362 LIFE OF PROFESSOR HUXLEY CHAP, xx 



I have no earthly objection to say all that I honestly can of 

 good about Owen's work and there is much to be said about 

 some of it on the contrary, I should be well pleased to do so. 



But I have no reparation to make; if the business were to 

 come over again, I should do as I did. My opinion of the man's 

 character is exactly what it was, and under the circumstances 

 there is a sort of hypocrisy about volunteering anything, which 

 goes against my grain. 



The best position for me would be to be asked to second the 

 resolution for the statue then the proposer would have the 

 field of personal fiction and butter-boat all to himself. 



To SIR W. H. FLOWER 



Dec. 28, 1892. 



I think you are quite right in taking an active share in the 

 movement for the memorial. When a man is dead and can do no 



merits 

 more harm, one must do a sum in subtraction, deserts and if 



the x's are not all minus quantities, give him credit accordingly. 

 But I think that in your appeal, for which the Committee will 

 be responsible, it is this balance of solid scientific merit a 

 good big one in Owen's case after all deductions which should 

 be alone referred to. If you follow the example of Vanity Fair 

 and call him " a simple-minded man, who, had he been other- 

 wise, would long ago have adorned a title," some of us may 

 choke. 



Gladstone, Samuel of Oxford, and Owen belong to a very 

 curious type of humanity, with many excellent and even great 

 qualities and one fatal defect utter untrustworthiness. Peace 

 be with two of them, and may the political death of the third 

 be speedy and painless ! With our united best wishes, ever 

 yours very faithfully, T. H. HUXLEY. 



And on January 22, 1893, he writes of the meeting: 



MY DEAR HOOKER . . . What queer corners one gets into 

 if one only lives long enough ! The grim humour of the situa- 

 tion when I was seconding the proposal for a statue to Owen 

 yesterday tickled me a good deal. I do not know how they will 

 report me in the Times, but if they do it properly I think you 

 will see that I said no word upon which I could not stand cross- 

 examination. 



