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of, and the vast correspondence all over the country, 

 which has been very useful to me, and others, but 

 which takes a deal of time. But I am making a fairly 

 good beginning. Mrs. Gray delights with me in the 

 prospect of release from many a care, and of devoting 

 myself without distraction to the work I have always 

 liked best. 



I really hope it is not too late to do something (a 

 few lines from you upon this subject might, entre 

 nous, be useful to me). 



TO . 



CAMBRIDGE, May 18, 1873. 



... I cannot object to your maintaining the hy- 

 pothesis that each and every existing plant and animal 

 form has been directly created (or mediately created, 

 if you see a difference) out of the soil, pure hypothe- 

 sis though it be, and one which " from the nature of 

 the case can never be directly proved." It is natural 

 that you should hold to such hypothesis as long as you 

 believe it to be possibly tenable. 



But what I may ask you very seriously to consider 

 is, whether you are prepared to bear the responsibility 

 you assume in maintaining and teaching that no hy- 

 pothesis of the derivation of existing " specific " forms 

 from previous ones more or less like them can logi- 

 cally be theistic and religious. How far any such 

 hypothesis may be probable or tenable in view of the 

 evidence is not the question raised, but a far more 

 momentous one. 



Consider what the " younger men who learn of you ' 

 will be likely to think when they come to discard, as 

 the best informed ones probably will after a while, 

 your scientific views on this subject ; but still, per- 



