Oh. IV.] REMINISCENCES. 101 



His consideration for other authors was as marked a cha- 

 racteristic as his tone towards his reader. He speaks of all 

 other authors as persons deserving of respect. In cases 



where, as in the case of 's experiments on Drosera, he 



thought lightly of the author, ho speaks of him in guch a way 

 that no one would suspect it. In other cases he treats the 

 confused writings of ignorant persons as though the fault lay 

 with himself for not appreciating or understanding them. 

 Besides this general tone of respect, he had a pleasant way of 

 expressing his opinion on the value of a quoted work, or his 

 obligation for a piece of private information. 



His respectful feeling was not only admirable, but was I 

 think of practical use in making him ready to consider the 

 ideas and observations of all manner of people. He used 

 almost to apologise for this, and would say that he was at 

 first inclined to rate everything too highly. 



It was a great merit in his mind that, in spite of having so 

 strong a respectful feeling towards what he read, he had the 

 keenest of instincts as to whether a man was trustworthy or 

 not. He seemed to form a very definite opinion as to the 

 accuracy of the men whose books he read; and employed 

 this judgment in his choice of facts for use in argument or 

 as illustrations. I gained the impression that he felt this 

 power of judging of a man's trustworthiness to be of much 

 value. 



He had a keen feeling of the sense of honour that ought to 

 reign among authors, and had a horror of any kind of laxness 

 in quoting. He had a contempt for the love of honour and 

 glory, and in his letters often blames himself for the pleasure 

 he took in the success of his books, as though he were depart- 

 ing from his ideal — a love of truth and carelessness about 

 fame. Often, when writing to Sir J. Hooker what he calls a 

 boasting letter, he laughs at himself for his conceit and want 

 of modesty. A wonderfully interesting letter is given in 

 Chapter X. bequeathing to my mother, in case of his death, 

 the care of publishing the manuscript of his first essay 

 on evolution. This letter seems to me full of an intense 

 desire that his theory should succeed as a contribution to 

 knowledge, and apart from any desire for personal fame. He 

 certainly had the healthy desire for success which a man of 

 strong feelings ought to have. But at the time of the 

 publication of the Origin it is evident that he was over- 

 whelmingly satisfied with the adherence of such men as Lyell, 

 Hooker, Huxley, and Asa Gray, and did not dream of or 

 desire any such general fame as that to which he attained. 



