54 1860-1865 : PEESONAL 



It was in connexion with references to Lyell's ingrained 

 caution and similar hesitation elsewhere to speak definitely on 

 the descent of man or religious difficulties, burning questions 

 of the day, that Hooker had occasion to write to Darwin 

 (October 6, 1865) : 



It is all very well for Wallace to wonder at scientific men 

 being afraid of saying what they think — he has all ' the 

 freedom of motion in vacuo' in one sense. Had he as many 

 kind and good relations as I have, who would be grieved and 

 pained to hear me say what I think, and had he children 

 who would be placed in predicaments most detrimental 

 to children's minds by such avowals on my part, he would 

 not wonder so much. 



Nevertheless if not called upon at the immediate juncture 

 to proclaim his ultimate convictions urbi et orbi, Hooker freely 

 gave his support to liberalising movements in the Church. 

 His concern was how to give such support most efficaciously 

 without importing new controversial elements into the affair. 

 This careful temper appears in two letters to Lubbock, apropos 

 of a projected memorial of men of science in favour of the 

 authors of ' Essays and Keviews,' who were being vehemently 

 attacked by unprogressive orthodoxy. 



Royal Gardens, Kew: February 29, 1861. 



My dear Lubbock, — I would sign your memorial with 

 pleasure if I could satisfy myself that it would do good to 

 the cause it so handsomely advocates, but I am far from 

 convinced of this ; and on the contrary I fear that it may do 

 harm. 



You see that as matters at present stand, all that have 

 signed may be considered as belonging more or less intimately 

 to one school or party — for the most part they are personally 

 attached by twos or threes : they represent the young 

 progressionists in Science, their opinions are of no weight 

 in religious matters, and the appearance of a large body of 

 such names, unaccompanied by an equally large body of 

 those men of older standing and opposite tendencies (who 

 have nevertheless the confidence of the public), would in my 

 opinion tend to create a fission in the ' body politic ' of 



