Characterisation, especially by Letters 449 



Divine. The question of the reality of this "intuitive witness" in others, however, interested 

 him deeply, and he would have given much to convince himself whether it was real or imaginary, 

 subjective or objective. James's Varieties of Religious Experience was a book that occupied 

 his thoughts a great deal, and I have a copy that he gave me. That he had the will to 

 believe I am sure, but it was the power that was denied him. If he could not believe however, 

 he could seek, and a more earnest truth-seeker could surely not be found. He has told me that 

 at one time of his life (I imagine when he was very young), the asceticism of the Roman Church 

 appealed to him very strongly. His admiration for the uncompromising monotheism of 

 Mohammedanism was recurrent. I imagine that he was latterly much attracted by Spinoza. 

 But early love and sentiment were all on the side of Quakerism. He would sometimes ask me 

 where such or such a parable or discourse of Our Lord was to be found, and on finding it for 

 him in the New Testament, he would read it aloud, saying, half to himself, as he shut the book 

 "Perfect — very perfect." 



1 [e was scrupulously careful not to say anything on religious topics that could possibly distress 

 or injure the faith of anyone — especially the young — and I never knew him say anything that 

 was not absolutely reverent. He was apparently incapable of accepting anything he considered 

 unproven. Thus, although a devoted admirer of Tennyson, I never heard him allude to The 

 Tiri i Voices without a stamp and "Pshaw!" of impatience. The philosophic discussion being 

 concluded by nothing more convincing than the emotional "Sabbath Morn" and "Church-bells" 

 irritated him beyond endurance. In spite of his much-abused chapter on Prayer in Human 

 Faculty I know he used to pray himself, indeed in one of his letters to me he wrote (May 12, 

 1907) : "Did I ever tell you that I have always made it a habit to pray before writing anything 

 for publication, that there may be no self-seeking in it, and perfect candour together with 

 respect for the feelings of others." — And in another letter (April 9, 1907) : "I think in earnest 

 prayer of you and poor F. for I can pray, and do pray, conscientiously and fervently, though 

 probably in a different form to that you yourself employ. God help you*." 



There were many beautiful traits in my Uncle's character upon which I cannot now 

 expatiate. His old-world courtesy, displayed not only in society, but still more at home, to 

 those with whom he was in daily intercourse, and to his servants (falsifying the saying "that 

 no man is a hero to his valet-de-chambre") — his almost exaggerated dread of appropriating any 

 laurels due to others, which feeling led him to the opposite extreme of magnifying the achieve- 

 ments of others whilst minimising his own — his horror of self-advertisement, coupled though it 

 was with a naive delight in unsought appreciation — all this is familiar to those who had the 

 privilege of knowing him. 



I do not think I have more to say. His patience and cheerfulness during the helplessness 

 of the two or three last years was very wonderful, even when his sufferings were aggravated by 

 the constantly recurring attacks of asthma which made every breath a struggle. His devoted 

 nurse and great-niece, Eva Biggs, told me that the last thing he said, when the breathing 

 became very painful and she asked him if he suffered much, was: "One must learn to suffer 

 and not complain." 



I could not be with him in his last illness, being ill myself at the time, but he was surrounded 

 with love and affection. Eva Biggs, his valued nephew, Edward Wheler, and his devoted Swiss 

 servant, Gifi, who had been in his service for 40 years, being with him at the last. 

 Thus ended the earth-phase of a great life. 



Selection from the Galton family Letters. 



Letter from Adele Galton to Iter Sisters, Emma and Bessie. 



[1830?] 



.My dear Sisters, We have just received a letter from sweet Francis, and I cannot help 

 thinking (at least hoping) from its contents that he still preserves his taste for study but here 

 is the copy: 



"My dear Papa, I hope you have been pretty well lately. It is now the Easter Holidays 

 and I was asked out last Monday and then I saw a review of the National Guards which 

 I liked very much — It has been very warm for some months and I think we shall soon begin to 



* See my footnote, pp. 271-2 of Vol. m A . 

 pom 57 



