G. Mendel, C. Lyell, T. Huxley 279 



the world ; he lived long enough to see it, chiefly by his 

 own efforts, irrefragably established in science, insepar- 

 ably incorporated with the common thoughts of men, 

 and only hated and feared by those who would revile, 

 but dare not. What shall a man desire more than this ?" 

 Darwin, also, was fortunate in his supporters, though some 

 of the leading biologists of the time conspicuous among 

 them was Owen rejected the new doctrine. In Hooker, 

 on the botanical side, in Huxley, on the zoological side, and 

 in Lyell, on the geological side, he found three of the ablest 

 intellects of his country and of his century as champions. 

 None of these agreed on all points with their leader, but 

 they gave more than general adherence to his principles, 

 and a more than generous aid in promulgating his doctrine. 

 Lyall was an older man, and his " Principles of Geology " 

 had long been a classic. This book inspired students who 

 became leaders in the revolution of thought which was 

 taking place in the last half of the nineteenth century. One 

 of these writes : 



" Were I to assert that if the * Principles of Geology ' 

 had not been written, we should never have had * The 

 Origin of Species,' I should not be going too far : at all 

 events, I can safely assert, from several conversations 

 I had with Darwin, that he would have most unhesi- 

 tatingly agreed to that opinion." x 



Sir Joseph Hooker, whose great experience as a traveller 

 and a systematic botanist, and one who had at his time 

 the widest knowledge of the distribution of plants, was of 

 invaluable assistance to Darwin on the botanical side of his 

 researches. Those who knew Hooker will remember him 

 as a man of ripe experience, sound judgment, and a very 

 evenly-balanced mind. But all these high and by no means 

 common qualities were combined with caution, and with a 

 critical faculty, which was quite invaluable to Darwin at 

 this juncture. Huxley was of a somewhat different tempera- 

 ment. He was rather proud of the fact that he was named 

 after the doubting apostle ; but, whatever Huxley doubted, 

 he never doubted himself. He had clear-cut ideas, which 

 he was capable of expressing in the most vigorous and 



1 J. W. JuddT" 



