Characterisation, especially by Letters 479 



oisifs et les exercioes betes aux etudiants qui vcuillent travailler aux coimnis, employes, etc., 

 dont la Mte est fatiguee. 



J'ai connu deux savants distingues qui n'etaient pas bien veridiques, mais je dois dire qu'ils 

 ne meutaient pas sur des affaires scientitiques, conime leurs experiences ou observations. O'etait 

 plutta pour rendre service a un ami ou pour nuire a quelqu'un qu'ils n'aimaient pas. Tous deux 

 aimaient la vie politique. Les homines de science manquent parfois de force morale et il en 

 resulte une disposition a cacher certaines opinions plutot qu'a mentir. En general cependant 

 j'estime que l'habitude dea reeherches rend veridique. 



Si vims passez a Geneve cet ete je serai tres heureux de vous voir. Dans le moment des 

 grandes chaleurs j'irai peut-etre dans les montagnes, mais ce ne serait ni loin ni pour longtemps. 



Recevez, won cher Monsieur, l'assuranee de mes sentiments les plus devoues. 



Alph. de Candollk. 



P.S. Je demanderai l'ouvrage de Dr Venn. S'il est trop mathematique pour moi je le com- 

 muniquerai a quelque calculateur de mes amis. 



42, Rutland Gate, S.W. December 16, 1888. 



DKAB Db Wabd, Thank you very much indeed for your valuable letter, which will be of 

 considerable guidance in devising and varying the experiments. It shows me that difficulties 

 which I had not seen so clearly before must be evaded. All, for example, that are connected 

 with mistaking an incapacity to make out the "Bulgarian's cat," with imperfection of seeing 

 power. And I think I see how; but will not bother you with details. 



By the way, I once made some experiments on the above, intending to bring them into a 

 lecture I had to give at the Royal Institution, but the examples selected seemed rather melo- 

 dramatic and I had not much time, so I wholly left them out. I used two Magic Lanterns; in 

 one slide was a picture of a number of dots and splashes; in the other slide a selection of these 

 was made that spelt the words Blood and Murder and there was a hand pointing. When the 

 light was faint in slide 2, nothing of the Blood and Murder was seen, but as it increased they 

 began to catch the attention and soon became prominent. On reducing the light again, the 

 level at which the image disappeared was much lower than that at which it first appeared. The 

 curious thing was its sudden disappearance. I tested this latter point in many ways with the 

 game result*. 



Thank you very much for the reference to "Urbanschicht" which I have already looked up 

 in Nature. I had read it at the time, and was greatly struck by it, but had wholly forgotten 

 the name and wanted to refer to it. I shall get the paper in I'Jiiiger to-morrow. As regards 

 Kussmaul, I have made less progress in reading his very able and exhaustive work than I had 

 hoped, and must I fear content myself with what little I have already done, which bears on 

 the question in hand, as I am very busy and get through work slowly. The book shall be sent 

 back to-morrow. It should have gone earlier but I delayed a little, partly in hope of hearing 

 from you and partly because 1 had not your address at hand and did not like to trouble you 

 by lending it to Trinity. Very sincerely yours, Francis Galton. 



Geneve. 15 sept. 1889. 



Mom OHKB Monsieur, Je viens de lire dans le Times vos observations sur les examens du 

 Civil Service et j'ai lu egalement des articles dans le Nineteenth Century sur le meme sujet 

 qui m'interesse particulierement. Voici pourquoi: J'ai un petit-fils, ne en Angleterre, sorti avec 

 honneur du college de Rugby, et qui se fatigue depots 18 mois a preparer un examen du Civil 

 Service, qui (bi'las!) n'est jamais annonce et sera peut-etre encore renvoyc longtemps. Je n'ignore 

 pas qu'on veut red u ire le nombre des places et qu'on ajourne les examens a cause de cela. Mais 

 il serait pourtaiit equitable d'avoir egard aux jeunes gens qui se pre 'parent. Ce serait fair play. 

 En France il y a des examens pour l'entree dans les ecoles polytechnique, militaire, etc., et ces 

 examens ont lieu a des epoques fixes chaque annee. Ainsi au bout de quelques mois un jeune 

 hoinme sait s'il est admis ou s'il doit viser a une autre carriere. 



* The two slides still exist in the Galloniana and, before seeing this letter, I was much 

 puzzled to discover their purpose. K. P. 



