Animal Morphology. 33 



evolution, to the power of perceiving wide relations, 

 which enabled him to place almost every subject he 

 touched in a new light and larger perspective, to the 

 critical Cartesian spirit which made him at an early 

 date keenly aware of the limitations of widely accepted 

 generalizations, such as the Cell-Theory, the Recapitu- 

 lation Doctrine, or the utility of all organic characters. 



Of Huxley's practical mood illustrations abound. He 

 entirely changed the character of biological teaching, 

 and was one of those who did great service many years 

 ago by insisting on practical work as an essential part 

 of discipline in natural science; he wrote model text- 

 books, e.g. Lessons in Elementary Physiology (1866), and 

 he brought science within reach of the people per- 

 haps more effectively than any other has ever done. 

 On the Fisheries Commission, on the London School 

 Board, as the preacher of " Lay Sermons", as the cham- 

 pion of free thought and free speech, and as the restless 

 critic of current movements in politics and social science, 

 he was intensely practical, and one of the last efforts of 

 his life was the Romanes lecture on " Evolution and 

 Ethics". To him science was for life, not life for 

 science. 



What we have said above seems to explain what has 

 been often noticed in regard to Huxley, that, although an 

 inspiring teacher, he founded no school; that, alrfiough 

 the cutting-edge of evolution doctrine, he added nothing 

 directly to its content ; that, although most keenly inter- 

 ested in physiology, he made no physiological discoveries; 

 that, although he systematized the teaching of biology, 

 he added very little to its capital of ideas. It is easy to 

 say, that, if he had worked less for fisheries, he might 

 have worked more at fishes; if he had paid less heed to 

 the bishops, he might have done more for biology; but 

 such reflections are gratuitous. In Huxley the scientific 

 and the practical mood were both very strongly devel- 

 oped, and his life was the natural expression of this. 



Of Huxley's masterly way of dealing with facts, the 

 non-biological reader may gain an impression from his 

 lectures and essays which have been repubh'shed in nine 

 volumes, from his articles "Biology" and "Evolution" 



(M623) Q 



