298 LIFE OF SIR JOHN LUBBOCK 



CH. 



Two more letters, neither striking any very 

 novel note in the well-worn controversy, passed, 

 and that, as it seems, was the end of the corre- 

 spondence. No more attempts appear to have 

 been made to shake Sir John from his position. 



The Duke of Argyll, in March of this year, 

 gave an address on Economic Science, in the 

 course of which he enunciated a view which he 

 believed to be Mr. Darwin's, on the origin of the 

 human race. Sir John Lubbock took exception 

 to it, as being an inexact interpretation of the 

 great master's meaning, and the following friendly 

 little war of words was waged between himself 

 and the Duke : 



39 Berkeley Square, W., 

 8th March 1890. 



My dear Duke of Argyll — I have read with much 

 interest your address on Economic Science, but am 

 greatly surprised at the statement that in Darwin's 

 opinion, " Man originated with one parent." 



This is so much the reverse of what I understood from 

 him to be his opinion that I should be greatly obliged if 

 you would tell me his exact words and the date of his 

 letter. 



The subject is one of so much interest, and Darwin's 

 views carry so much just weight, that I hope you will 

 forgive me for making the request. — I am, yours very 

 sincerely, John Lubbock. 



His Grace the Duke of Argyll. 



March 10/90. 



My dear Sir John — You know that it is said of 

 Scotchmen that they always answer a question by 

 asking another ! Why does it surprise you that Darwin 

 assumed the Human race to have begun at one spot, and 

 with one pair ? Has he anywhere said the contrary ? 

 I don't recollect any one passage in which either that, 

 or the opposite theory is distinctly formulated. But I 

 certainly always understood that he assumed with all 

 species that each form had originated at a given place 

 and spread from that. 



