TWO INQUIRERS INTO SPIRITUALISM 335 



not been shown to be unsound ; and I do not think that the 

 accusation of direct and barefaced plagiarism is now accepted 

 by any naturalist who has taken the trouble to follow the whole 

 discussion. 



But much worse than this was the following passage re- 

 ferring to my " Darwinism," where he says it is in the con- 

 cluding chapter of my book " that we encounter the Wallace 

 of spiritualism and astrology, the Wallace of vaccination and 

 the land question, the Wallace of incapacity and absurdity " 

 (Nineteenth Century, May, 1890, p. 831). 



To this I made no public reply, since I was sure that all 

 whose opinion I valued would condemn this mode of dis- 

 cussing the problems of science. But I thought it afforded 

 an excellent opportunity to let my critic know what I thought 

 of his behaviour, and perhaps puzzle and frighten him a 

 little by exhibiting an acquaintance with facts which he evi- 

 dently wished to conceal. I accordingly wrote him the fol- 

 lowing letter : — 



" Parkestone, July 18, 1890. 



" Dear Mr. Romanes, 



" Some time back I read your article in the Nine- 

 teenth Century for May, but I have been so much occupied 

 that I have, till now, had no time to write about it. Whether 

 or no it was good taste for you to appeal to the political 

 and medical prejudices of your readers in a matter purely 

 scientific — by referring to my advocacy of land nationaliza- 

 tion and opposition to vaccination — I leave others to judge. 

 I am quite satisfied myself that, in a not distant future, I 

 shall have ample credit given me on both these points. But 

 as to your appeal to popular scientific prejudice by referring to 

 my belief in spiritualism and astrology (which latter I have 

 never professed mj£ belief in), I have something to say. 



"In the year 1876 you wrote two letters to Darwin, detail- 

 ing your experiences of spiritual phenomena. You told him 

 that you had had mental questions answered with no paid 

 medium present. You told him you had had a message from 

 Mr. J. Bellew, which message was worded in a manner so 



