theauthorwrote:——
"Thislastnaturalist[Haeckel]……hasrecently……publishedhis’NaturlicheSchopfungs—geschichte,’inwhichhefullydiscussesthegenealogyofman。
Ifthisworkhadappearedbeforemyessayhadbeenwritten,Ishouldprobablyneverhavecompletedit。AlmostalltheconclusionsatwhichI
havearrived,Ifindconfirmedbythisnaturalist,whoseknowledgeonmanypointsismuchfullerthanmine。")IcannottellyouhowgladIamtofindthatIhaveexpressedmyhighadmirationofyourlabourswithsufficientclearness;IamsurethatIhavenotexpressedittoostrongly。"]
CHARLESDARWINTOA。R。WALLACE。
Down,March16,1871。
MydearWallace,Ihavejustreadyourgrandreview。("Academy",March15,1871。)Itisineverywayaskindlyexpressedtowardsmyselfasitisexcellentinmatter。
TheLyellshavebeenhere,andSirC。remarkedthatnoonewrotesuchgoodscientificreviewsasyou,andasMissBuckleyadded,youdelightinpickingoutallthatisgood,thoughveryfarfromblindtothebad。InallthisImostentirelyagree。Ishallalwaysconsideryourreviewasagreathonour;andhowevermuchmybookmayhereafterbeabused,asnodoubtitwillbe,yourreviewwillconsoleme,notwithstandingthatwediffersogreatly。Iwillkeepyourobjectionstomyviewsinmymind,butIfearthatthelatterarealmoststereotypedinmymind。Ithoughtforlongweeksabouttheinheritanceandselectiondifficulty,andcoveredquiresofpaperwithnotesintryingtogetoutofit,butcouldnot,thoughclearlyseeingthatitwouldbeagreatreliefifIcould。Iwillconfinemyselftotwoorthreeremarks。Ihavebeenmuchimpressedwithwhatyouurgeagainstcolour(Mr。Wallacesaysthatthepairingofbutterfliesisprobablydeterminedbythefactthatonemaleisstronger—winged,ormorepertinaciousthantherest,ratherthanbythechoiceofthefemales。Hequotesthecaseofcaterpillarswhicharebrightlycolouredandyetsexless。Mr。Wallacealsomakesthegoodcriticismthatthe’DescentofMan’consistsoftwobooksmixedtogether。)inthecaseofinsects,havingbeenacquiredthroughsexualselection。Ialwayssawthattheevidencewasveryweak;butIstillthink,ifitbeadmittedthatthemusicalinstrumentsofinsectshavebeengainedthroughsexualselection,thatthereisnottheleastimprobabilityincolourhavingbeenthusgained。
Yourargumentwithrespecttothedenudationofmankindandalsotoinsects,thattasteonthepartofonesexwouldhavetoremainnearlythesameduringmanygenerations,inorderthatsexualselectionshouldproduceanyeffect,Iagreeto;andIthinkthisargumentwouldbesoundifusedbyonewhodeniedthat,forinstance,theplumesofbirdsofParadisehadbeensogained。Ibelieveyouadmitthis,andifsoIdonotseehowyourargumentappliesinothercases。IhaverecognizedforsomeshorttimethatIhavemadeagreatomissioninnothavingdiscussed,asfarasI
could,theacquisitionoftaste,itsinheritednature,anditspermanencewithinprettycloselimitsforlongperiods。
[Withregardtothesuccessofthe’DescentofMan,’IquotefromalettertoProfessorRayLankester(March22,1871):——
"Ithinkyouwillbegladtohear,asaproofoftheincreasingliberalityofEngland,thatmybookhassoldwonderfully……andasyetnoabuse(thoughsome,nodoubt,willcome,strongenough),andonlycontempteveninthepoorold’Athenaeum’。"
AstoreviewsthatstruckhimhewrotetoMr。Wallace(March24,1871):——
"Thereisaverystrikingsecondarticleonmybookinthe’PallMall’。
Thearticlesinthe"Spectator"("Spectator",March11and18,1871。Withregardtotheevolutionofconsciencethereviewerthinksthatmyfathercomesmuchnearertothe"kernelofthepsychologicalproblem"thanmanyofhispredecessors。Thesecondarticlecontainsagooddiscussionofthebearingofthebookonthequestionofdesign,andconcludesbyfindinginitavindicationofTheismmorewonderfulthanthatinPaley’s’NaturalTheology。’)havealsointerestedmemuch。"
OnMarch20hewrotetoMr。Murray:——
"Manythanksforthe"Nonconformist"[March8,1871]。Iliketoseeallthatiswritten,anditisofsomerealuse。Ifyouhearofreviewersinout—of—the—waypapers,especiallythereligious,as"Record","Guardian","Tablet",kindlyinformme。Itiswonderfulthattherehasbeennoabuse("Ifeelafullconvictionthatmychapteronmanwillexciteattentionandplentyofabuse,andIsupposeabuseisasgoodaspraiseforsellingabook。"——(fromalettertoMr。Murray,January31,1867。)asyet,butI
supposeIshallnotescape。Onthewhole,thereviewshavebeenhighlyfavourable。"
ThefollowingextractfromalettertoMr。Murray(April13,1871)referstoareviewinthe"Times"。("Times",April7and8,1871。Thereviewisnotonlyunfavourableasregardsthebookunderdiscussion,butalsoasregardsEvolutioningeneral,asthefollowingcitationwillshow:"Evenhaditbeenrenderedhighlyprobable,whichwedoubt,thattheanimalcreationhasbeendevelopedintoitsnumerousandwidelydifferentvarietiesbymereevolution,itwouldstillrequireanindependentinvestigationofoverwhelmingforceandcompletenesstojustifythepresumptionthatmanisbutaterminthisself—evolvingseries。")
"Ihavenoideawhowrotethe"Times"review。Hehasnoknowledgeofscience,andseemstomeawind—bagfullofmetaphysicsandclassics,sothatIdonotmuchregardhisadversejudgment,thoughIsupposeitwillinjurethesale。"
Areviewofthe’DescentofMan,’whichmyfatherspokeofas"capital,"
appearedinthe"SaturdayReview"(March4and11,1871)。Apassagefromthefirstnotice(March4)maybequotedinillustrationofthebroadbasisasregardsgeneralacceptance,onwhichthedoctrineofEvolutionnowstood:"Heclaimstohavebroughtmanhimself,hisoriginandconstitution,withinthatunitywhichhehadpreviouslysoughttotracethroughallloweranimalforms。Thegrowthofopinionintheinterval,dueinchiefmeasuretohisownintermediateworks,hasplacedthediscussionofthisprobleminapositionverymuchinadvanceofthatheldbyitfifteenyearsago。TheproblemofEvolutionishardlyanylongertobetreatedasoneoffirstprinciples;norhasMr。Darwintodobattleforafirsthearingofhiscentralhypothesis,upborneasitisbyaphalanxofnamesfullofdistinctionandpromise,ineitherhemisphere。"
Theinfoldedpointofthehumanear,discoveredbyMr。Woolner,anddescribedinthe’DescentofMan,’seemsespeciallytohavestruckthepopularimagination;myfatherwrotetoMr。Woolner:——
"Thetipstotheearshavebecomequitecelebrated。Onereviewer(’Nature’)saystheyoughttobecalled,asIsuggestedinjoke,AngulusWoolnerianus。(’Nature’April6,1871。ThetermsuggestedisAngulusWoolnerii。)AGermanisveryproudtofindthathehasthetipswelldeveloped,andIbelievewillsendmeaphotographofhisears。"]
CHARLESDARWINTOJOHNBRODIEINNES。(Rev。J。BrodieInnes,ofMiltonBrodie,formerlyVicarofDown。)
Down,May29[1871]。
MydearInnes,Ihavebeenverygladtoreceiveyourpleasantletter,fortotellyouthetruth,Ihavesometimeswonderedwhetheryouwouldnotthinkmeanoutcastandareprobateafterthepublicationofmylastbook[’Descent’]。(Inaformerletterofmyfather’stoMr。Innes:——"Weoftendiffered,butyouareoneofthoseraremortalsfromwhomonecandifferandyetfeelnoshadeofanimosity,andthatisathingwhichIshouldfeelveryproudof,ifanyonecouldsayitofme。")Idonotwonderatallatyournotagreeingwithme,foragoodmanyprofessednaturalistsdonot。YetwhenIseeinhowextraordinaryamannerthejudgmentofnaturalistshaschangedsinceI
publishedthe’Origin,’Ifeelconvincedthattherewillbeintenyearsquiteasmuchunanimityaboutman,asfarashiscorporealframeisconcerned……
[ThefollowinglettersaddressedtoDr。Ogledealwiththeprogressoftheworkonexpression。]
Down,March12[1871]。
MydearDr。Ogle,Ihavereceivedbothyourletters,andtheytellmeallthatIwantedtoknowintheclearestpossibleway,as,indeed,allyourlettershaveeverdone。Ithankyoucordially。Iwillgivethecaseofthemurderer(’ExpressionoftheEmotions,’page294。Thearrestofamurderer,aswitnessedbyDr。Ogleinahospital。)inmyhobby—horseessayonexpression。IfearthattheEustachiantubequestionmusthavecostyouadealoflabour;itisquiteacompletelittleessay。Itisprettyclearthatthemouthisnotopenedundersurprisemerelytoimprovethehearing。
Yetwhydodeafmengenerallykeeptheirmouthsopen?Theotherdayamanherewasmimickingadeaffriend,leaninghisheadforwardandsidewaystothespeaker,withhismouthwellopen;itwasalifelikerepresentationofadeafman。Shakespearesomewheresays:"Holdyourbreath,listen"or"hark,"Iforgetwhich。Surprisehurriesthebreath,anditseemstomeonecanbreathe,atleasthurriedly,muchquieterthroughtheopenmouththanthroughthenose。Isawtheotherdayyoudoubtedthis。Asobjectionisyourprovinceatpresent,Ithinkbreathingthroughthenoseoughttocomewithinitlikewise,sodoprayconsiderthispoint,andletmehearyourjudgment。Considerthenosetobeaflowertobefertilised,andthenyouwillmakeoutallaboutit。(Dr。Oglehadcorrespondedwithmyfatheronhisownobservationsonthefertilisationofflowers。)Ihavehadtoalludetoyourpaperon’SenseofSmell’(Medico—chirurg。Trans。liii。);isthepagingright,namely,1,2,3?Ifnot,Iprotestbyallthegodsagainsttheplanfollowedbysome,ofhavingpresentationcopiesfalselypaged;andsodoesRolleston,ashewrotetometheotherday。Inhaste。
Yoursverysincerely,C。DARWIN。
CHARLESDARWINTOW。OGLE。
Down,March25[1871]。
MydearDr。Ogle,Youwillthinkmeahorridbore,butIbegyou,INRELATIONTOANEWPOINT
FOROBSERVATION,toimagineaswellasyoucanthatyousuddenlycomeacrosssomedreadfulobject,andactwithasuddenlittlestart,aSHUDDER
OFHORROR;pleasedothisonceortwice,andobserveyourselfaswellasyoucan,andAFTERWARDSreadtherestofthisnote,whichIhaveconsequentlypinneddown。Ifind,tomysurprise,wheneverIactthusmyplatysmacontracts。Doesyours?(N。B。——Seewhatamanwilldoforscience;Ibeganthisnotewithahorridfib,namely,thatIwantyoutoattendtoanewpoint。(Thepointwasdoubtlessdescribedasanewone,toavoidthepossibilityofDr。Ogle’sattentionbeingdirectedtotheplatysma,amusclewhichhadbeenthesubjectofdiscussioninotherletters。))Iwilltryandgetsomepersonsthustoactwhoaresoluckyasnottoknowthattheyevenpossessthismuscle,sotroublesomeforanyonemakingoutaboutexpression。Isashudderakintotherigororshiveringbeforefever?Ifso,perhapstheplatysmacouldbeobservedinsuchcases。
Pagettoldmethathehadattendedmuchtoshivering,andhadwritteninMS。onthesubject,andbeenmuchperplexedaboutit。Hementionedthatpassingacatheteroftencausesshivering。PerhapsIwillwritetohimabouttheplatysma。Heisalwaysmostkindinaidingmeinallways,butheissooverworkedthatithurtsmyconsciencetotroublehim,forIhaveaconscience,littleasyouhavereasontothinkso。Helpmeifyoucan,andforgiveme。Yourmurderercasehascomeinsplendidlyastheacmeofprostrationfromfear。
Yoursverysincerely,CH。DARWIN。
CHARLESDARWINTODR。OGLE。
Down,April29[1871]。
MydearDr。Ogle,Iamtrulyobligedforallthegreattroublewhichyouhavesokindlytaken。Iamsureyouhavenocausetosaythatyouaresorryyoucangivemenodefiniteinformation,foryouhavegivenmefarmorethanIeverexpectedtoget。Theactionoftheplatysmaisnotveryimportantforme,butIbelievethatyouwillfullyunderstand(forIhavealwaysfanciedthatourmindswereverysimilar)theintolerabledesireIhadnottobeutterlybaffled。NowIknowthatitsometimescontractsfromfearandfromshuddering,butnotapparentlyfromaprolongedstateoffearsuchastheinsanesuffer……
[Mr。Mivart’s’GenesisofSpecies,’——acontributiontotheliteratureofEvolution,whichexcitedmuchattention——waspublishedin1871,beforetheappearanceofthe’DescentofMan。’Tothisbookthefollowingletter(June21,1871)fromthelateChaunceyWrighttomyfatherrefers。
(ChaunceyWrightwasbornatNorthampton,Massachusetts,September20,1830,andcameofafamilysettledinthattownsince1654。Hebecamein1852acomputerintheNauticalAlmanacofficeatCambridge,Mass。,andlivedaquietuneventfullife,supportedbythesmallstipendofhisoffice,andbywhatheearnedfromhisoccasionalarticles,aswellasbyalittleteaching。Hethoughtandreadmuchonmetaphysicalsubjects,butonthewholewithanoutcome(asfarastheworldwasconcerned)notcommensuratetothepowerofhismind。Heseemstohavebeenamanofstrongindividuality,andtohavemadealastingimpressiononhisfriends。
HediedinSeptember,1875。)]:
"Isend……revisedproofsofanarticlewhichwillbepublishedintheJulynumberofthe’NorthAmericanReview,’sendingitinthehopethatitwillinterestorevenbeofgreatervaluetoyou。Mr。Mivart’sbook[’GenesisofSpecies’]ofwhichthisarticleissubstantiallyareview,seemstomeaverygoodbackgroundfromwhichtopresenttheconsiderationswhichIhaveendeavouredtosetforthinthearticle,indefenceandillustrationofthetheoryofNaturalSelection。Myspecialpurposehasbeentocontributetothetheorybyplacingitinitsproperrelationstophilosophicalenquiriesingeneral。"(’LettersofChaunceyWright,’byJ。B。Thayer。Privatelyprinted,1878,page230。)
WithregardtotheproofsreceivedfromMr。Wright,myfatherwrotetoMr。
Wallace:]
Down,July9[1871]。
MydearWallace,IsendbythispostareviewbyChaunceyWright,asImuchwantyouropinionofitassoonasyoucansendit。IconsideryouanincomparablybettercriticthanIam。Thearticle,thoughnotveryclearlywritten,andpoorinpartsfromwantofknowledge,seemstomeadmirable。Mivart’sbookisproducingagreateffectagainstNaturalSelection,andmoreespeciallyagainstme。ThereforeifyouthinkthearticleevensomewhatgoodIwillwriteandgetpermissiontopublishitasashillingpamphlet,togetherwiththeMS。additions(enclosed),forwhichtherewasnotroomattheendofthereview……
Iamnowatworkatanewandcheapeditionofthe’Origin,’andshallanswerseveralpointsinMivart’sbook,andintroduceanewchapterforthispurpose;butItreatthesubjectsomuchmoreconcretely,andIdaresaylessphilosophically,thanWright,thatweshallnotinterferewitheachother。YouwillthinkmeabigotwhenIsay,afterstudyingMivart,I
wasneverbeforeinmylifesoconvincedoftheGENERAL(i。e。notindetail)truthoftheviewsinthe’Origin。’IgrievetoseetheomissionofthewordsbyMivart,detectedbyWright。(’NorthAmericanReview,’
volume113,pages83,84。ChaunceyWrightpointsoutthatthewordsomittedare"essentialtothepointonwhichhe[Mr。Mivart]citesMr。
Darwin’sauthority。"ItshouldbementionedthatthepassagefromwhichwordsareomittedisnotgivenwithininvertedcommasbyMr。Mivart。)I
complainedtoMivartthatintwocaseshequotesonlythecommencementofsentencesbyme,andthusmodifiesmymeaning;butIneversupposedhewouldhaveomittedwords。ThereareothercasesofwhatIconsiderunfairtreatment。Iconcludewithsorrowthatthoughhemeanstobehonourableheissobigotedthathecannotactfairly……
CHARLESDARWINTOCHAUNCEYWRIGHT。
Down,July14,1871。
MydearSir,Ihavehardlyeverinmylifereadanarticlewhichhasgivenmesomuchsatisfactionasthereviewwhichyouhavebeensokindastosendme。I
agreetoalmosteverythingwhichyousay。Yourmemorymustbewonderfullyaccurate,foryouknowmyworksaswellasIdomyself,andyourpowerofgraspingothermen’sthoughtsissomethingquitesurprising;andthis,asfarasmyexperiencegoes,isaveryrarequality。AsIreadonI
perceivedhowyouhaveacquiredthispower,viz。bythoroughlyanalyzingeachword……NowIamgoingtobegafavour。Willyouprovisionallygivemepermissiontoreprintyourarticleasashillingpamphlet?Iaskonlyprovisionally,asIhavenotyethadtimetoreflectonthesubject。Itwouldcostme,Ifancy,withadvertisements,some20or30pounds;buttheworstisthat,asIhear,pamphletsneverwillsell。Andthismakesmedoubtful。ShouldyouthinkittoomuchtroubletosendmeatitleFORTHE
CHANCE?Thetitleought,Ithink,tohaveMr。Mivart’snameonit……Ifyougrantpermissionandsendatitle,youwillkindlyunderstandthatIwillfirstmakefurtherenquirieswhetherthereisanychanceofapamphletbeingread。
Praybelievemeyoursverysincerelyobliged,CH。DARWIN。
[Thepamphletwaspublishedintheautumn,andonOctober23myfatherwrotetoMr。Wright:——
"Itpleasesmemuchthatyouaresatisfiedwiththeappearanceofyourpamphlet。Iamsureitwilldoourcausegoodservice;andthissameopinionHuxleyhasexpressedtome。(’LettersofChaunceyWright,’page235。"]
CHARLESDARWINTOA。R。WALLACE。
Down,July12[1871]……IfeelverydoubtfulhowfarIshallsucceedinansweringMivart,itissodifficulttoanswerobjectionstodoubtfulpoints,andmakethediscussionreadable。Ishallmakeonlyaselection。Theworstofitis,thatIcannotpossiblyhuntthroughallmyreferencesforisolatedpoints,itwouldtakemethreeweeksofintolerablyhardwork。IwishIhadyourpowerofarguingclearly。AtpresentIfeelsickofeverything,andifI
couldoccupymytimeandforgetmydailydiscomforts,orrathermiseries,I
wouldneverpublishanotherword。ButIshallcheerup,Idaresay,soon,havingonlyjustgotoverabadattack。Farewell;GodknowswhyIbotheryouaboutmyself。Icansaynothingmoreaboutmissing—linksthanwhatI
havesaid。Ishouldrelymuchonpre—siluriantimes;butthencomesSirW。
Thomsonlikeanodiousspectre。Farewell……Thereisamostcuttingreviewofmeinthe’Quarterly’(July1871。);I
haveonlyreadafewpages。TheskillandstylemakemethinkofMivart。
Ishallsoonbeviewedasthemostdespicableofmen。This’QuarterlyReview’temptsmetorepublishCh。Wright,evenifnotreadbyanyone,justtoshowsomeonewillsayawordagainstMivart,andthathis(i。e。
Mivart’s)remarksoughtnottobeswallowedwithoutsomereflection……GodknowswhethermystrengthandspiritwilllastouttowriteachapterversusMivartandothers;IdosohatecontroversyandfeelIshalldoitsobadly。
[Theabove—mentioned’Quarterly’reviewwasthesubjectofanarticlebyMr。HuxleyintheNovembernumberofthe’ContemporaryReview。’Here,also,arediscussedMr。Wallace’s’ContributiontotheTheoryofNaturalSelection,’andthesecondeditionofMr。Mivart’s’GenesisofSpecies。’
WhatfollowsistakenfromMr。Huxley’sarticle。The’Quarterly’reviewer,thoughbeingtosomeextentanevolutionist,believesthatMan"differsmorefromanelephantoragorilla,thandothesefromthedustoftheearthonwhichtheytread。"Therevieweralsodeclaresthatmyfatherhas"withneedlessopposition,setatnaughtthefirstprinciplesofbothphilosophyandreligion。"Mr。Huxleypassesfromthe’Quarterly’
reviewer’sfurtherstatement,thatthereisnonecessaryoppositionbetweenevolutionandreligion,tothemoredefinitepositiontakenbyMr。Mivart,thattheorthodoxauthoritiesoftheRomanCatholicChurchagreeindistinctlyassertingderivativecreation,sothat"theirteachingsharmonisewithallthatmodernsciencecanpossiblyrequire。"HereMr。
Huxleyfeltthewantofthat"studyofChristianphilosophy"(atanyrate,initsJesuiticgarb),whichMr。Mivartspeaksof,anditwasawantheatoncesettoworktofillup。HewasthenstayingatSt。Andrews,whencehewrotetomyfather:——
"Bygreatgoodluckthereisanexcellentlibraryhere,withagoodcopyofSuarez(ThelearnedJesuitonwhomMr。Mivartmainlyrelies。),inadozenbigfolios。AmongtheseIdived,tothegreatastonishmentofthelibrarian,andlookingintothem’asthecarefulrobineyesthedelver’stoil’(vide’Idylls’),Icarriedoffthetwovenerableclaspedvolumeswhichweremostpromising。"EventhosewhoknowMr。Huxley’sunrivalledpoweroftearingtheheartoutofabookmustmarvelattheskillwithwhichhehasmadeSuarezspeakonhisside。"SoIhavecomeout,"hewrote,"inthenewcharacterofadefenderofCatholicorthodoxy,andupsetMivartoutofthemouthofhisownprophet。"
TheremainderofMr。Huxley’scritiqueislargelyoccupiedwithadissectionofthe’Quarterly’reviewer’spsychology,andhisethicalviews。
Hedeals,too,withMr。Wallace’sobjectionstothedoctrineofEvolutionbynaturalcauseswhenappliedtothementalfacultiesofMan。Finally,hedevotesacoupleofpagestojustifyinghisdescriptionofthe’Quarterly’
reviewer’s"treatmentofMr。Darwinasalikeunjustandunbecoming。"
ItwillbeseenthatthetwofollowingletterswerewrittenbeforethepublicationofMr。Huxley’sarticle。]
CHARLESDARWINTOT。H。HUXLEY。
Down,September21[1871]。
MydearHuxley,Yourletterhaspleasedmeinmanyways,toawonderfuldegree……Whatawonderfulmanyouaretograpplewiththoseoldmetaphysico—divinitybooks。
ItquitedelightsmethatyouaregoingtosomeextenttoanswerandattackMivart。Hisbook,asyousay,hasproducedagreateffect;yesterdayI
perceivedthereverberationsfromit,evenfromItaly。ItwasthisthatmademeaskChaunceyWrighttopublishatmyexpensehisarticle,whichseemstomeveryclever,thoughill—written。HehasnotknowledgeenoughtograpplewithMivartindetail。Ithinktherecanbenoshadowofdoubtthatheistheauthorofthearticleinthe’QuarterlyReview’……Iampreparinganeweditionofthe’Origin,’andshallintroduceanewchapterinanswertomiscellaneousobjections,andshallgiveupthegreaterparttoanswerMivart’scasesofdifficultyofincipientstructuresbeingofnouse:andIfinditcanbedoneeasily。Heneverstateshiscasefairly,andmakeswonderfulblunders……Thependulumisnowswingingagainstourside,butIfeelpositiveitwillsoonswingtheotherway;andnomortalmanwilldohalfasmuchasyouingivingitastartintherightdirection,asyoudidatthefirstcommencement。Godforgivemeforwritingsolongandegotisticalaletter;butitisyourfault,foryouhavesodelightedme;Ineverdreamedthatyouwouldhavetimetosayawordindefenceofthecausewhichyouhavesooftendefended。Itwillbealongbattle,afterwearedeadandgone……Greatisthepowerofmisrepresentation……
CHARLESDARWINTOT。H。HUXLEY。
Down,September30[1871]。
MydearHuxley,Itwasverygoodofyoutosendtheproof—sheets,forIwasVERYanxioustoreadyourarticle。Ihavebeendelightedwithit。HowyoudosmashMivart’stheology:itisalmostequaltoyourarticleversusComte(’FortnightlyReview,’1869。WithregardtotherelationsofPositivismtoSciencemyfatherwrotetoMr。Spencerin1875:"HowcuriousandamusingitistoseetowhatanextentthePositivistshateallmenofscience;I
fancytheyaredimlyconsciouswhatlaughableandgiganticblunderstheirprophetmadeinpredictingthecourseofscience。"),——thatnevercanbetranscended……ButIhavebeenpreeminentlygladtoreadyourdiscussionon[the’Quarterly’reviewer’s]metaphysics,especiallyaboutreasonandhisdefinitionofit。Ifeltsurehewaswrong,buthavingonlycommonobservationandsensetotrustto,Ididnotknowwhattosayinmysecondeditionofmy’Descent。’Nowafootnoteandreferencetoyouwilldothework……Forme,thisisoneofthemostIMPORTANTpartsofthereview。ButforPLEASURE,Ihavebeenparticularlygladthatmyfewwords(’DescentofMan,’volumei。page87。Adiscussiononthequestionwhetheranactdoneimpulsivelyorinstinctivelycanbecalledmoral。)onthedistinction,ifitcanbesocalled,betweenMivart’stwoformsofmorality,caughtyourattention。Iamsopleasedthatyoutakethesameview,andgiveauthoritiesforit;butIsearchedMillinvainonthishead。Howwellyouarguethewholecase。Iammountingclimaxonclimax;forafterallthereisnothing,Ithink,betterinyourwholereviewthanyourargumentsv。
Wallaceontheintellectofsavages。ImusttellyouwhatHookersaidtomeafewyearsago。"WhenIreadHuxley,Ifeelquiteinfantileinintellect。"ByJoveIhavefeltthetruthofthisthroughoutyourreview。
Whatamanyouare。Therearescoresofsplendidpassages,andvividflashesofwit。Ihavebeenagooddealmorethanmerelypleasedbytheconcludingpartofyourreview;andallthemore,asIownIfeltmortifiedbytheaccusationofbigotry,arrogance,etc。,inthe’QuarterlyReview。’
ButIassureyou,hemaywritehisworst,andhewillnevermortifymeagain。
MydearHuxley,yoursgratefully,CHARLESDARWIN。
CHARLESDARWINTOF。MULLER。
Haredene,Albury,August2[1871]。
MydearSir,Yourlastletterhasinterestedmegreatly;itiswonderfullyrichinfactsandoriginalthoughts。First,letmesaythatIhavebeenmuchpleasedbywhatyousayaboutmybook。IthashadaVERYLARGEsale;butIhavebeenmuchabusedforit,especiallyforthechapteronthemoralsense;andmostofmyreviewersconsiderthebookasapooraffair。Godknowswhatitsmeritsmayreallybe;allthatIknowisthatIdidmybest。WithfamiliarityIthinknaturalistswillacceptsexualselectiontoagreaterextentthantheynowseeminclinedtodo。Ishouldverymuchliketopublishyourletter,butIdonotseehowitcouldbemadeintelligible,withoutnumerouscolouredillustrations,butIwillconsultMr。Wallaceonthishead。Iearnestlyhopethatyoukeepnotesofallyourletters,andthatsomedayyouwillpublishabook:’NotesofaNaturalistinS。
Brazil,’orsomesuchtitle。WallacewillhardlyadmitthepossibilityofsexualselectionwithLepidoptera,andnodoubtitisveryimprobable。
Therefore,Iamverygladtohearofyourcases(whichIwillquoteinthenextedition)ofthetwosetsofHesperiadae,whichdisplaytheirwingsdifferently,accordingtowhichsurfaceiscoloured。Icannotbelievethatsuchdisplayisaccidentalandpurposeless……
Nofactofyourletterhasinterestedmemorethanthataboutmimicry。Itisacapitalfactaboutthemalespursuingthewrongfemales。YouputthedifficultyofthefirststepsinimitationinamoststrikingandCONVINCINGmanner。Yourideaofsexualselectionhavingaidedprotectiveimitationinterestsmegreatly,forthesameideahadoccurredtomeinquitedifferentcases,viz。thedulnessofallanimalsintheGalapagosIslands,Patagonia,etc。,andinsomeothercases;butIwasafraideventohintatsuchanidea。Wouldyouobjecttomygivingsomesuchsentenceasfollows:"F。Mullersuspectsthatsexualselectionmayhavecomeintoplay,inaidofprotectiveimitation,inaverypeculiarmanner,whichwillappearextremelyimprobabletothosewhodonotfullybelieveinsexualselection。Itisthattheappreciationofcertaincolourisdevelopedinthosespecieswhichfrequentlybeholdotherspeciesthusornamented。"
Againletmethankyoucordiallyforyourmostinterestingletter……
CHARLESDARWINTOE。B。TYLOR。
Down,[September24,1871]。
MydearSir,IhopethatyouwillallowmetohavethepleasureoftellingyouhowgreatlyIhavebeeninterestedbyyour’PrimitiveCulture,’nowthatIhavefinishedit。Itseemstomeamostprofoundwork,whichwillbecertaintohavepermanentvalue,andtobereferredtoforyearstocome。Itiswonderfulhowyoutraceanimismfromthelowerracesuptothereligiousbeliefofthehighestraces。Itwillmakemeforthefuturelookatreligion——abeliefinthesoul,etc。——fromanewpointofview。Howcurious,also,arethesurvivalsorrudimentsofoldcustoms……Youwillperhapsbesurprisedatmywritingatsolateaperiod,butIhavehadthebookreadaloudtome,andfrommuchill—healthoflatecouldonlystandoccasionalshortreads。Theundertakingmusthavecostyougiganticlabour。Nevertheless,Iearnestlyhopethatyoumaybeinducedtotreatmoralsinthesameenlargedyetcarefulmanner,asyouhaveanimism。I
fancyfromthelastchapterthatyouhavethoughtofthis。Nomancoulddotheworksowellasyou,andthesubjectassuredlyisamostimportantandinterestingone。Youmustnowpossessreferenceswhichwouldguideyoutoasoundestimationofthemoralsofsavages;andhowwriterslikeWallace,Lubbock,etc。,etc。,dodifferonthishead。Forgivemefortroublingyou,andbelieveme,withmuchrespect,Yoursverysincerely,CH。DARWIN。
1872。
[Atthebeginningoftheyearthesixtheditionofthe’Origin,’whichhadbeenbeguninJune,1871,wasnearlycompleted。ThelastsheetwasrevisedonJanuary10,1872,andthebookwaspublishedinthecourseofthemonth。
Thisvolumediffersfromthepreviousonesinappearanceandsize——itconsistsof458pagesinsteadof596pagesandisafewounceslighter;itisprintedonbadpaper,insmalltype,andwiththelinesunpleasantlyclosetogether。Ithad,however,oneadvantageoverpreviouseditions,namelythatitwasissuedatalowerprice。Itistoberegrettedthatthisthefinaleditionofthe’Origin’shouldhaveappearedinsounattractiveaform;aformwhichhasdoubtlesskeptoffmanyreadersfromthebook。
Thediscussionsuggestedbythe’GenesisofSpecies’wasperhapsthemostimportantadditiontothebook。Theobjectionthatincipientstructurescannotbeofusewasdealtwithinsomedetail,becauseitseemedtotheauthorthatthiswasthepointinMr。Mivart’sbookwhichhasstruckmostreadersinEngland。
Itisastrikingproofofhowwideandgeneralhadbecometheacceptanceofhisviewsthatmyfatherfounditnecessarytoinsert(sixthedition,page424),thesentence:"Asarecordofaformerstateofthings,Ihaveretainedintheforegoingparagraphsandalsoelsewhere,severalsentenceswhichimplythatnaturalistsbelieveintheseparatecreationofeachspecies;andIhavebeenmuchcensuredforhavingthusexpressedmyself。
Butundoubtedlythiswasthegeneralbeliefwhenthefirsteditionofthepresentworkappeared……Nowthingsarewhollychanged,andalmosteverynaturalistadmitsthegreatprincipleofevolution。"
Asmallcorrectionintroducedintothissixtheditionisconnectedwithoneofhisminorpapers:"NoteonthehabitsofthePampasWoodpecker。"
(Zoolog。Soc。Proc。1870。)Inthefiftheditionofthe’Origin,’page220,hewrote:——
"YetasIcanassertnotonlyfrommyownobservation,butfromthatoftheaccurateAzara,it[thegroundwoodpecker]neverclimbsatree。"ThepaperinquestionwasareplytoMr。Hudson’sremarksonthewoodpeckerinapreviousnumberofthesamejournal。Thelastsentenceofmyfather’spaperisworthquotingforitstemperatetone:"Finally,ItrustthatMr。
HudsonismistakenwhenhesaysthatanyoneacquaintedwiththehabitsofthisbirdmightbeinducedtobelievethatI’hadpurposelywrestedthetruth’inordertoprovemytheory。Heexoneratesmefromthischarge;butIshouldbeloathtothinkthattherearemanynaturalistswho,withoutanyevidence,wouldaccuseafellow—workeroftellingadeliberatefalsehoodtoprovehistheory。"Inthesixthedition,page142,thepassageruns"incertainlargedistrictsitdoesnotclimbtrees。"AndhegoesontogiveMr。Hudson’sstatementthatinotherregionsitdoesfrequenttrees。
Oneoftheadditionsinthesixthedition(page149),wasareferencetoMr。A。Hyatt’sandProfessorCope’stheoryof"acceleration。"Withregardtothishewrote(October10,1872)incharacteristicwordstoMr。Hyatt:——