rnrmficni tnrettnffan&nit 



minds to a new departure in science. The very names mentioned by Gulton 

 are those of men who hud Iniconu' famoiis for raseurch in tlieir own lines 

 heforc thi'y Ix'ciime "profeRsors" at the Iloyal Institution, of men, whose 

 means of support did not depend on timt mstitution. Looking round the 

 possihh^ field of candidatew in 18'J1 what man was there who would have 

 I'uHilled the same conditions in statistical science as these men in their 

 respective branches? There was only one man — Galton himself — and it is 

 fpiitc certain that he had not that man in view. And also that, if the endow- 

 ment had Ikh^u made, and othei-s ha<l suggested him, he would have refused 

 the post. It could have contributed nothing to his influence or research 

 activity, and would have curtailed his freedom in a way wholly distasttiful 

 to him. There is small doubt that Florence Nightingale's plan of a pro- 

 fessorship round which a school of young enthusitists might be develoj)ed 

 w{is the wiser, if li«s showy j)olicy '. Hetween fJalton's letters of February 10 

 and March 15, a brief note written by him on February 19 — 



"it would givo me pleasure to call and talk over the scheme when you feel disposed. The mora 

 I think of it the more important it strikes me to be" — 



indicates that the discussion had lieon continued l)y iiiiir\it'u. i>iiriiig this 

 or a later meeting Florence Nightingale must have emphiisise<l the imi)ortance 

 of a "school of youngish men." But Galton did not surrender his Royal 

 In.stitution lectureship, or his advisory committee, or his essayists. Writuig 

 on March 15, 18!»1, he says: 



With reference to your scheme, I have not been idle but have made some few inquiries; of 

 course withholding your name. I think the net result is this: 



(a) Lectureship or Professorship at the Royal Institution with the duty of giving at least 

 six lectures a your iind writing a paper. 



(A) A studentship, prize or schohirship at Oxford or Cambridge. 



(c) A regular Professorship somewhere. Query in I^ndon. 



(d) Endowment of a Course of Annual Lectures — like the Hibbert Lectures — at some great 

 centre. Query in Ix>ndon. 



The selection between these would depend much on the funds disposable eventually. 



There is no doubt that a small body of youngish men inspired with a conmion enthusiasm 

 would do incomparably more than any endowment can ensure. One is often in despair at the 

 thought of how little money can secure in the way of original work. The enthusiasm I mean 

 is not that which is fed by public notice or high patronage, but by the intelligent kindly interest 

 and prompt appreciation of a very few capable and honoureil people like yourself of whatever 

 really gcKvi work may lx> done. In short one wants a school of inquirers, having a nucleus of 

 a few able and single-minded persons, not distracted by too many other interests, to originate 

 and maintain the enthusiasm of their fellows and co-adjutors. 



Then again some journal suitable for receiving such memoirs, long or short as the case may 

 be, is a desideratum, as well as means of discussing them. This raises the question whether 

 the .Statistical Society might not appropriately be the Ixxly, in whose hands the endowment 

 might Ixj placed, in order to forward your object under the best attainable safeguards. Most 

 statisticians Ixjlong to it, and a suitiible committee of them might be trusted. 



I will t»ike Ihe chance of finding you at home about !) to-morrow (Monday) unless I receive 

 a card to the contrary. Very faithfully yours, Francis Galton. 



' An energetic professor would very soon have conipelled even Oxfonl or Cambridge to 

 grunt degrt>es on the l>asis of ".schcK)ls" or triposes in statistics, and I do not des{^iair of such a 

 future after the full admis.siou of women to Oxford, and the extreme difficulty, even for a 

 Cambridge ilon, to detect any feminist push in a proposal to graduate in statistics! 



6a— 3 



