第51章
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  butIwillnottroubleyouwithanyremarks。Imay,however,say,thatyoumusthavebeendeceivedbytheFrenchtranslation,asyouinferthatI

  believethattheParusandtheNuthatch(orSitta)arerelatedbydirectfiliation。Iwishedonlytoshowbyanimaginaryillustration,howeitherinstinctsorstructuresmightfirstchange。IfyouhadseenCanisMagellanicusaliveyouwouldhaveperceivedhowfoxlikeitsappearanceis,orifyouhadhearditsvoice,Ithinkthatyouwouldneverhavehazardedtheideathatitwasadomesticdogrunwild;butthisdoesnotmuchconcernme。Itiscurioushownationalityinfluencesopinion;aweekhardlypasseswithoutmyhearingofsomenaturalistinGermanywhosupportsmyviews,andoftenputsanexaggeratedvalueonmyworks;whilstinFranceIhavenotheardofasinglezoologist,exceptM。Gaudry(andheonlypartially),whosupportsmyviews。ButImusthaveagoodmanyreadersasmybooksaretranslated,andImusthope,notwithstandingyourstrictures,thatImayinfluencesomeembryonaturalistsinFrance。

  Youfrequentlyspeakofmygoodfaith,andnocomplimentcanbemoredelightfultome,butImayreturnyouthecomplimentwithinterest,foreverywordwhichyouwritebearsthestampofyourcordialloveforthetruth。Believeme,dearSir,withsincererespect,Yoursveryfaithfully,CHARLESDARWIN。

  CHARLESDARWINTOT。H。HUXLEY。

  Down,October14[1869]。

  MydearHuxley,IhavebeendelightedtoseeyourreviewofHaeckel(AreviewofHaeckel’s’Schopfungs—Geschichte。’The\"Academy\",1869。Reprintedin’CritiquesandAddresses,’page303。),andasusualyoupilehonourshighonmyhead。ButIwritenow(REQUIRINGNOANSWER)togroanalittleoverwhatyouhavesaidaboutrudimentaryorgans。(IndiscussingTeleologyandHaeckel’s\"Dysteleology,\"Prof。Huxleysays:——\"Suchcasesastheexistenceoflateralrudimentsoftoes,inthefootofahorse,placeusinadilemma。Foreithertheserudimentsareofnousetotheanimals,inwhichcase……theysurelyoughttohavedisappeared;ortheyareofsomeusetotheanimal,inwhichcasetheyareofnouseasargumentsagainstTeleology。\"——(’CritiquesandAddresses,’page308。)Manyhereticswilltakeadvantageofwhatyouhavesaid。Icannotbutthinkthattheexplanationgivenatpage541ofthelasteditionofthe’Origin’ofthelongretentionofrudimentaryorgansandoftheirgreaterrelativesizeduringearlylife,issatisfactory。Theirfinalandcompleteabortionseemstomeamuchgreaterdifficulty。Dolookinmy’VariationsunderDomestication,’volumeii。

  page397,atwhatPangenesissuggestsonthishead,thoughIdidnotdaretoputinthe’Origin。’Thepassagebearsalsoalittleonthestrugglebetweenthemoleculesorgemmules。(\"Itisaprobablehypothesis,thatwhattheworldistoorganismsingeneral,eachorganismistothemoleculesofwhichitiscomposed。Multitudesofthesehavingdiversetendencies,arecompetingwithoneanotherforopportunitytoexistandmultiply;andtheorganism,asawhole,isasmuchtheproductofthemoleculeswhicharevictoriousastheFauna,orFlora,ofacountryistheproductofthevictoriousorganicbeingsinit。\"——(’CritiquesandAddresses,’page309。)Thereislikewiseawordortwoindirectlybearingonthissubjectatpages394—395。Itwon’ttakeyoufiveminutes,sodolookatthesepassages。IamverygladthatyouhavebeenboldenoughtogiveyourideaaboutNaturalSelectionamongstthemolecules,thoughIcannotquitefollowyou。

  1870ANDBEGINNINGOF1871。

  [MyfatherwroteinhisDiary:——\"Thewholeofthisyear[1870]atworkonthe’DescentofMan。’……WenttoPressAugust30,1870。\"

  Thelettersareagainofmiscellaneousinterest,dealing,notonlywithhiswork,butalsoservingtoindicatethecourseofhisreading。]

  CHARLESDARWINTOE。RAYLANKESTER。

  Down,March15[1870]。

  MydearSir,Idonotknowwhetheryouwillconsidermeaverytroublesomeman,butI

  havejustfinishedyourbook(’ComparativeLongevity。’),andcannotresisttellingyouhowthewholehasmuchinterestedme。Nodoubt,asyousay,theremustbemuchspeculationonsuchasubject,andcertainresultscannotbereached;butallyourviewsarehighlysuggestive,andtomymindthatishighpraise。IhavebeenallthemoreinterestedasIamnowwritingoncloselyalliedthoughnotquiteidenticalpoints。Iwaspleasedtoseeyourefertomymuchdespisedchild,’Pangenesis,’whoIthinkwillsomeday,undersomebetternurse,turnoutafinestripling。Ithasalsopleasedmetoseehowthoroughlyyouappreciate(andIdonotthinkthatthisisgeneralwiththemenofscience)H。Spencer;IsuspectthathereafterhewillbelookedatasbyfarthegreatestlivingphilosopherinEngland;perhapsequaltoanythathavelived。ButIhavenobusinesstotroubleyouwithmynotions。Withsincerethanksfortheinterestwhichyourworkhasgivenme,Iremain,yoursveryfaithfully,CH。DARWIN。

  [ThenextletterreferstoMr。Wallace’s’NaturalSelection’(1870),acollectionofessaysreprintedwithcertainalterationsofwhichalistisgiveninthevolume:]

  CHARLESDARWINTOA。R。WALLACE。

  Down,April20[1870]。

  MydearWallace,Ihavejustreceivedyourbook,andreadthepreface。Thereneverhasbeenpassedonme,orindeedonanyone,ahighereulogiumthanyours。IwishthatIfullydeservedit。Yourmodestyandcandourareveryfarfromnewtome。Ihopeitisasatisfactiontoyoutoreflect——andveryfewthingsinmylifehavebeenmoresatisfactorytome——thatwehaveneverfeltanyjealousytowardseachother,thoughinonesenserivals。IbelievethatI

  cansaythisofmyselfwithtruth,andIamabsolutelysurethatitistrueofyou。

  YouhavebeenagoodChristiantogivealistofyouradditions,forIwantmuchtoreadthem,andIshouldhardlyhavehadtimejustatpresenttohavegonethroughallyourarticles。OfcourseIshallimmediatelyreadthosethatareneworgreatlyaltered,andIwillendeavourtobeashonestascanreasonablybeexpected。Yourbooklooksremarkablywellgotup。

  Believeme,mydearWallace,toremain,Yoursverycordially,CH。DARWIN。

  [Herefollowoneortwolettersindicatingtheprogressofthe’DescentofMan;’thewoodcutsreferredtowerebeingpreparedforthatwork:]

  CHARLESDARWINTOA。GUNTHER。(Dr。Gunther,KeeperofZoologyintheBritishMuseum。)

  March23,[1870?]。

  DearGunther,AsIdonotknowMr。Ford’saddress,willyouhandhimthisnote,whichiswrittensolelytoexpressmyunboundedadmirationofthewoodcuts。I

  fairlygloatoverthem。Theonlyevilisthattheywillmakealltheotherwoodcutslookverypoor!Theyareallexcellent,andforthefeathersI

  declareIthinkitthemostwonderfulwoodcutIeversaw;Icannothelptouchingittomakesurethatitissmooth。HowIwishtoseethetwoother,andevenmoreimportant,onesofthefeathers,andthefour[of]

  reptiles,etc。Onceagainacceptmyverysincerethanksforallyourkindness。IamgreatlyindebtedtoMr。Ford。Engravingshavealwayshithertobeenmygreatestmisery,andnowtheyarearealpleasuretome。

  Yoursverysincerely,CH。DARWIN。

  P。S。——IthoughtIshouldhavebeeninpressbythistime,butmysubjecthasbranchedoffintosub—branches,whichhavecostmeinfinitetime,andheavenknowswhenIshallhaveallmyMS。ready,butIamneveridle。

  CHARLESDARWINTOA。GUNTHER。

  May15[1870]。

  MydearDr。Gunther,Sincerethanks。Youranswersarewonderfullyclearandcomplete。Ihavesomeanalogousquestionsonreptiles,etc。,whichIwillsendinafewdays,andthenIthinkIshallcausenomoretrouble。Iwillgetthebooksyourefermeto。ThecaseoftheSolenostoma(InmostoftheLophobranchiithemalehasamarsupialsackinwhichtheeggsarehatched,andinthesespeciesthemaleisslightlybrightercolouredthanthefemale。ButinSolenostomathefemaleisthehatcher,andisalsothemorebrightlycoloured。——’DescentofMan,’ii。21。)ismagnificent,soexactlyanalogoustothatofthosebirdsinwhichthefemaleisthemoregay,buttentimesbetterforme,assheistheincubator。AsIcrawlonwiththesuccessiveclassesIamastonishedtofindhowsimilartherulesareaboutthenuptialor\"weddingdress\"ofallanimals。Thesubjecthasbeguntointerestmeinanextraordinarydegree;butImusttrynottofallintomycommonerrorofbeingtoospeculative。Butadrunkardmightaswellsayhewoulddrinkalittleandnottoomuch!Myessay,asfarasfishes,batrachiansandreptilesareconcerned,willbeinfactyours,onlywrittenbyme。Withheartythanks。

  Yoursverysincerely,CH。DARWIN。

  [Thefollowingletterisofinterest,asshowingtheexcessivecareandpainswhichmyfathertookinforminghisopiniononadifficultpoint:]

  CHARLESDARWINTOA。R。WALLACE。

  Down,September23[undated]。

  MydearWallace,Iamverymuchobligedforallyourtroubleinwritingmeyourlongletter,whichIwillkeepbymeandponderover。Toansweritwouldrequireatleast200foliopages!IfyoucouldseehowoftenIhavere—writtensomepagesyouwouldknowhowanxiousIamtoarriveasnearasIcantothetruth。IlaygreatstressonwhatIknowtakesplaceunderdomestication;

  Ithinkwestartwithdifferentfundamentalnotionsoninheritance。Ifinditismostdifficult,butnotIthinkimpossible,toseehow,forinstance,afewredfeathersappearingontheheadofamalebird,andwhichAREAT

  FIRSTTRANSMITTEDTOBOTHSEXES,couldcometobetransmittedtomalesalone。Itisnotenoughthatfemalesshouldbeproducedfromthemaleswithredfeathers,whichshouldbedestituteofredfeathers;butthesefemalesmusthaveaLATENTTENDENCYtoproducesuchfeathers,otherwisetheywouldcausedeteriorationintheredhead—feathersoftheirmaleoffspring。Suchlatenttendencywouldbeshownbytheirproducingtheredfeatherswhenold,ordiseasedintheirovaria。ButIhavenodifficultyinmakingthewholeheadredifthefewredfeathersinthemalefromthefirsttendedtobesexuallytransmitted。Iamquitewillingtoadmitthatthefemalemayhavebeenmodified,eitheratthesametimeorsubsequently,forprotectionbytheaccumulationofvariationslimitedintheirtransmissiontothefemalesex。Iowetoyourwritingstheconsiderationofthislatterpoint。ButIcannotyetpersuademyselfthatfemalesALONE

  haveoftenbeenmodifiedforprotection。Shouldyougrudgethetroublebrieflytotellmewhetheryoubelievethattheplainerheadandlessbrightcoloursofafemalechaffinch,thelessredontheheadandlesscleancoloursofthefemalegoldfinch,themuchlessredonthebreastofthefemalebull—finch,thepalercrestofgolden—crestedwren,etc。,havebeenacquiredbythemforprotection。IcannotthinksoanymorethanI

  canthattheconsiderabledifferencesbetweenfemaleandmalehousesparrow,ormuchgreaterbrightnessofthemaleParuscoeruleus(bothofwhichbuildundercover)thanofthefemaleParus,arerelatedtoprotection。Ievenmis—doubtmuchwhetherthelessblacknessofthefemaleblackbirdisforprotection。

  Again,canyougivemereasonsforbelievingthatthemoderatedifferencesbetweenthefemalepheasant,thefemaleGallusbankiva,thefemaleblackgrouse,thepea—hen,thefemalepartridge,[andtheirrespectivemales,]

  haveallspecialreferencestoprotectionunderslightlydifferentconditions?I,ofcourse,admitthattheyareallprotectedbydullcolours,derived,asIthink,fromsomedull—groundprogenitor;andI

  accountpartlyfortheirdifferencebypartialtransferenceofcolourfromthemaleandbyothermeanstoolongtospecify;butIearnestlywishtoseereasontobelievethateachisspeciallyadaptedforconcealmenttoitsenvironment。

  Igrievetodifferfromyou,anditactuallyterrifiesmeandmakesmeconstantlydistrustmyself。Ifearweshallneverquiteunderstandeachother。Ivaluethecasesofbright—coloured,incubatingmalefishes,andbrilliantfemalebutterflies,solelyasshowingthatonesexmaybemadebrilliantwithoutanynecessarytransferenceofbeautytotheothersex;

  forinthesecasesIcannotsupposethatbeautyintheothersexwascheckedbyselection。

  Ifearthisletterwilltroubleyoutoreadit。Averyshortansweraboutyourbeliefinregardtothefemalefinchesandgallinaceaewouldsuffice。

  Believeme,mydearWallace,Yoursverysincerely,CH。DARWIN。

  CHARLESDARWINTOJ。D。HOOKER。

  Down,May25[1870]……LastFridayweallwenttotheBullHotelatCambridgetoseetheboys,andforalittlerestandenjoyment。ThebacksoftheCollegesaresimplyparadisaical。OnMondayIsawSedgwick,whowasmostcordialandkind;inthemorningIthoughthisbrainwasenfeebled;intheeveninghewasbrilliantandquitehimself。Hisaffectionandkindnesscharmedusall。

  Myvisittohimwasinonewayunfortunate;forafteralongsitheproposedtotakemetothemuseum,andIcouldnotrefuse,andinconsequenceheutterlyprostratedme;sothatweleftCambridgenextmorning,andIhavenotrecoveredtheexhaustionyet。Isitnothumiliatingtobethuskilledbyamanofeighty—six,whoevidentlyneverdreamedthathewaskillingme?Ashesaidtome,\"Oh,Iconsideryouasamerebabytome!\"IsawNewtonseveraltimes,andseveralnicefriendsofF。’s。ButCambridgewithoutdearHenslowwasnotitself;Itriedtogettothetwooldhouses,butitwastoofarforme……

  CHARLESDARWINTOB。J。SULIVAN。(AdmiralSirJamesSulivanwasalieutenantonboardthe\"Beagle\"。)

  Down,June30[1870]。

  MydearSulivan,Itwasverygoodofyoutowritetomesolongaletter,tellingmemuchaboutyourselfandyourchildren,whichIwasextremelygladtohear。

  ThinkwhatabenightedwretchIam,seeingnooneandreadingbutlittleinthenewspapers,forIdidnotknow(untilseeingthepaperofyourNaturalHistorySociety)thatyouwereaK。C。B。MostheartilygladIamthattheGovernmenthaveatlastappreciatedyourmostjustclaimforthishighdistinction。Ontheotherhand,Iamsorrytohearsopooranaccountofyourhealth;butyouweresurelyveryrashtodoallthatyoudidandthenpassthroughsoexcitingasceneasaballatthePalace。Itwasenoughtohavetiredamaninrobusthealth。Completerestwill,however,Ihope,quitesetyouupagain。Asformyself,Ihavebeenratherbetteroflate,andifnothingdisturbsmeIcandosomehours’workeveryday。Ishallthisautumnpublishanotherbookpartlyonman,whichIdaresaymanywilldecryasverywicked。IcouldhavetravelledtoOxford,butcouldnomorehavewithstoodtheexcitementofacommemoration(ThisreferstoaninvitationtoreceivethehonorarydegreeofD。C。L。HewasoneofthosenominatedforthedegreebyLordSalisburyonassumingtheofficeofChancelloroftheUniversityofOxford。Thefactthatthehonourwasdeclinedonthescoreofill—healthwaspublishedinthe\"OxfordUniversityGazette\",June17,1870。)thanIcouldaballatBuckinghamPalace。Manythanksforyourkindremarksaboutmyboys。ThankGod,allgivemecompletesatisfaction;myfourthstandssecondatWoolwich,andwillbeanEngineerOfficeratChristmas。MywifedesirestobeverykindlyrememberedtoLadySulivan,inwhichIverysincerelyjoin,andincongratulationaboutyourdaughter’smarriage。Weareatpresentsolitary,forallouryoungerchildrenaregoneatourinSwitzerland。IhadneverheardawordaboutthesuccessoftheT。delFuegomission。Itismostwonderful,andshamesme,asIalwaysprophesiedutterfailure。Itisagrandsuccess。IshallfeelproudifyourCommitteethinkfittoelectmeanhonorarymemberofyoursociety。Withallgoodwishesandaffectionateremembrancesofancientdays,Believeme,mydearSulivan,Yoursincerefriend,CH。DARWIN。

  [Myfather’sconnectionwiththeSouthAmericanMission,whichisreferredtointheaboveletter,hasgivenrisetosomepubliccomment,andhasbeentosomeextentmisunderstood。TheArchbishopofCanterbury,speakingattheannualmeetingoftheSouthAmericanMissionarySociety,April21st,1885(Iquotea’Leaflet,’publishedbytheSociety。),saidthattheSociety\"drewtheattentionofCharlesDarwin,andmadehim,inhispursuitofthewondersofthekingdomofnature,realisethattherewasanotherkingdomjustaswonderfulandmorelasting。\"Somediscussiononthesubjectappearedinthe\"DailyNews\"ofApril23rd,24th,29th,1885,andfinallyAdmiralSirJamesSulivan,onApril24th,wrotetothesamejournal,givingaclearaccountofmyfather’sconnectionwiththeSociety:——

  \"Yourarticleinthe\"DailyNews\"ofyesterdayinducesmetogiveyouacorrectstatementoftheconnectionbetweentheSouthAmericanMissionarySocietyandMr。CharlesDarwin,myoldfriendandshipmateforfiveyears。

  IhavebeencloselyconnectedwiththeSocietyfromthetimeofCaptainAllenGardiner’sdeath,andMr。DarwinhasoftenexpressedtomehisconvictionthatitwasutterlyuselesstosendMissionariestosuchasetofsavagesastheFuegians,probablytheverylowestofthehumanrace。I

  hadalwaysrepliedthatIdidnotbelieveanyhumanbeingsexistedtoolowtocomprehendthesimplemessageoftheGospelofChrist。Aftermanyyears,Ithinkabout1869(Itseemstohavebeenin1867。),butIcannotfindtheletter,hewrotetomethattherecentaccountsoftheMissionprovedtohimthathehadbeenwrongandIrightinourestimatesofthenativecharacter,andthepossibilityofdoingthemgoodthroughMissionaries;andherequestedmetoforwardtotheSocietyanenclosedchequefor5pounds,asatestimonyoftheinteresthetookintheirgoodwork。OnJune6th,1874,hewrote:’IamverygladtohearsogoodanaccountoftheFuegians,anditiswonderful。’OnJune10th,1879:’TheprogressoftheFuegiansiswonderful,andhaditnotoccurredwouldhavebeentomequiteincredible。’OnJanuary3rd,1880:’Yourextracts’[fromajournal]’abouttheFuegiansareextremelycurious,andhaveinterestedmemuch。IhaveoftensaidthattheprogressofJapanwasthegreatestwonderintheworld,butIdeclarethattheprogressofFuegiaisalmostequallywonderful。OnMarch20th,1881:’TheaccountoftheFuegiansinterestednotonlyme,butallmyfamily。ItistrulywonderfulwhatyouhaveheardfromMr。Bridgesabouttheirhonestyandtheirlanguage。I

  certainlyshouldhavepredictedthatnotalltheMissionariesintheworldcouldhavedonewhathasbeendone。’OnDecember1st,1881,sendingmehisannualsubscriptiontotheOrphanageattheMissionStation,hewrote:

  ’Judgingfromthe\"MissionaryJournal\",theMissioninTierradelFuegoseemsgoingonquitewonderfullywell。’\"]

  CHARLESDARWINTOJOHNLUBBOCK。

  Down,July17,1870。

  MydearLubbock,AsIhearthattheCensuswillbebroughtbeforetheHouseto—morrow,I

  writetosayhowmuchIhopethatyouwillexpressyouropiniononthedesirabilityofqueriesinrelationtoconsanguineousmarriagesbeinginserted。Asyouareaware,Ihavemadeexperimentsonthesubjectduringseveralyears;ANDITISMYCLEARCONVICTIONTHATTHEREISNOWAMPLE

  EVIDENCEOFTHEEXISTENCEOFAGREATPHYSIOLOGICALLAW,RENDERINGAN

  ENQUIRYWITHREFERENCETOMANKINDOFMUCHIMPORTANCE。INENGLANDANDMANY

  PARTSOFEUROPETHEMARRIAGESOFCOUSINSAREOBJECTEDTOFROMTHEIR

  SUPPOSEDINJURIOUSCONSEQUENCES;BUTTHISBELIEFRESTSONNODIRECT

  EVIDENCE。ITISTHEREFOREMANIFESTLYDESIRABLETHATTHEBELIEFSHOULD

  EITHERBEPROVEDFALSE,ORSHOULDBECONFIRMED,sothatinthislattercasethemarriagesofcousinsmightbediscouraged。Iftheproperqueriesareinserted,thereturnswouldshowwhethermarriedcousinshaveintheirhouseholdsonthenightofthecensusasmanychildrenashaveparentsofwhoarenotrelated;andshouldthenumberprovefewer,wemightsafelyinfereitherlessenedfertilityintheparents,orwhichismoreprobable,lessenedvitalityintheoffspring。

  Itis,moreover,muchtobewishedthatthetruthoftheoftenrepeatedassertionthatconsanguineousmarriagesleadtodeafness,anddumbness,blindness,etc。,shouldbeascertained;andallsuchassertionscouldbeeasilytestedbythereturnsfromasinglecensus。

  Believeme,Yoursverysincerely,CHARLESDARWIN。

  [WhentheCensusActwaspassingthroughtheHouseofCommons,SirJohnLubbockandDr。Playfairattemptedtocarryoutthissuggestion。Thequestioncametoadivision,whichwaslost,butnotbymanyvotes。

  Thesubjectofcousinmarriageswasafterwardsinvestigatedbymybrother。

  (\"MarriagesbetweenFirstCousinsinEngland,andtheirEffects。’ByGeorgeDarwin。’JournaloftheStatisticalSociety,’June,1875。)Theresultsofthislaboriouspieceofworkwerenegative;theauthorsumsupinthesentence:——

  \"Mypaperisfarfromgivinganythinglikeasatisfactorysolutionofthequestionastotheeffectsofconsanguineousmarriages,butitdoes,I

  think,showthattheassertionthatthisquestionhasalreadybeensetatrest,cannotbesubstantiated。\"]

  CHAPTER2。VII。

  PUBLICATIONOFTHE’DESCENTOFMAN。’

  WORKON’EXPRESSION。’

  1871—1873。

  [Thelastreviseofthe’DescentofMan’wascorrectedonJanuary15th,1871,sothatthebookoccupiedhimforaboutthreeyears。HewrotetoSirJ。Hooker:\"Ifinishedthelastproofsofmybookafewdaysago,theworkhalf—killedme,andIhavenotthemostremoteideawhetherthebookisworthpublishing。\"

  HealsowrotetoDr。Gray:——

  \"Ihavefinishedmybookonthe’DescentofMan,’etc。,anditspublicationisdelayedonlybytheIndex:whenpublished,Iwillsendyouacopy,butIdonotknowthatyouwillcareaboutit。Parts,asonthemoralsense,will,Idaresay,aggravateyou,andifIhearfromyou,Ishallprobablyreceiveafewstabsfromyourpolishedstilettoofapen。\"

  ThebookwaspublishedonFebruary24,1871。2500copieswereprintedatfirst,and5000morebeforetheendoftheyear。Myfathernotesthathereceivedforthisedition1470pounds。Thelettersgiveninthepresentchapterdealwithitsreception,andalsowiththeprogressoftheworkonExpression。Thelettersaregiven,approximately,inchronologicalorder,anarrangementwhichnecessarilyseparateslettersofkindredsubject—

  matter,butgivesperhapsatruerpictureofthemingledinterestsandlaboursofmyfather’slife。

  Nothingcangiveabetteridea(insmallcompass)ofthegrowthofEvolutionismanditspositionatthistime,thanaquotationfromMr。

  Huxley(’ContemporaryReview,’1871。):——

  \"Thegraduallapseoftimehasnowseparatedusbymorethanadecadefromthedateofthepublicationofthe’OriginofSpecies;’andwhatevermaybethoughtorsaidaboutMr。Darwin’sdoctrines,orthemannerinwhichhehaspropoundedthem,thismuchiscertain,thatinadozenyearsthe’OriginofSpecies’hasworkedascompletearevolutioninBiologicalScienceasthe’Principia’didinAstronomy;\"andithasdoneso,\"because,inthewordsofHelmholtz,itcontains’anessentiallynewcreativethought。’And,astimehasslippedby,ahappychangehascomeoverMr。Darwin’scritics。

  Themixtureofignoranceandinsolencewhichatfirstcharacterisedalargeproportionoftheattackswithwhichhewasassailed,isnolongerthesaddistinctionofanti—Darwiniancriticism。\"

  ApassageintheIntroductiontothe’DescentofMan’showsthattheauthorrecognisedclearlythisimprovementinthepositionofEvolution。\"WhenanaturalistlikeCarlVogtventurestosayinhisaddress,asPresidentoftheNationalInstitutionofGeneva(1869),’personneenEuropeaumoins,n’oseplussoutenirlacreationindependanteetdetoutespieces,desespeces,’itismanifestthatatleastalargenumberofnaturalistsmustadmitthatspeciesarethemodifieddescendantsofotherspecies;andthisespeciallyholdsgoodwiththeyoungerandrisingnaturalists……Oftheolderandhonouredchiefsinnaturalscience,many,unfortunately,arestillopposedtoEvolutionineveryform。\"

  InMr。JamesHague’spleasantlywrittenarticle,\"AReminiscenceofMr。

  Darwin\"(’Harper’sMagazine,’October1884),hedescribesavisittomyfather\"earlyin1871\"(itmusthavebeenattheendofFebruary,withinaweekafterthepublicationofthebook。),shortlyafterthepublicationofthe’DescentofMan。’Mr。Haguerepresentsmyfatheras\"muchimpressedbythegeneralassentwithwhichhisviewshadbeenreceived,\"andasremarkingthat\"everybodyistalkingaboutitwithoutbeingshocked。\"

  Laterintheyearthereceptionofthebookisdescribedindifferentlanguageinthe’EdinburghReview’(July1871。Anadversecriticism。Thereviewersumsupbysayingthat:\"Neverperhapsinthehistoryofphilosophyhavesuchwidegeneralisationsbeenderivedfromsuchasmallbasisoffact。\"):\"Oneverysideitisraisingastormofmingledwrath,wonder,andadmiration。\"

  Withregardtothesubsequentreceptionofthe’DescentofMan,’myfatherwrotetoDr。Dohrn,February3,1872:——

  \"Ididnotknowuntilreadingyourarticle(In’DasAusland。’),thatmy’DescentofMan’hadexcitedsomuchfuroreinGermany。IthashadanimmensecirculationinthiscountryandinAmerica,buthasmettheapprovalofhardlyanynaturalistsasfarasIknow。ThereforeIsupposeitwasamistakeonmyparttopublishit;but,anyhow,itwillpavethewayforsomebetterwork。\"

  Thebookonthe’ExpressionoftheEmotions’wasbegunonJanuary17th,1871,thelastproofofthe’DescentofMan’havingbeenfinishedonJanuary15th。TheroughcopywasfinishedbyApril27th,andshortlyafterthis(inJune)theworkwasinterruptedbythepreparationofasixtheditionofthe’Origin。’InNovemberandDecembertheproofsofthe’Expression’bookweretakeninhand,andoccupiedhimuntilthefollowingyear,whenthebookwaspublished。

  SomereferencestotheworkonExpressionhaveoccurredinlettersalreadygiven,showingthatthefoundationofthebookwas,tosomeextent,laiddownforsomeyearsbeforehebegantowriteit。ThushewrotetoDr。AsaGray,April15,1867:——

  \"IhavebeenlatelygettingupandlookingovermyoldnotesonExpression,andfearthatIshallnotmakesomuchofmyhobby—horseasIthoughtI

  could;nevertheless,itseemstomeacurioussubjectwhichhasbeenstrangelyneglected。\"

  Itshould,however,berememberedthatthesubjecthadbeenbeforehismind,moreorless,from1837or1838,asIjudgefromentriesinhisearlynote—books。ItwasinDecember,1839,thathebegantomakeobservationsonchildren。

  Theworkrequiredmuchcorrespondence,notonlywithmissionariesandotherslivingamongsavages,towhomhesenthisprintedqueries,butamongphysiologistsandphysicians。HeobtainedmuchinformationfromProfessorDonders,SirW。Bowman,SirJamesPaget,Dr。W。Ogle,Dr。CrichtonBrowne,aswellasfromotherobservers。

  Thefirstletterreferstothe’DescentofMan。’]

  CHARLESDARWINTOA。R。WALLACE。

  Down,January30[1871]。

  MydearWallace,(Inthenotereferredto,datedJanuary27,Mr。Wallacewrote:——

  \"ManythanksforyourfirstvolumewhichIhavejustfinishedreadingthroughwiththegreatestpleasureandinterest;andIhavealsotothankyouforthegreattendernesswithwhichyouhavetreatedmeandmyheresies。\"

  Theheresyisthelimitationofnaturalselectionasappliedtoman。Myfatherwrote(’DescentofMan,’i。page137):——\"IcannotthereforeunderstandhowitisthatMr。Wallacemaintainsthat’naturalselectioncouldonlyhaveendowedthesavagewithabrainalittlesuperiortothatofanape。’\"IntheabovequotedletterMr。Wallacewrote:——\"Yourchapterson’Man’areofintenseinterest,butastouchingmyspecialheresynotasyetaltogetherconvincing,thoughofcourseIfullyagreewitheverywordandeveryargumentwhichgoestoprovetheevolutionordevelopmentofmanoutofalowerform。\")

  Yournotehasgivenmeverygreatpleasure,chieflybecauseIwassoanxiousnottotreatyouwiththeleastdisrespect,anditissodifficulttospeakfairlywhendifferingfromanyone。IfIhadoffendedyou,itwouldhavegrievedmemorethanyouwillreadilybelieve。Secondly,IamgreatlypleasedtohearthatVolumeI。interestsyou;IhavegotsosickofthewholesubjectthatIfeltinutterdoubtaboutthevalueofanypart。

  Iintended,whenspeakingoffemalesnothavingbeenspeciallymodifiedforprotection,toincludethepreventionofcharactersacquiredbythemalebeingtransmittedtothefemale;butInowseeitwouldhavebeenbettertohavesaid\"speciallyactedon,\"orsomesuchterm。PossiblymyintentionmaybeclearerinVolumeII。Letmesaythatmyconclusionsarechieflyfoundedontheconsiderationofallanimalstakeninabody,bearinginmindhowcommontherulesofsexualdifferencesappeartobeinallclasses。ThefirstcopyofthechapteronLepidopteraagreedprettycloselywithyou。Ithenworkedon,camebacktoLepidoptera,andthoughtmyselfcompelledtoalterit——finishedSexualSelectionandforthelasttimewentoverLepidoptera,andagainIfeltforcedtoalterit。IhopetoGodtherewillbenothingdisagreeabletoyouinVolumeII。,andthatI

  havespokenfairlyofyourviews;Iamfearfulonthishead,becauseIhavejustread(butnotwithsufficientcare)Mivart’sbook(’TheGenesisofSpecies,’bySt。G。Mivart,1871。),andIfeelABSOLUTELYCERTAINthathemeanttobefair(buthewasstimulatedbytheologicalfervour);yetIdonotthinkhehasbeenquitefair……Thepartwhich,Ithink,willhavemostinfluenceiswherehegivesthewholeseriesofcaseslikethatofthewhalebone,inwhichwecannotexplainthegradationalsteps;butsuchcaseshavenoweightonmymind——ifafewfishwereextinct,whoonearthwouldhaveventuredeventoconjecturethatlungshadoriginatedinaswim—

  bladder?InsuchacaseastheThylacine,Ithinkhewasboundtosaythattheresemblanceofthejawtothatofthedogissuperficial;thenumberandcorrespondenceanddevelopmentofteethbeingwidelydifferent。I

  thinkagainwhenspeakingofthenecessityofalteringanumberofcharacterstogether,heoughttohavethoughtofmanhavingpowerbyselectiontomodifysimultaneouslyoralmostsimultaneouslymanypoints,asinmakingagreyhoundorracehorse——asenlargeduponinmy’DomesticAnimals。’Mivartissavageorcontemptuousaboutmy\"moralsense,\"andsoprobablywillyoube。Iamextremelypleasedthatheagreeswithmyposition,ASFARASANIMALNATUREISCONCERNED,ofmanintheseries;orifanything,thinksIhaveerredinmakinghimtoodistinct。

  Forgivemeforscribblingatsuchlength。Youhaveputmequiteingoodspirits;Ididsodreadhavingbeenunintentionallyunfairtowardsyourviews。Ihopeearnestlythesecondvolumewillescapeaswell。Icarenowverylittlewhatotherssay。Asforournotquiteagreeing,reallyinsuchcomplexsubjects,itisalmostimpossiblefortwomenwhoarriveindependentlyattheirconclusionstoagreefully,itwouldbeunnaturalforthemtodoso。

  Yoursever,verysincerely,CH。DARWIN。

  [ProfessorHaeckelseemstohavebeenoneofthefirsttowritetomyfatheraboutthe’DescentofMan。’Iquotefromhisreply:——

  \"Imustsendyouafewwordstothankyouforyourinteresting,andImaytrulysay,charmingletter。Iamdelightedthatyouapproveofmybook,asfarasyouhavereadit。IfeltverygreatdifficultyanddoubthowoftenIoughttoalludetowhatyouhavepublished;strictlyspeakingeveryidea,althoughoccurringindependentlytome,ifpublishedbyyoupreviouslyoughttohaveappearedasiftakenfromyourworks,butthiswouldhavemademybookverydullreading;andIhopedthatafullacknowledgmentatthebeginningwouldsuffice。(Intheintroductiontothe’DescentofMan’

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