XV 



AS A LECTUEER 381 



class lecture, his working-men's were greater. Huxley 

 was a firm believer in the "distillatio per ascensum" of 

 scientific knowledge and culture, and spared no pains in 

 approaching the artisan and so-called " working classes." 

 He gave the workmen of his best. The substance of his 

 Man's Place in Nature, one of the most successful and 

 popular of his writings, and of his Crayfish, perhaps 

 the most perfect zoological treatise ever published, was 

 first communicated to them. In one of the last con- 

 versations I had with him, I asked his views on the 

 desirability of discontinuing the workmen's lectures at 

 Jermyn Street, since the development of working-men's 

 colleges and institutes is regarded by some to have rendered 

 their continuance unnecessary. He replied, almost with 

 indignation, " With our central situation and resources, 

 we ought to be in a position to give the workmen that 

 which they cannot get elsewhere," adding that he would 

 deeply deplore any such discontiuuance. 



And now, a word or two concerning Huxley's personal 

 conduct towards his pupils, hearers, and subordinates. 



As an examiner he was most just, aiming only to 

 ascertain the examinee's knowledge of fundamentals, his 

 powers of work, and the manner in. which he had been 

 taught. A country school lad came near the boundary 

 line in the examination ; though generally weak, his 

 worst fault was a confusion of the parts of the heart 

 In his description of that organ he had transposed the 

 valves. On appeal, Huxley let him through, olsserving, 

 most characteristically, "Poor little beggar, I never got 

 them correctly myself until I reflected that a bishop 

 was never in the right." ^ -^^^in, a student of more 

 advanced years, of the "mugging" type, who had come 

 off with flying colours in an elementary examination, 

 showed signs of uneasiness as the advanced one ap- 

 proached. " Stick an observation into him," said 



^ The " mitral " valve being on the left side. 



