Edited，withintroductionandnotesbyAdaL.F.Snell
AssociateProfessorOfEnglishMountHolyokeCollege
CONTENTS
PREFACE
INTRODUCTION
TheLifeofHuxleySubject—matter，Structure，andStyleofEssaysSuggestedStudiesAUTOBIOGRAPHY
ONIMPROVINGNATURALKNOWLEDGE
ALIBERALEDUCATION
ONAPIECEOFCHALK
THEPRINCIPALSUBJECTSOFEDUCATION
THEMETHODOFSCIENTIFICINVESTIGATION
ONTHEPHYSICALBASISOFLIFE
ONCORALANDCORALREEFS
NOTES
PREFACE
ThepurposeofthefollowingselectionsistopresenttostudentsofEnglishafewofHuxley’srepresentativeessays.Someoftheseselectionsarecomplete;othersareextracts.Inthelattercase，however，theyarenotextractsinthesenseofbeingincompletewholes，foreachselectiongivenwillbefoundtohave，inAristotle’sphrase，"abeginning，amiddle，andanend."Thattheyarecompleteinthemselves，althoughonlypartsofwholeessays，isduetothefactthatHuxley，inordertomakesucceedingmaterialclear，oftenpreparesthewaywithalongandcarefuldefinition.
SuchisthenatureoftheextractALiberalEducation，inrealityadefinitiontomakedistinctandforciblehisideasontheshortcomingsofEnglishschools.Suchadefinition，also，isTheMethodofScientificInvestigation.
Thefootnotesarethoseoftheauthor.Othernotesonthetexthavebeenincludedforthebenefitofschoolsinadequatelyequippedwithreferencebooks.Itishoped，however，thatthenotesmaybefoundnottobesonumerousastopreventthetrainingofthestudentinaself—reliantandscholarlyuseofdictionariesandreferencebooks;itishoped，also，thattheymayservetostimulatehimtotraceoutforhimselfmorecompletelyanysubjectconnectedwiththetextinwhichhemayfeelapeculiarinterest.Itshouldberecognizedthatnotesareofvalueonlyastheydeveloppowertoreadintelligently.Ifunintelligentlyreliedupon，theymayevenfosterindifferenceandlazymentalhabits.
IwishtoexpressmyobligationtoMissFloraBridges，whosecarefulreadingofthemanuscripthasbeenmosthelpful，andtoProfessorClaraF.Stevens，theheadoftheEnglishDepartmentatMountHolyokeCollege，whoseverypracticalaidmadethisvolumepossible.
A.L.F.S.
INTRODUCTION
I
THELIFEOFHUXLEY
OfHuxley’slifeandoftheforceswhichmouldedhisthought，theAutobiographygivessomeaccount;butmanyfactswhicharesignificantareslighted，andnecessarilythelatereventsofhislifeareomitted.Tosupplementthestoryasgivenbyhimisthepurposeofthissketch.ThefactsforthisaccountaregatheredentirelyfromtheLifeandLettersofThomasHenryHuxley，byhisson.ForarealacquaintancewithHuxley，thestudentshouldconsultthissourceforhimself;hewillcountthereadingoftheLifeandLettersamongtherarepleasureswhichhavecometohimthroughbooks.
ThomasHenryHuxleywasbornonMay4，1825.Hisautobiographygivesafullaccountofhisparents，hisearlyboyhood，andhiseducation.Offormaleducation，Huxleyhadlittle;buthehadthericherschoolingwhichnatureandlifegiveaneagermind.Hereadwidely;hetalkedoftenwitholderpeople;hewasalwaysinvestigatingthewhyofthings.Hekeptajournalinwhichhenotedthoughtsgatheredfrombooks，andideasonthecausesofcertainphenomena.Inthisjournalhefrequentlywrotewhathehaddoneandhadsethimselftodointhewayofincreasinghisknowledge.Self—conducted，also，washislatereducationattheCharingCrossHospital.Here，likeStevensoninhisuniversitydays，Huxleyseemedtobeidle，butinreality，hewasalwaysbusyonhisownprivateend.Soconstantlydidheworkoverthemicroscopethatthewindowatwhichhesatcametobedubbedbyhisfellowstudents"TheSignoftheHeadandMicroscope."Moreover，inhisregularcoursesatCharingCross，heseemstohavedoneworksufficientlynotabletoberecognizedbyseveralprizesandagoldmedal.
Ofhislifeafterthecompletionofhismedicalcourse，ofhissearchforwork，ofhisappointmentasassistantsurgeononboardtheRattlesnake，andofhisscientificworkduringthefouryears’
cruise，Huxleygivesavividdescriptionintheautobiography.Asaresultofhisinvestigationsonthisvoyage，hepublishedvariousessayswhichquicklysecuredforhimapositioninthescientificworldasanaturalistofthefirstrank.AtestimonyofthevalueofthisworkwashiselectiontomembershipintheRoyalSociety.
AlthoughHuxleyhadnow，attheageoftwenty—six，wondistinctioninscience，hesoondiscoveredthatitwasnotsoeasytoearnbreadthereby.Nevertheless，toearnalivingwasmostimportantifheweretoaccomplishthetwoobjectswhichhehadinview.Hewished，inthefirstplace，tomarryMissHenriettaHeathornofSydney，towhomhehadbecomeengagedwhenonthecruisewiththeRattlesnake;hissecondobjectwastofollowscienceasaprofession.Thestruggletofindsomethingconnectedwithsciencewhichwouldpaywaslongandbitter;andonlyaresolutedeterminationtowinkeptHuxleyfromabandoningitaltogether.
Uniformill—luckmethimeverywhere.HehastoldinhisautobiographyofhistroubleswiththeAdmiraltyintheendeavortogethispaperspublished，andofhisfailurethere.HeappliedforapositiontoteachscienceinToronto;beingunsuccessfulinthisattempt，heappliedsuccessivelyforvariousprofessorshipsintheUnitedKingdom，andinthishewaslikewiseunsuccessful.Someofhisfriendsurgedhimtoholdout，butothersthoughtthefightanunequalone，andadvisedhimtoemigratetoAustralia.HehimselfwastemptedtopracticemedicineinSydney;buttogiveuphispurposeseemedtohimlikecowardice.Ontheotherhand，toprolongthestruggleindefinitelywhenhemightquicklyearnalivinginotherwaysseemedlikeselfishnessandaninjusticetothewomantowhomhehadbeenforalongtimeengaged.MissHeathorn，however，upheldhiminhisdeterminationtopursuescience;andhissisteralso，hewrites，cheeredhimbyheradviceandencouragementtopersistinthestruggle.Somethingoftheman’sheroictempermaybegatheredfromaletterwhichhewrotetoMissHeathornwhenhisaffairsweredarkest."Howeverpainfulourseparationmaybe，"hesays，"thespectacleofamanwhohadgivenupthecherishedpurposeofhislifewould，beforelongyearswereoverourheads，beinfinitelymorepainful."Hedeclaresthatheishemmedinbyallsortsofdifficulties."Neverthelessthepathhasshownitselfafairone，neithermoredifficultnorlesssothanmostpathsinlifeinwhichamanofenergymayhopetodomuchifhebelievesinhimself，andisatpeacewithin."Thusrelievedinmind，hemakeshisdecisioninspiteofadversefate.
"Mycourseoflifeistaken，IwillnotleaveLondon——IWILLmakemyselfanameandapositionaswellasanincomebysomekindofpursuitconnectedwithsciencewhichisthethingforwhichNaturehasfittedmeifshehaseverfittedanyoneforanything."
Butsuddenlythelongwait，thefaithinself，werejustified，andtheturningpointcame."ThereisalwaysaCapeHorninone’slifethatoneeitherweathersorwrecksone’sselfon，"hewritestohissister."ThankGod，IthinkImaysayIhaveweatheredmine——notwithoutagooddealofdamagetosparsandriggingthough，foritblewdeucedhardontheotherside."In1854apermanentlectureshipwasofferedhimattheGovernmentSchoolofMines;
also，alectureshipatSt.Thomas’Hospital;andhewasaskedtogivevariousotherlecturecourses.Hethusfoundhimselfabletoestablishthehomeforwhichhehadwaitedeightyears.InJuly，1855，hewasmarriedtoMissHeathorn.
Thesucceedingyearsfrom1855to1860werefilledwithvariouskindsofworkconnectedwithscience：originalinvestigation，printingofmonographs，andestablishingofnaturalhistorymuseums.Hisadviceconcerninglocalmuseumsisinterestingandcharacteristicallyexpressed."It[thelocalmuseumifproperlyarranged]willtellbothnativesandstrangersexactlywhattheywanttoknow，andpossessgreatscientificinterestandimportance.
Whereastheordinarylumber—roomofclubsfromNewZealand，Hinduidols，sharks’teeth，mangymonkeys，scorpions，andconchshells——
whoshalldescribethewearyinutilityofit？Itisreallyworsethannothing，becauseitleadstheunwarytolookforobjectsofscienceelsewherethanundertheirnoses.Whattheywanttoknowisthattheir’Americaishere，’asWilhelmMeisterhasit."
Duringthisperiod，also，hebeganhislecturestoworkingmen，callingthemPeoples’Lectures."POPULARlectures，"hesaid，"I
holdtobeanabominationuntotheLord."Working—menattendedtheselecturesingreatnumbers，andtothemHuxleyseemedtobealwaysabletospeakathisbest.Hispurposeingivingtheselecturesshouldbeexpressedinhisownwords："IwanttheworkingclasstounderstandthatScienceandherwaysaregreatfactsforthem——thatphysicalvirtueisthebaseofallother，andthattheyaretobecleanandtemperateandalltherest——notbecausefellowsinblackandwhitetiestellthemso，butbecausethereareplainandpatentlawswhichtheymustobey’underpenalties.’"
Towardthecloseof1859，Darwin’s"OriginofSpecies"waspublished.ItraisedagreatoutcryinEngland;andHuxleyimmediatelycameforwardaschiefdefenderofthefaiththereinsetforth.Hetookpartindebatesonthissubject，themostfamousofwhichwastheonebetweenhimselfandBishopWilberforceatOxford.
TheBishopconcludedhisspeechbyturningtoHuxleyandasking，"Wasitthroughhisgrandfatherorgrandmotherthatheclaimeddescentfromamonkey？"Huxley，asisreportedbyaneye—witness，"slowlyanddeliberatelyarose.Aslighttallfigure，sternandpale，veryquietandgrave，hestoodbeforeusandspokethosetremendouswordsHewasnotashamedtohaveamonkeyforanancestor;buthewouldbeashamedtobeconnectedwithamanwhousedgreatgiftstoobscurethetruth."Anotherstoryindicatesthetemperofthattime.Carlyle，whosewritinghadstronglyinfluencedHuxley，andwhomHuxleyhadcometoknow，couldnotforgivehimforhisattitudetowardevolution.Oneday，yearsafterthepublicationofMan’sPlaceinNature，Huxley，seeingCarlyleontheothersideofthestreet，abroken，patheticfigure，walkedoverandspoketohim.Theoldmanmerelyremarked，"You’reHuxley，aren’tyou？themanthatsayswearealldescendedfrommonkeys，"andpassedon.Huxley，however，sawnothingdegradingtoman’sdignityinthetheoryofevolution.Inawonderfullyfinesentencehegiveshisownestimateofthetheoryasitaffectsman’sfutureonearth."Thoughtfulmenonceescapedfromtheblindinginfluencesoftraditionalprejudices，willfindinthelowlystockwhencemanhassprungthebestevidenceofthesplendourofhiscapacities;andwilldiscover，inhislongprogressthroughthepast，areasonablegroundoffaithinhisattainmentofanoblerfuture."AsaresultofallthesecontroversiesonTheOriginofSpeciesandofinvestigationstoupholdDarwin’stheory，Huxleywrotehisfirstbook，alreadymentioned，Man’sPlaceinNature.
ToreadalistofthevariouskindsofworkwhichHuxleywasdoingfrom1870to1875istobeconvincedofhisabundantenergyandmanyinterests.AtaboutthistimeHuxleyexecutedtheplanwhichhehadhadinmindforalongtime，theestablishmentoflaboratoriesfortheuseofstudents.Hisobjectwastofurnishamoreexactpreliminarytraining.Hecomplainsthatthestudentwhoentersthemedicalschoolis"sohabituatedtolearnonlyfrombooks，ororalteaching，thattheattempttolearnfromthingsandtogethisknowledgeatfirsthandissomethingnewandstrange."
Tomakethismethodofteachingsuccessfulintheschools，Huxleygavepracticalinstructioninlaboratoryworktoschool—masters.
"IfIamtoberememberedatall，"Huxleyoncewrote，"Iwouldratheritshouldbeasamanwhodidhisbesttohelpthepeoplethanbyanyothertitle."Certainlyasmuchofhistimeascouldbesparedfromhisregularworkwasgiventohelpothers.Hislecturestoworkingmenandschool—mastershavealreadybeenmentioned.Inaddition，helecturedtowomenonphysiologyandtochildrenonelementaryscience.Inordertobeofgreaterservicetothechildren，Huxley，inspiteofdelicatehealth，becameamemberoftheLondonSchoolBoard.Hisimmediateobjectwas"totemperbook—learningwithsomethingofthedirectknowledgeofNature."Hisotherpurposesweretosecureabetterphysicaltrainingforchildrenandtogivethemaclearerunderstandingofsocialandmorallaw.Hedidnotbelieve，ontheonehand，inovercrowdingthecurriculum，but，ontheotherhand，he"feltthatalleducationshouldbethrownopentoallthateachmanmightknowtowhatstateinlifehewascalled."AnotherstatementofhispurposeandbeliefsisgivenbyProfessorGladstone，whosaysofhisworkontheboard："Heresentedtheideathatschoolsweretotraineithercongregationsforchurchesorhandsforfactories.HewasontheBoardasafriendofchildren.Whathesoughttodoforthechildwasforthechild’ssake，thatitmightliveafuller，truer，worthierlife."
TheimmenseamountofworkwhichHuxleydidintheseyearstoldveryseriouslyonhisnaturallyweakconstitution.Itbecamenecessaryforhimfinallyfortwosuccessiveyearstostopworkaltogether.In1872hewenttotheMediterraneanandtoEgypt.
ThiswasaholidayfullofinterestforamanlikeHuxleywholookeduponthehistoryoftheworldandman’splaceintheworldwithakeenscientificmind.Addedtothisscientificbentofmind，moreover，Huxleyhadadeepappreciationforthepicturesqueinnatureandlife.Bitsofdescriptionindicatehisenjoymentinthisvacation.HewritesofhisentrancetotheMediterranean，"Itwasalovelymorning，andnothingcouldbegranderthanApeHillononesideandtheRockontheother，lookinglikegreatlionsorsphinxesoneachsideofagateway."InCairo，Huxleyfoundmuchtointeresthiminarchaeology，geology，andtheevery—daylifeofthestreets.Attheendofamonth，hewritesthatheisverywellandverygratefultoOldNileforallthathehasdoneforhim，nottheleast"forawholeuniverseofnewthoughtsandpicturesoflife."Thetrip，however，didnolastinggood.In1873Huxleywasagainveryill，butwasundersuchheavycostsatthistimethatanothervacationwasimpossible.Atthismoment，acriticaloneinhislife，someofhisclosescientificfriendsplacedtohiscredittwenty—onehundredpoundstoenablehimtotakethemuchneededrest.DarwinwrotetoHuxleyconcerningthegift："Indoingthisweareconvincedthatweactforthepublicinterest."HeassuredHuxleythatthefriendswhogavethisfelttowardhimasabrother.
"Iamsurethatyouwillreturnthisfeelingandwillthereforebegladtogiveustheopportunityofaidingyouinsomedegree，asthiswillbeahappinesstoustothelastdayofourlives."ThegiftmadeitpossibleforHuxleytotakeanotherlongvacation，partofwhichwasspentwithSirJosephHooker，anotedEnglishbotanist，visitingthevolcanoesofAuvergne.Afterthistriphesteadilyimprovedinhealth，withnootherseriousillnessfortenyears.
In1876HuxleywasinvitedtovisitAmericaandtodelivertheinauguraladdressatJohnsHopkinsUniversity.InJulyofthisyearaccordingly，incompanywithhiswife，hecrossedtoNewYork.
EverywhereHuxleywasreceivedwithenthusiasm，forhisnamewasaveryfamiliarone.TwoquotationsfromhisaddressatJohnsHopkinsareespeciallyworthyofattentionasapartofhismessagetoAmericans."Ithasbeenmyfatetoseegreateducationalfundsfossiliseintomerebricksandmortarinthepetrifyingspringsofarchitecture，withnothinglefttoworkthem.Agreatwarriorissaidtohavemadeadesertandcalleditpeace.Trusteeshavesometimesmadeapalaceandcalleditauniversity."
Thesecondquotationisasfollows：——
IcannotsaythatIamintheslightestdegreeimpressedbyyourbignessoryourmaterialresources，assuch.Sizeisnotgrandeur，territorydoesnotmakeanation.Thegreatissue，aboutwhichhangstruesublimity，andtheterrorofoverhangingfate，is，whatareyougoingtodowithallthesethings？
Theoneconditionofsuccess，yoursolesafeguard，isthemoralworthandintellectualclearnessoftheindividualcitizen.
Educationcannotgivethese，butitcancherishthemandbringthemtothefrontinwhateverstationofsocietytheyaretobefound，andtheuniversitiesoughttobe，andmaybe，thefortressesofthehigherlifeofthenation.
AfterthereturnfromAmerica，thesameinnumerableoccupationswerecontinued.ItwouldbeimpossibleinshortspaceeventoenumerateallHuxley’svariouspublicationsofthenexttenyears.
Hiswork，however，changedgraduallyfromscientificinvestigationtoadministrativework，nottheleastimportantofwhichwastheofficeofInspectorofFisheries.AsecondimportantofficewasthePresidencyoftheRoyalSociety.OftheworkofthissocietySirJosephHookerwrites："Thedutiesoftheofficearemanifoldandheavy;theyincludeattendanceatallthemeetingsoftheFellows，andofthecouncils，committees，andsub—committeesoftheSociety，andespeciallythesupervisionoftheprintingandillustratingallpapersonbiologicalsubjectsthatarepublishedintheSociety’sTransactionsandProceedings;thelatterofteninvolvingaprotractedcorrespondencewiththeauthors.Tothismustbeaddedashareinthesupervisionofthestaffofficers，ofthelibraryandcorrespondence，andthedetailsofhouse—keeping."
Alltheworkconnectedwiththisandmanyotherofficesbespeaksalifetoohard—drivenandaccountsfullyforthecontinuedill—
healthwhichfinallyresultedinacompletebreak—down.
Huxleyhadalwaysadvocatedthattheageofsixtywasthetimefor"officialdeath，"andhadlookedforwardtoapeaceful"Indiansummer."Withthisobjectinmindandtroubledbyincreasingill—
health，hebeganin1885togiveuphiswork.Buttoliveevenincomparativeidleness，aftersomanyyearsofactivity，wasdifficult."Iamsure，"hesays，"thatthehabitofincessantworkintowhichwealldriftisasbadinitswayasdram—drinking.Intimeyoucannotbecomfortablewithoutstimulus."Butcontinuedbodilyweaknesstolduponhimtotheextentthatallworkbecamedistasteful.Anutterwearinesswithfrequentspellsofthebluestookpossessionofhim;andthestoryofhislifeforsomeyearsisthestoryofthelongpursuitofhealthinEngland，Switzerland，andespeciallyinItaly.
AlthoughHuxleywaswretchedlyillduringthisperiod，hewroteletterswhicharegoodtoreadfortheirhumorandfortheirpicturesofforeigncities.Romehewritesofasanidle，afternoonysortofplacefromwhichitisdifficulttodepart.HeworkedaseagerlyoverthehistoricremainsinRomeashewouldoveracollectionofgeologicalspecimens."IbegintounderstandOldRomeprettywellandIamquitelearnedintheCatacombs，whichsuitme，asakindofChristianfossilsoutofwhichonecanreconstructthebodyoftheprimitiveChurch."Florence，foramanwithaconscienceandill—health，hadtoomanypicturegalleries.
"Theyareasoreburdentotheconscienceifyoudon’tgotoseethem，andanawfultrialtothebackandlegsifyoudo，"hecomplained.HefoundFlorence，nevertheless，alovelyplaceandfullofmostinterestingthingstoseeanddo.Hisletterswithreferencetohimselfalsoarevigorouslyandentertaininglyexpressed.Hewritesinacharacteristicwayofhisgrowingdifficultywithhishearing."Itirritatesmenottohear;itirritatesmestillmoretobespokentoasifIweredeaf，andtheabsurdityofbeingirritatedonthelastgroundirritatesmestillmore."Andagainhewritesinamorehopefulstrain，"WithfreshairandexerciseandcarefulavoidanceofcoldandnightairIamtobeallrightagain."Hethenadds："Iamnotfondofcoddling;
butasPaddygavehispigthebestcornerinhiscabin——because’shure，hepaidtherint’——Ifeelboundtotakecareofmyselfasahouseholdanimalofvalue，tosaynothingofotherpoints."
Althoughhewasneverstrongafterthislongillness，Huxleybeganin1889tobemuchbetter.ThefirstsignofreturningvigorwastheeagernesswithwhichheenteredintoacontroversywithGladstone.Huxleyhadalwaysenjoyedamentalbattle;andsomeofhisfiercesttiltswerewithGladstone.Heevenfoundthecauseofbetterhealthinthiscontroversy，andwasgratefultothe"GrandOldMan"formakinghomehappyforhim.Fromthistimetohisdeath，Huxleywroteanumberofarticlesonpolitics，science，andreligion，manyofwhichwerepublishedinthevolumecalledControvertedQuestions.ThemainvalueoftheseessaysliesinthefactthatHuxleycallsuponmentogiveclearreasonsforthefaithwhichtheyclaimastheirs，andmakes，asafriendwroteofhim，hazythinkingandslovenly，half—formedconclusionsseemthebasethingtheyreallyare.
ThelastyearsofHuxley’slifewereindeedthelonged—forIndiansummer.AwayfromthenoiseofLondonatEastbournebythesea，hespentmanyhappyhourswithold—timefriendsandinhisgarden，whichwasagreatjoytohim.Hislargefamilyofsonsanddaughtersandgrandchildrenbroughtmuchcheertohislastdays.
Almosttotheendhewasworkingandwritingforpublication.
Threedaysbeforehisdeathhewrotetohisoldfriend，Hooker，thathedidn’tfeelatalllike"sendinginhischecks"andhopedtorecover.HediedveryquietlyonJune29，1895.Thathemetdeathwiththesamecalmfaithandstrengthwithwhichhehadmetlifeisindicatedbythelineswhichhiswifewroteandwhichherequestedtobehisepitaph：——
Benotafraid，yewaitingheartsthatweep;
ForstillHegivethHisbelovedsleep，AndifanendlesssleepHewills，sobest.
ToattemptananalysisofHuxley’scharacter，uniqueandbafflinglycomplexasitis，isbeyondthescopeofthissketch;buttogiveonlythemerefactsofhislifeistodoaninjusticetothevividpersonalityofthemanasitisrevealedinhisletters.Allhishumaninterestinpeopleandthings——pets，andflowers，andfamily—
—brightensmanypagesofthetwoponderousvolumes.Nowonereadsofhisgriefoversomebackward—goingplant，oroversomegardentragedy，as"Alovelyclematisinfullflower，whichIhadspenthoursinnailingup，hasjustdiedsuddenly.IammoreinconsolablethanJonah！"Nowoneisamusedwithanonsenselettertooneofhischildren，andagainwithanaccountofapet."I
wishyouwouldwriteseriouslytoM————.SheisnotbehavingwelltoOliver.Ihaveseenhandsomerkittens，butfewmorelively，andenergeticallydestructive.JustnowhescratchedawayatsomethingM————sayscost13s.6d.ayardandreducedmoreorlessofittocombings.M————thereforeexcludeshimfromthedining—roomandallthoseopportunitiesofhighereducationwhichhewouldhaveinMYhouse."Frequentlyonefindsadescriptionofsomeevent，sovividlydonethatthemerereadingofitseemslikearealexperience.AnaccountofTennyson’sburialinWestminsterisatypicalbitofdescription：——
Brightsunshinestreamedthroughthewindowsofthenave，whilethechoirwasinhalfgloom，andaseachshaftoflightilluminatedtheflower—coveredbierasitslowlytravelledon，onethoughtofthebrightsuccessionofhisworksbetweenthedarknessbeforeandthedarknessafter.IamgladtosaythattheRoyalSocietywasrepresentedbyfourofitschiefofficers，andnineofthecommonalty，includingmyself.Tennysonhasarighttothat，asthefirstpoetsinceLucretiuswhohasunderstoodthedriftofscience.
NopartsoftheLifeandLettersaremoreenjoyablethanthoseconcerningthe"HappyFamily，"asafriendofHuxley’snameshishousehold.Hisfamilyofsevenchildrenfoundtheirfatheramostengagingfriendandcompanion.Hecouldtellthemwonderfulseastoriesandanimalstoriesandcoulddrawfascinatingpictures.
Hissonwritesofhowwhenhewasillwithscarletfeverheusedtolookforwardtohisfather’shome—coming."Thesolitarydays——forIwasthefirstvictiminthefamily——wereverylong，andIlookedforwardwithintenseinteresttoonehalf—hourafterdinner，whenhewouldcomeupanddrawscenesfromthehistoryofaremarkablebull—terrierandhisfamilythatwenttotheseasideinamosthumanandchild—delightingmanner.Ihaveseldomsufferedagreaterdisappointmentthanwhen，oneevening，Ifellasleepjustbeforethisfairyhalf—hour，andlostitoutofmylife."
TheaccountofthecomradeshipbetweenHuxleyandhiswifereadslikeagoodold—timeromance.Hewasattractedtoheratfirstbyher"simplicityanddirectnessunitedwithanunusualdegreeofcultivation，"Huxley’ssonwrites.Onherhedependedforadviceinhiswork，andforcompanionshipathomeandabroadwhenwanderinginsearchofhealthinItalyandSwitzerland.Whenhehadbeenseparatedfromherforsometime，hewrote，"Nobody，childrenoranyoneelse，canbetomewhatyouare.Ulyssespreferredhisoldwomantoimmortality，andthisabsencehasledmetoseethathewasaswiseinthatasinotherthings."Againhewrites，"Againstalltrouble（andIhavehadmyshare）Iweighawife—comrade’trewandfest’inallemergencies."
ThelettersalsogiveoneaclearideaofthebreadthofHuxley’sinterests，particularlyofhisappreciationofthevariousformsofart.Huxleybelievedstronglyintheartsasarefiningandhelpfulinfluenceineducation.Hekeenlyenjoyedgoodmusic.
ProfessorHeweswritesofhimthatonebreakinginuponhimintheafternoonatSouthKensingtonwouldnotinfrequentlybemet"withasnatchofsomemelodyofBach’sfugue."Healsolikedgoodpictures，andalwayshadamonghisfriendswell—knownartists，asAlma—Tadema，SirFrederickLeighton，andBurne—Jones.Hereadpoetrywidely，andstronglyadvocatedtheteachingofpoetryinEnglishschools.Astopoetry，hisownpreferencesareinteresting.Wordsworthheconsideredtoodiscursive;Shelleywastoodiffuse;Keats，helikedforpurebeauty，Browningforstrength，andTennysonforhisunderstandingofmodernscience;butmostfrequentlyofallhereadMiltonandShakespeare.
AstoHuxley’sappearance，andastotheimpressionwhichhispersonalitymadeuponothers，thedescriptionofafriend，Mr.G.
W.Smalley，presentshimwithstrikingforce."Thesquareforehead，thesquarejaw，thetenselinesofthemouth，thedeepflashingdarkeyes，theimpressionofsomethingmorethanstrengthhegaveyou，animpressionofsincerity，ofsolidforce，ofimmovability，yetwiththegentlenessarisingfromthesereneconsciousnessofhisstrength——allthisbelongedtoHuxleyandtohimalone.Thefirstglancemagnetizedhisaudience.Theeyeswerethoseofoneaccustomedtocommand，ofonehavingauthority，andnotfearingonoccasiontouseit.Thehairsweptcarelesslyawayfromthebroadforeheadandgrewratherlongbehind，yetthelengthdidnotsuggest，asitoftendoes，effeminacy.Hewasmasculineineverything——look，gesture，speech.Sparingofgesture，sparingofemphasis，carelessofmererhetoricalororatoricalart，hehadneverthelessthesecretofthehighestartofall，whetherinoratoryorwhateverelse——hehadsimplicity."
Simplicity，directness，sincerity，——allthesequalitiesdescribeHuxley;buttheoneattributewhichdistinguisheshimaboveallothersisloveoftruth.Aloveoftruth，asthephrasecharacterizesHuxley，wouldnecessarilyproduceascholarlyhabitofmind.Itwasthezealoussearchfortruthwhichdeterminedhismethodofwork.Inscience，Huxleywould"takeatsecondhandnothingforwhichhevouchedinteaching."Someonereproachedhimforwastingtimeverifyingwhatanotherhadalreadydone."Ifthatishispractice，"hecommented，"hisworkwillneverlive."Thesamemotivemadehimamasteroflanguages.Tobeabletoreadatfirsthandthewritingsofothernations，helearnedGerman，French，Italian，andGreek.OneofthechiefreasonsforlearningtoreadGreekwastoseeforhimselfifAristotlereallydidsaythatthehearthadonlythreechambers——anerror，hediscovered，notofAristotle，butofthetranslator.Itwas，moreover，thescholarinHuxleywhichmadehimimpatientofnarrow，half—formed，foggyconclusions.Hisownworkhasallthebreadthandfreedomanduniversalityofthescholar，butithas，also，aqualityequallydistinctiveofthescholar，namely，aninfiniteprecisioninthematterofdetail.
IfloveoftruthmadeHuxleyascholar，itmadehim，also，acourageousfighter.Man’sfirstduty，ashesawit，wastoseekthetruth;hissecondwastoteachittoothers，and，ifnecessary，tocontendvaliantlyforit.Tofailtoteachwhatyouhonestlyknowtobetrue，becauseitmayharmyourreputation，orevenbecauseitmaygivepaintoothers，iscowardice."Iamnotgreatlyconcernedaboutanyreputation，"Huxleywritestohiswife，"exceptthatofbeingentirelyhonestandstraightforward."
RegardlessofwarningsthatthepublicationofMan’sPlaceinNaturewouldruinhiscareer，Huxleypassedontootherswhatnaturehadrevealedtohim.Hewasregardless，also，oftheconfusionandpainwhichhisviewwouldnecessarilybringtothosewhohadbeennourishedinoldtraditions.Tostandwithamanortwoandtodobattlewiththeworldonthescoreofitsoldbeliefs，hasneverbeenaneasytasksincetheworldbegan.
Certainlyitrequiredfearlessnessanddeterminationtowrestlewiththeprejudicesagainstscienceinthemiddleofthenineteenthcentury——howmuchmaybegatheredfromthereadingofDarwin’sLifeandLetters.Theattitudeofthetimestowardsciencehasalreadybeenindicated.Onemayheallowedtogiveonemoreexamplefromthereportedaddressofaclergyman."Oyemenofscience，yemenofscience，leaveusourancestorsinparadise，andyoumayhaveyoursinZoologicalgardens."Thewarwas，forthemostpart，betweentheclergyandthemenofscience，butitisnecessarytorememberthatHuxleyfoughtnotagainstChristianity，butagainstdogma;thathefoughtnotagainstthepast，——hehadgreatreverencefortheaccomplishmentofthepast，——butagainstunwillingnesstoacceptthenewtruthofthepresent.
Ascholarofthehighesttypeandafearlessdefenderoftrueandhonestthinking，Huxleycertainlywas：butthequalitywhichgivesmeaningtohiswork，whichmakesitlive，isacertainhumanqualityduetothefactthatHuxleywasalwayskeenlyalivetotherelationofsciencetotheproblemsoflife.Forthisreason，hewasnotcontentwiththemereacquirementofknowledge;andforthisreason，also，hecouldnotquietlywaituntiltheworldshouldcometohiswayofthinking.Muchofthetime，therefore，whichhewouldotherwisenaturallyhavespentinresearch，hespentincontendingforandinendeavoringtopopularizethefactsofscience.ItwasthisdesiretomakehisideasprevailthatledHuxleytoworkforamasteryofthetechniqueofspeakingandwriting.Hehatedboth，buttaughthimselftodobothwell.Theendofallhisinfinitepainsabouthiswritingwasnotbecausestyleforitsownsakeisworthwhile，butbecausehesawthattheonlywaytowinmentoaconsiderationofhismessagewastomakeitperfectlyclearandattractivetothem.Huxley’smessagetothepeoplewasthathappiness，usefulness，andevenmaterialprosperitydependuponanunderstandingofthelawsofnature.Healsotaughtthataknowledgeofthefactsofscienceisthesoundestbasisformorallaw;thataclearsenseofthepenaltieswhichNatureinflictsfordisobedienceofherlawsmusteventuallybethegreatestforceforthepurificationoflife.Ifhewastoberemembered，therefore，hedesiredthatheshouldberememberedprimarilyasonewhohadhelpedthepeople"tothinktrulyandtoliverightly."Huxley’swritingis，then，somethingmorethanascholarlyexpositionofabstrusematter;forithasbeenfurtherdevotedtotheincreasingofman’scapacityforusefulness，andtothebettermentofhislifehereonearth.
II
SUBJECT—MATTER，STRUCTURE，ANDSTYLE
Fromthepointofviewofsubject—matter，structure，andstyle，Huxley’sessaysareadmirablyadaptedtotheusesofthestudentinEnglish.Thethemesoftheessaysaretwo，educationandscience.
InthesetwosubjectsHuxleyearnestlysoughttoarouseinterestandtoimpartknowledge，becausehebelievedthatintelligenceinthesemattersisessentialfortheadvancementoftheraceinstrengthandmorality.Bothsubjects，therefore，shouldbevaluabletothestudent.Ineducation，certainly，heshouldbeinterested，sinceitishismainoccupation，ifnothischiefconcern.EssayslikeALiberalEducationandThePrincipalSubjectsofEducationmaysuggesttohimthemeaningofallhiswork，andmaysuggest，also，thethingswhichitwouldbewellforhimtoknow;and，evenmore，aconsiderationofthesesubjectsmayarousehimtoagreaterinterestandresponsibilitythanheusuallyassumestowardhisownmentalequipment.Ofgreaterinterestprobablywillbethesubjectswhichdealwithnature;forthewaysofnaturearemorenearlywithintherangeofhisrealconcernsthanarethewhereforesofstudy.Thestoryoftheformationofapieceofchalk，thesubstancewhichliesatthebasisofalllife，thehabitsofseaanimals，areallsubjectsthenatureofwhichisakintohisowneagerinterestintheworld.
UndoubtedlythesubjectsaboutwhichHuxleywriteswill"appeal"tothestudent;butitisinanalysisthattherealdisciplinelies.
ForanalysisHuxley’sessaysareexcellent.Theyillustrate"theclearpowerofexposition，"andsuchpoweris，asHuxleywrotetoTyndall，theonequalitythepeoplewant，——exposition"soclearthattheymaythinktheyunderstandeveniftheydon’t."Huxleyobtainsthatperfectclearnessinhisownworkbysimpledefinition，bykeepingsteadilybeforehisaudiencehisintention，andbymakingplainthroughouthislectureawell—definedorganicstructure.NoX—raymachineisneedfultomaketheskeletonvisible;itstandsforthwiththepartsallnicelyrelatedandcompactlyjoined.Inreferencetostructure，hissonandbiographerwrites，"Helovedtovisualizehisobjectclearly.Theframeworkofwhathewishedtosaywouldalwaysbedrawnoutfirst."ProfessorRayLankesteralsomentionsHuxley’sloveofform."HedealswithformnotonlyasamechanicalengineerIN
PARTIBUS（Huxley’sowndescriptionofhimself），butalsoasanartist，abornloverofform，acharacterwhichothersrecognizeinhimthoughhedoesnothimselfsetitdowninhisanalysis."
Huxley’sownaccountofhiseffortstoshapehisworkissuggestive."ThefactisthatIhaveagreatloveandrespectformynativetongue，andtakegreatpainstouseitproperly.
SometimesIwriteessayshalf—a—dozentimesbeforeIcangetthemintopropershape;andIbelieveIbecomemorefastidiousasIgrowolder."And，indeed，thereisamarkeddifferenceinfirmnessofstructurebetweentheearlieressays，suchasOntheEducationalValueoftheNaturalHistorySciences，written，asHuxleyacknowledges，ingreathaste，andthelateressays，suchasA
LiberalEducationandTheMethodofScientificInvestigation.Totraceandtodefinethisdifferencewillbemosthelpfultothestudentwhoisbuildingupaknowledgeofstructureforhisownuse.
AccordingtoHuxley’sbiographerintheLifeandLettersofThomasHenryHuxley，theessayswhichrepresenthimathisbestarethosepublishedin1868.TheyareAPieceofChalk，ALiberalEducation，andOnthePhysicalBasisofLife.InconnectionwiththecommentontheseessaysisthefollowingquotationwhichgivesoneinterestinginformationastoHuxley’smethodofobtainingaclearstyle：——
ThislectureonAPieceofChalktogetherwithtwoothersdeliveredthisyear，seemstometomarkthematuringofhisstyleintothatmasteryofclearexpressionforwhichhedeliberatelylabored，thesayingexactlywhathemeant，neithertoomuchnortoolittle，withoutconfusionandwithoutobscurity.Havesomethingtosay，andsayit，wastheDukeofWellington’stheoryofstyle;Huxley’swastosaythatwhichhastobesaidinsuchlanguagethatyoucanstandcross—examinationoneachword.Beclear，thoughyoumaybeconvictedoferror.Ifyouareclearlywrong，youwillrunupagainstafactsometimeandgetsetright.Ifyoushufflewithyoursubject，andstudychieflytouselanguagewhichwillgivealoopholeofescapeeitherway，thereisnohopeforyou.
Thiswasthesecretofhislucidity.InnoonecouldBuffon’saphorismonstylefindabetterillustration，Lestylec’estl’hommememe.Inhimscienceandliterature，toooftendivorced，werecloselyunited;andliteratureoweshimadebtforimportingintoitsomuchofthehighestscientifichabitofmind;forshowingthattruthfulnessneednotbebald，andthatrealpowerliesmoreinexactaccuracythaninluxurianceofdiction.
Huxley’sowntheoryastohowclearnessistobeobtainedgetsattherootofthematter."Formypart，Iventuretodoubtthewisdomofattemptingtomouldone’sstylebyanyotherprocessthanthatofstrivingaftertheclearandforcibleexpressionofdefiniteconceptions;inwhichprocesstheGlassianprecept，firstcatchyourdefiniteconception，isprobablythemostdifficulttoobey."
Perfectclearness，aboveeveryotherqualityofstyle，certainlyischaracteristicofHuxley;butclearnessalonedoesnotmakesubject—matterliterature.Inadditiontothisquality，Huxley’swritingwinsthereaderbytheracydiction，thehomelyillustration，theplain，honestphrasing.Alltheseandotherqualitiesbringoneintoanintimaterelationshipwithhissubject.
Amanofvasttechnicallearning，heisstillsointerestedintherelationofhisfactstotheproblemsofmenthatheisalwaysabletoinfuselifeintothedriestofsubjects，inotherwords，toHUMANIZEhisknowledge;andintheestimationofMatthewArnold，thisisthetrueworkofthescholar，thehighestmissionofstyle.
III
SUGGESTEDSTUDIESINSUBJECT—MATTER，STRUCTURE，ANDSTYLE
AlthoughfullyrealizingthatthequestionsheregivenareonlysuchasaregenerallyusedeverywherebyinstructorsinEnglish，theeditorhas，nevertheless，includedthemwiththehopethatsomeonemayfindthemhelpful.
Thestudiesgivenincludeafewgeneralquestionsandsuggestionsonsubject—matter，structure，andstyle.Thequestionsonstructurearebasedonananalysisofthewholecompositionandoftheparagraph;thoseonstylearebasedonastudyofsentencesandwords.Suchadivisionofmaterialmayseemunwarranted;for，itmaybeurged，firmnessofstructuredepends，toacertainextent，uponsentence—formandwords;andclearnessofstyle，toalargeextent，upontheformoftheparagraphandwholecomposition.Thetwo，certainly，cannotbeinjusticeseparated;andespeciallyisittrue，moredeeplytruethantheaveragestudentcanbebroughttobelieve，thatstructure，"MIND，instyle"asPaterphrasesit，primarilydeterminesnotonlyclearness，butalsosuchqualitiesofstyleasreserve，refinement，andsimpleDoricbeauty.Since，however，structureismoreobviouslyassociatedwiththelargergroups，andstylewiththesmaller，thequestionshavebeenarrangedaccordingtothisdivision.
I.SuggestionsfortheStudyofSubject—Matter.
1.TowhomdoesHuxleyaddresstheessay？
2.Canyouseeanyadaptationofhismaterialtohisaudience？
3.HowwouldAPieceofChalkbedifferentlypresentedifgivenbeforeascienceclub？
4.DoesHuxleymakehissubjectinteresting？Ifso，howdoesheaccomplishthis？
5.IsthepersonalityofHuxleysuggestedbytheessays？SeeLifeandLetters，vol.ii，p.293.
II.SuggestionsfortheStudyofStructure.
A.Analysisofthewholecomposition.
1.Stateinonecompletesentencethethemeoftheessay.
2.Analyzetheessayforthelogicaldevelopmentofthethought.
a.QuestionsontheIntroduction.
Intheintroduction，howdoestheauthorapproachhismaterial？
Doeshegivethemainpointsoftheessay？
Doeshegivehisreasonsforwriting？
Doeshenarrowhissubjecttoonepointofview？
Istheintroductionadigression？
b.QuestionsontheBody.
Canyoufindlargegroupsofthought？
Arethesegroupscloselyrelatedtothethemeandtoeachother？
Doyoufindanydigressions？
Isthemethodusedindevelopingthegroupsinductiveordeductive？
Isthemethoddifferentindifferentgroups？
Arethegroupsarrangedforgoodemphasisinthewholecomposition？
c.QuestionsontheConclusion.
Howdoestheauthorconcludetheessay？
Doestheconclusionsumupthepointsoftheessay？
Areanynewpointssuggested？
Isthethoughtofthewholeessaystated？
Doyouconsideritastrongconclusion？
3.Makeoutanoutlinewhichshallpicturetheskeletonoftheessaystudied.Inmakingtheoutlineexpressthetopicsintheformofcompletestatements，phrasethethoughtforclearsequence，andbecarefulaboutsuchmattersasspacingandpunctuation.
B.Analysisofparagraphstructure.
1.Canaparagraphbeanalyzedinthesamemannerasthewholecomposition？
2.Canyouexpressthethoughtofeachparagraphinacompletesentence？
3.Canyoufinddifferentpointspresentedintheparagraphdevelopingtheparagraphtopic，asthelargegroupsofthewholecompositiondevelopthetheme？
4.Aretheparagraphscloselyrelated，andhowaretheyboundtogether？
5.Cananyoftheparagraphsbecombinedtoadvantage？
6.ReadfromBarrettWendell’sEnglishCompositionthechapteronparagraphs.AreHuxley’sparagraphsconstructedinaccordancewiththeprinciplesgiveninthischapter？
7.Istheparagraphtypevaried？Forparagraphtypes，seeScottandDenny’sParagraphWriting.
C.Comparativestudyofthestructureoftheessay.
1.DoyoufindanydifferencebetweenHuxley’searlierandlateressaysasregardsthestructureofthewhole，orthestructureoftheparagraph？
2.Whichessayseemstoyoutobemostsuccessfulinstructure？
3.Hasthecharacteroftheaudienceanyinfluenceuponthestructureoftheessays？
4.ComparethestructureofoneofHuxley’sessayswiththatofsomeotheressayrecentlystudied.
5.Hasthenatureofthematerialanyinfluenceuponthestructureoftheessay？
III.SuggestionsfortheStudyofStyle.