1 86 MISCELLANEA. [18/4. 



C. Darwin to E. Gurney* 



Down, July 8, 1876. 



MY DEAR MR. GURNEY, I have read your article f with 

 much interest, except the latter part, which soared above my 

 ken. I am greatly pleased that you uphold my views to a 

 certain extent. Your criticism of the rasping noise made by 

 insects being necessarily rhythmical is very good ; but though 

 not made intentionally, it may be pleasing to the females, 

 from the nerve cells being nearly similar in function through- 

 out the animal kingdom. With respect to your letter, I 

 believe that I understand your meaning, and agree with you. 

 I never supposed that the different degrees and kinds of 

 pleasure derived from different music could be explained by 

 the musical powers of our semi-human progenitors. Does 

 not the fact that different people belonging to the same 

 civilized nation are very differently affected by the same 

 music, almost show that these diversities of taste and pleasure 

 have been acquired during their individual lives ? Your 

 simile of architecture seems to me particularly good ; for in 

 this case the appreciation almost must be individual, though 

 possibly the sense of sublimity excited by a grand cathedral 

 may have some connection with the vague feelings of terror 

 and superstition in our savage ancestors, when they entered 

 a great cavern or gloomy forest. I wish some one could 

 analyse the feeling of sublimity. It amuses me to think how 

 horrified some high-flying aesthetic men will be, at your 

 encouraging such low degraded views as mine. 



Believe me, yours very sincerely, 



CHARLES DARWIN. 



[The letters which follow are of a miscellaneous interest. 

 The first extract (from a letter, Jan. 18, 1874) refers to 

 a spiritualistic seance, held at Erasmus Darwin's house, 6 



* Author of * The Power of Sound.' 



f "Some disputed Points in Music." c Fortnightly Review,' July 1876. 



