240 



LIFE OF PROFESSOR HUXLEY CHAP, xiv 



I have been reading some of his works lately, and I under- 

 stand now why Kingsley accused him of growing dishonesty. 



After an hour or two of him I began to lose sight of the 

 distinction between truth and falsehood. Ever yours, 



T. H. HUXLEY. 



If you are at home any day next week I will look in for a 

 chat. 



The controversy was completed by a third article, 

 ' Agnosticism and Christianity," in the June number of the 

 Nineteenth Century. There was a humorous aspect of this 

 article which tickled his fancy immensely, for he drove home 

 his previous arguments by means of an authority whom 

 his adversaries could not neglect, though he was the last 

 man they could have expected to see brought up against 

 them in this connection Cardinal Newman. There is no 

 better evidence for ancient than for modern miracles, he says 

 in effect ; let us therefore accept the teachings of the Church 

 which maintains a continuous tradition on the subject. But 

 there is a very different conclusion to be drawn from the 

 same premises ; all may be regarded as equally doubtful, and 

 so he writes on May 30 to Sir J. Hooker : 



By the way, I want you to enjoy my wind-up with Wace in 

 this month's Nineteenth in the reading as much as I have in 

 the writing. It's as full of malice * as an egg is full of meat, 

 and my satisfaction in making Newman my accomplice has been 

 unutterable. That man is the slipperiest sophist I have ev.er 

 met with. Kingsley was entirely right about him. 



Now for peace and quietness till after the next Church 

 Congress ! 



Three other letters to Mr. Knowles refer to this article. 



4 MARLBOROUGH PLACE, N.W., May 4, 1889. 



MY DEAR KNOWLES I am at the end of my London tether, 

 and we go to Eastbourne (3 Jevington Gardens again) on Mon- 

 day. 



I have been w r orking hard to finish my paper, and shall send 

 it to you before I go. 



* i.e. in the French sense of the word. 



