340 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY 



come any nearer than we are at present to the truths which he struggled to 

 attain. 



V 



On December 8, 1879, when Darwin was in his seventieth year and 

 I in my twenty-second, I had the rare privilege of meeting him and 

 looking steadily in his face during a few moments' conversation. It 

 was in Huxley's laboratory, and I was at the time working upon the 

 anatomy of the Crustacea. The entry in my journal is as follows : 



This is a red letter day for me. As I was leaning over my lobster 

 (Homarus vulgaris) this morning, cutting away at the brain, I raised my head 

 and looked up to see Huxley and Darwin passing by me. I believe I never 

 shall see two such great naturalists together again. I went on apparently 

 with skill, reallj' hacking my brain away, and cast an occasional glance at the 

 great old gray-haired man. I was startled, so unexpected was it, by Huxley 

 speaking to me and introducing me to Darwin as " an American who has 

 already done some good paleontological work on the other side of the water." 

 I gave Darwin's hand a tremendous squeeze (for I never shall shake it again) 

 and said, without intending, in an almost reverential tone, " I am very glad 

 to meet you." He stands much taller than Huxley, has a very ruddy face, 

 with benevolent blue ej^es and overhanging eyebrows. Plis beard is quite long 

 and perfectly white and his hair falls partly over a low forehead. His 

 features are not good. My general impression of his face is very pleasant. 

 He smiled broadly, said something about a hope that Marsh with his students 

 would not be hindered in his work, and Huxley saying, " I must not let you talk 

 too miich,'' hurried him on into the next room. 



I may add as distinctly recorded in my memory, that the impres- 

 sion of Darwin's bluish-gray eyes, deepset under the overhanging 

 brows, was that they were the eyes of a man who could survey all 

 nature. 



Another memory of interest is that the instant Huxley closed the 

 door I was mobbed as the " lucky American " by the ninety less 

 fortunate students of Great Britain and other countries. 



Huxley's solicitude for Darwin's strength was characteristic of 

 him. He often alluded to himself as " Darwin's bull dog." 



I have already stated that of the two men Darwin gave the im- 

 pression of enjoying better health. Huxley was then sixteen years the 

 younger, yet the burdens and strain of London life made him look 

 less young and hale. In this connection an earlier jotting from the 

 same laboratory is as follows: 



Huxley comes in as the clock strikes and begins to lecture at once, almost 

 before it ceases. He looks old and somewhat broken, his eyes deeply sunken, 

 but as a lecturer as strong as he ever could have been. His language is very 

 simple too. 



VI 



What of the conflict between science and theology? We are now 

 in a process of readjustment, but let us imagine our descendants in 



