than I would say for everybody.

Don't write any reply; but Mrs. Darwin perhaps will do me the kindness to send the thing on to Lyell as per enclosed envelope. I will write him a note about it.

We are all well, barring customary colds and various forms of infantile pip. As for myself, I am flouris.h.i.+ng like a green bay tree (appropriate comparison, Soapy Sam would observe), in consequence of having utterly renounced societies and society since October.

I have been working like a horse, however, and shall work "horser" as my college lectures begin in February.

Tout a vous,

T.H. Huxley.

Royal School of Mines, Jermyn Street, April 18, 1864.

My dear Darwin,

I was rejoiced to see your handwriting again, so much so that I shall not scold you for undertaking the needless exertion (as it's my duty to do) of writing to thank me for my book. [Hunterian Lectures on Anatomy.]

I thought the last lecture would be nuts for you, but it is really shocking. There is not the smallest question that Owen wrote both the article "Oken" and the "Archetype Book," which appeared in its second edition in French--why, I know not. I think that if you will look at what I say again, there will not be much doubt left in your mind as to the ident.i.ty of the writer of the two.

The news you give of yourself is most encouraging; but pray don't think of doing any work again yet. Careful as I have been during this last winter not to burn the candle at both ends, I have found myself, since the pressure of my lectures ceased, in considerable need of quiet, and I have been lazy accordingly.

I don't know that I fear, with you, caring too much for science--for there are lots of other things I should like to go into as well, but I do lament more and more as time goes on, the necessity of becoming more and more absorbed in one kind of work, a necessity which is created for any one in my position, partly by one's reputation, and partly by one's children. For directly a man gets the smallest repute in any branch of science, the world immediately credits him with knowing about ten times as much as he really does, and he becomes bound in common honesty to do his best to climb up to his reputed place. And then the babies are a devouring fire, eating up the present and discounting the future; they are sure to want all the money one can earn, and to be the better for all the credit one can win.

However, I should fare badly without the young monkeys. Your pet Marian is almost as shy as ever, though she has left off saying "can't," by the way.

My wife is wonderfully well. As I tell her, Providence has appointed her to take care of me when I am broken down and decrepit.

I hope you can say as much of Mrs. Darwin. Pray give her my kind regards.

And believe me, ever yours faithfully,

T.H. Huxley.

[A letter to his sister gives a sketch of his position at this time, speaking of which he says to Dr. (afterwards Sir J.) Fayrer,] "You and I have travelled a long way, in all senses, since you settled my career for me on the steps of the Charing Cross Hospital." [It must be remembered that his sister was living in Tennessee, and that her son at fifteen was serving in the Confederate army.]

Jermyn Street, May 4, 1864.

You will want to know something about my progress in the world. Well, at this moment I am Professor of Natural History here, and Hunterian Professor of Comparative Anatomy at the College of Surgeons. The former is the appointment I have held since 1855; the latter chair I was asked to take last year, and now I have delivered two courses in that famous black gown with the red facings which the doctor will recollect very well. What with the duties of these two posts and other official and non-official business, I am worked to the full stretch of my powers, and sometimes a little beyond them; though hitherto I have stood the wear and tear very well.

I believe I have won myself a pretty fair place in science, but in addition to that I have the reputation (of which, I fear, you will not approve) of being a great heretic and a savage controversialist always in rows. To the accusation of heresy I fear I must plead guilty; but the second charge proceeds only, I do a.s.sure you, from a certain unconquerable hatred of lies and humbug which I cannot get over.

I have read all you tell me about the south with much interest and with the warmest sympathy, so far as the fate of the south affects you. But I am in the condition of most thoughtful Englishmen. My heart goes with the south, and my head with the north.

I have no love for the Yankees, and I delight in the energy and self-sacrifice of your people; but for all that, I cannot doubt that whether you beat the Yankees or not, you are struggling to uphold a system which must, sooner or later, break down.

I have not the smallest sentimental sympathy with the negro; don't believe in him at all, in short. But it is clear to me that slavery means, for the white man, bad political economy; bad social morality; bad internal political organisation, and a bad influence upon free labour and freedom all over the world. For the sake of the white man, therefore, for your children and grandchildren, directly, and for mine, indirectly, I wish to see this system ended. [Cf. "Reader," February 27 onwards, where these general arguments against slavery appear in a controversy arising from his ninth Hunterian Lecture, in which, while admitting negro inferiority, he refutes those who justify slavery on the ground that physiologically the negro is very low in the scale.] Would that the south had had the wisdom to initiate that end without this miserable war!

All this must jar upon you sadly, and I grieve that it does so; but I could not pretend to be other than I am, even to please you. Let us agree to differ upon this point. If I were in your place I doubt not I should feel as you do; and, when I think of you, I put myself in your place and feel with you as your brother Tom. The learned gentleman who has public opinions for which he is responsible is another "party" who walks about in T's clothes when he is not thinking of his sister.

If this were not my birthday I should not feel justified in taking a morning's holiday to write this long letter to you. The ghosts of undone pieces of work are dancing about me, and I must come to an end.

Give my love to your husband. I am glad to hear he wears so well. And don't forget to give your children kindly thoughts of their uncle. Dr.

Wright gives a great account of my namesake, and says he is the handsomest youngster in the Southern States. That comes of his being named after me, you know how renowned for personal beauty I always was.

I asked Dr. Wright if you had taken to spectacles, and he seemed to think not. I had a pain about my eyes a few months ago, but I found spectacles made this rather worse and left them off again. However, I do catch myself holding a newspaper further off than I used to do.

Now don't let six months go by without writing again. If our little venture succeeds this time, we shall send again. [I.e. a package of various presents to the family.] Ever, my dearest Lizzie, your affectionate brother,

T.H. Huxley.

[He writes to his wife, who had taken the children to Margate:--]

September 22.

I am now busy over a paper for the Zoological Society; after that there is one for the Ethnological which was read last session though not written...Don't blaspheme about going into the bye-ways. They are both in the direct road of the book, only over the hills instead of going over the beaten path.

October 6.

I heard from Darwin last night jubilating over an article of mine which is published in the last number of the "Natural History Review," and which he is immensely pleased with...My lectures tire me, from want of practice, I suppose. I shall soon get into swing.

[The article in question was the "Criticisms of the 'Origin of Species'"

of which he writes to Darwin:--]

Jermyn Street, October 5, 1864.

My dear Darwin,

I am very glad to see your handwriting (in ink) again, and none the less on account of the pretty words into which it was shaped.