18751882] SCIENCE DEFENCE 439 



Would twenty guineas be sufficient ? If not, will you kindly Letter 771 

 take the trouble to have my name put down for thirty or 

 forty guineas, as you may think best. If, on the other hand, 

 no one else has guaranteed for as much as twenty guineas, 

 will you put me down for ten or fifteen guineas, though I 

 should like to give twenty best. 



You can understand that I do not wish to be conspicuous 

 either by too little or too much ; so I beg you to be so very 

 kind as to act for me. I have a multitude of letters which I 

 must answer, so excuse haste. 



To T. Lander Brunton. Letter 772 



The following letter was written in reply to Sir T. Lauder Brunton's 

 suggestion that Mr. Darwin should be proposed as President of the 

 Science Defence Association. 



4. Bryanston Street, Portman Square, Dec. I7th, iSSi. 



I have been thinking a good deal about the suggestion 

 which you made to me the other day, on the supposition that 

 you could not get some man like the President of the College 

 of Physicians to accept the office. My wife is strongly 

 opposed to my accepting the office, as she feels sure that the 

 anxiety thus caused would tell heavily on my health. But 

 there is a much stronger objection suggested to me by one of 

 my relations namely, no man ought to allow himself to be 

 placed at the head (though only nominally so) of an associated 

 movement, unless he has the means of judging of the acts 

 performed by the association, after hearing each point dis- 

 cussed. This occurred to me when you spoke to me, and I 

 think that I said something to this effect. Anyhow, I have 

 in several analogous cases acted on this principle. 



Take, for instance, any preliminary statement which the 

 Association may publish. I might feel grave doubts about 

 the wisdom or justice of some points, and this solely from my 

 not having heard them discussed. I am therefore inclined to 

 think that it would not be right in me to accept the nominal 

 Presidency of your Association, and thus have to act blindly. 

 As far as I can at present see, I fear that I must confine 

 my assistance to subscribing as large a sum to the Association 

 as any member gives. 



I am sorry to trouble you, but I have thought it best to 

 tell you at once of the doubts which have arisen in my mind. 



