1881 DEATH OF DEAN STANLEY 305 



July 21, 1881. 



MY DEAR FLOWER I am by no means surprised, and 

 except for the sake of the University, not sorry that you 

 have renounced the Linacre. 



Life is like walking along a crowded street there 

 always seem to be fewer obstacles to getting along on the 

 opposite pavement and yet, if one crosses over, matters 

 are rarely mended. 



I assure you it is a great comfort to me to think that 

 you will stay in London and help in keeping things 

 straight in this world of crookedness. 



I have thought a good deal about , but it would 



never do. No one could value his excellent qualities of 

 all kinds, and real genius in some directions, more than I 

 do ; but, in my judgment, nobody could be less fitted 

 to do the work which ought to be done in Oxford I 

 mean to give biological science a status in the eyes of the 

 Dons, and to force them to acknowledge it as a part of 

 general education. Moreover, his knowledge, vast and 

 minute as it is in some directions, is very imperfect in 

 others, and the attempt to qualify himself for the post 

 would take him away from the investigations, which are 

 his delight and for which he is specially fitted. . . . 



I was very much interested in your account of the 

 poor dear Dean's illness. I called on Thursday morning, 

 meeting Jowett and Grove at the door, and we went in 

 and heard such an account of his state that I had hopes 

 he might pull through. We shall not see his like again. 



The last time I had a long talk with him was about 

 the proposal to bury George Eliot in the Abbey, and a 

 curious revelation of the extraordinary catholicity and 

 undaunted courage of the man it was. He would have 

 done it had it been pressed upon him by a strong repre- 

 sentation. 



I see he is to be buried on Monday, and I suppose 

 and hope I shall have the opportunity of attending. 

 Ever yours very faithfully, T. H. HUXLEY. 



VOL. II X 



