124 Life and Letters of Francis Galton 



is no use on my part to blarney about 'full of contrition' and so forth, but beginning 

 from to-day, I will send you by every Monday's post my accounts for the week 

 preceding; and in case of omission, I wish that you would write and blow me up. 

 Please tell me by return of post how much I am in arrear, as not understanding your 

 figures I cannot calculate it. 



Good Bye, and believe me ever, 



Your affectionate son, FRAS. GALTON." 



How we should have valued the answer of Tertius Gallon to this 

 letter of his son Francis! How few young men at College now-a- 

 days would satisfy their father's desire for a weekly account of all 

 expenditure, and how neat and elaborate are the little weekly accounts 

 we find sent to Tertius after this date ! To us it would have seemed 

 more reasonable to grant a fixed allowance and to make no inquiry, 

 if it were not exceeded, as to the details of expenditure. But Tertius 

 Galton had his own views, and he insisted on the most elaborate 

 system of petty cash accounts. Can we assert that Francis Galton's 

 business habits and his full appreciation of the value of money arose 

 from his father's training ? Is it not rather probable that the instinct 

 of elaboration and organisation was already there, for we find it taking 

 strange forms in several of Francis Galton's relatives 1 ? 



A further letter about expenses is dated June 24 (by the recipient 

 Tertius !). 



"I am very glad indeed to find that my private expenses have not been 

 extravagant. 



On consideration I have determined to give up Norway and Sweden for the 

 following reasons. First that although I should otherwise have enough time for 



1 Thus one of Tertius Galton's sisters had a triple inkstand with three coloured 

 inks, triple penwipers and pens ; every conceivable apparatus for writing, printed 

 envelopes for her various banks and business correspondents ; printed questions for 

 her grooms, "Has the mare had her corn?" etc., etc.; a dozen or more cash boxes 

 elaborately arranged to receive in separate labelled compartments each kind of coin 

 from each type of her property. The apparatus for the instruction and relief of the 

 poor-tracts, ounces of tea and sugar, worsted stockings, bundles for mother's aid, etc., 

 etc., were arranged in separate indexed presses, with records of all transactions relating 

 thereto. The crockery ware of the store-room and housekeeper's room was all lettered, 

 and all metal articles, pans and pots were duly labelled, as were the garden tools, and 

 there were corresponding labels on the pegs on which they were hung. As many as 

 100 painted labels have been counted in a flower bed of hers of 12 square feet. In 

 short, we appreciate what Francis Galton meant when he said that the desire to 

 classify and organise which existed in his family, he felt at times as almost a danger 

 in himself. 



