196 Thomas Henry Huxley 



and that a first result of this diffusion was to overthrow 

 the compromise arranged largely by his influence, and 

 which for many years provided a middle way in which 

 sensible persons avoided the extremes of theological 

 and anti-theological zealots. 



Early in the course of his career as a member of the 

 London School Board, Huxley crystallised his views 

 as to the general policy of education in a phrase which 

 perhaps has done more than any other phrase ever in- 

 vented to bring home to men's minds the ideal of a 

 national system of education. " I conceive it to be 

 our duty," he said, " to make a ladder from the gutter 

 to the university along which any child may climb."' 

 We have seen the nature of his views as to the lowest 

 rungs of this ladder ; we may now turn to his work 

 and views as to the higher stages. He expressed these 

 views in occasional speeches and articles, and he had 

 many important opportunities in aiding to carry them 

 into actual practice. He was a member of a num- 

 ber of important Royal Commissions : Commission on 

 the Ro3'al College of Science for Ireland, 1866 ; Com- 

 mission on Science and Art Instruction in Ireland, 1868; 

 Royal Commission on Scientific Instruction and the 

 Advancement of Science, 1870-75 ; Royal Commission 

 to enquire into the Universities of Scotland, 1876-78 ; 

 Royal Commission on the Medical Acts, 1881-82. 

 From the beginning, he was closely associated with 

 the Science and Art Department, the operations of 

 which threw a web of education, intermediate between 

 primary and universit}' education, all over Britain. 

 A number of the teachers under that department were 

 trained by him, and as examiner to the department 

 he took the greatest care to reduce to a minimum the 

 evils necessarily attendant on the mode of payment by 



