238 LIFE OF PROFESSOR HUXLEY cHAP, IX 



be shown. In short, they would adopt the plan which 

 commends itself to you. 



That to which I am utterly opposed is the creation of 

 an Established Church Scientific, with a hierarchical 

 organisation and a professorial Episcopate. I am fully 

 agreed with you that all trading competition between 

 different teaching institutions is a thing to be abolished 

 (see No. 4 above). 



On the other hand, intellectual competition is a very 

 good thing, and perfect freedom of learning and teaching 

 the best of all things. 



If you put a physical, chemical, or biological bishop at 

 the head of the teachers of those sciences in London, you 

 will do your best to destroy that freedom. My bar to any 

 catastrophe of that sort lies in No. 3. Let us take the 

 case of Biology. I suppose there will be, at least, half a 

 dozen Professoriates in different branches of this subject ; 

 each Professor will be giving the same amount of time and 

 energy to University work, and will deserve the same pay. 

 Each, if he is worth his salt, will be a man holding his 

 own views on general questions, and having as good a 

 right as any other to be heard. Why is one to be given 

 a higher rank and vastly greater practical influence than 

 all the rest? Why should not each be a "University 

 Professor " and have his turn on the Senate in influencing 

 the general policy of the University? The nature of 

 things drives men more and more into the position of 

 specialists. Why should one specialist represent a whole 

 branch of science better than another, in Council or in 

 Administration ? 



I am afraid we cannot build upon the analogy of 

 Cambridge. In the first place, London is not Cambridge ; 

 and, in the second, Michael Fosters do not grow on every 

 bush. 



The besetting sin of able men is impatience of 

 contradiction and of criticism. Even those who do their 

 best to resist the temptation, yield to it almost un- 



