DARWIN AND HIS OPPONENTS 69 



mind. I hope that you will at least give me credit, however 

 erroneous you may think my conclusions, for having 

 earnestly endeavoured to arrive at the truth.' ' 



To his over-pugnacious friend Haeckel he 

 wrote : 



'. . . I think; . . . that you will excite anger, and that 

 anger so completely blinds every one, that your arguments 

 would have no chance of influencing those who are already 

 opposed to our views. Moreover, I do not at all like that you, 

 towards whom I feel so much friendship, should unneces- 

 sarily make enemies, and there is pain and vexation enough 

 in the world without more being caused.' 2 



Another and very potent cause of the rapid 

 growth of the new teachings is to be found in 

 Darwin's attitude towards his readers. It is 

 extraordinarily well described by Francis Darwin 

 in the great Life and Letters : 



' The tone of ... the ' Origin ' is charming, and almost 

 pathetic ; it is the tone of a man who, convinced of the truth 

 of his own views, hardly expects to convince others ; it is 

 just the reverse of the style of a fanatic, who wants to force 

 people to believe. The reader is never scorned for any 

 amount of doubt which he may be imagined to feel, and his 

 scepticism is treated with patient respect. A sceptical 

 reader, or perhaps even an unreasonable reader, seems to 

 have been generally present to hiy thoughts.' 11 



The mind of man is ever attracted by the flame 

 and the hurricane of war rather than by the appeal 

 of the still small voice of reason. Nevertheless 

 it is by the still small voice that the thoughts 

 of the world are widened and transformed. 



1 Nov. 11, 1859. Life and Letters, ii. 215. 



2 May 21, 1867. Life and Letters, iii. 69. 



3 Life and Letter, i. 156. 



