54 LIFE OF PROFESSOR HUXLEY cUAr, iii 



Caralint, Wkst Cliff, Bournemouth, 

 Jan. 29, 1888. 



Mt dear Hooker — Spencer was here an liour ago as 

 lively as a cricket. He is going back to town on Tuesday 

 to plunge into the dissipations of the Metropolis. I 

 expect he will insist on you all going to EA'ans' (or what- 

 ever represents that place to our descendants) after the x. 



Bellows very creaky — took me six weeks to get them 

 mended last time, so I suppose I may expect as long now. 

 — Ever yours very faithfully, T. H. Huxlet. 



As appears from the letters which follow, he had 

 been busied with writing an article for the Nineteenth 

 Century, for February, on the " Struggle for Exist- 

 ence," ^ which on the one hand ran counter to some 

 of Mr. Herbert Spencer's theories of society ; and on 

 the other, is noticeable as briefly enunciating the 

 main thesis of his "Romanes Lecture" of 1893. 



85 Marina, St. Leonards, 

 Dec. 13, 1887. 



Mt dear Knowles — I have to go to town to-morrow 

 for a day, so that puts an end to the possibility of getting 

 my screed ready for January. Altogether it A^dll be 

 better to let it stand over. 



I do not know whence the copyright extract came, 

 except that, as Putnam's name was on the envelope, I 

 suppose they sent it. 



Pearsall Smith's practice is a wonderful commentary 

 on his theory. Distribute the contents of the baker's 

 shop gratis — it will give people a taste for bread ! 



Great is humbug, and it wiU prevail, unless the 



1 Coll. Ess. ix. 195. 



