178 LIFE OF PROFESSOR HTJXLEY cHAP. VII 



within the Army, much of it private for fear of injury 

 to the writers if it were discovered that they had 

 written to expose abuses; indeed in one case the 

 writer had thought better of even appending his 

 signature to his letter, and had cut oflf his name from 

 the foot of it, alleging that correspondence was not 

 inviolable. So far were these persons from feeling 

 hostility to the organisation to which they belonged, 

 that one at least hailed the Professor as the divinely- 

 appointed redeemer of the Army, whose criticism was 

 to bring it back to its pristine purity. 



To HIS Elder Son 



HoDESLEA, Eastbourne, 



Jan. 8, 1891. 



Dear Lens — It is very jolly to think of J. and you 

 paying us a visit. It is proper, also, the eldest son should 

 hansel the house. 



Is the Mr. Sidgwick who took up the cudgels for me 

 so gallantly in the Sit James' one of your Sidgwicks ? If 

 so, I wish you would thank him on my account. (The 

 letter was capital.) ^ Generally people like me to pull 



1 Mr. William C. Sidgwick had written (January 4 ) an indignant 

 letter to protest against the heading of an article in the Speaker, 

 " Professor Huxley as Titus Gates." " To this monster of iniquity 

 the Speaker compares an honourable English gentleman, because 

 he has ventured to dissuade his countrymen from giving money 

 to Mr. William Booth. . . . Mr. Huxley's views on theology may 

 be wrong, but nobody doubts that he honestly holds them ; they 

 do not bring Mr. Huxley wealth and honours, nor do they cause 

 the murder of the innocent. To insinuate a resemblance which 

 you dare not state openly is an outrage on common decency. . . ." 



