276 Life and Letters of Francis Galton 



May I add that I am sure it will be a matter of rejoicing and gratification to Biologists 

 geuerally if you see your way to accept this position and become our President at the next 

 meeting iir this country. I am asking Professor George Darwin, the President-Elect for this 

 year's meeting, to write to you also — so I hope you will receive a letter from him in the course 

 of a day or two. I am, dear Mr Galton, Yours very sincerely, W. A. Herdman, Gen. Secretary. 



This letter was backed up by one from George Darwin. 



Newnham Grange, Cambridge. May 6, 1905. 



My dear Galton, You will perhaps already have received an official intimation that you 

 were yesterday unanimously nominated Pres*. of the B.A. for the York meeting. I had the 

 pleasure of proposing your name, and I pointed out that you ought to have been nominated 

 years ago, and that the fact that men of science were formerly somewhat blind to the great 

 work that you have done gave no excuse for omitting even this belated recognition. That you 

 may not think that this is merely my personal opinion, I should add that speaker after speaker 

 endorsed what I have said. We all hope that you may feel yourself able to accept the nomina- 

 tion. It was pointed out as an objection that your deafness would be a difficulty in as much 

 as presiding at the Council meetings could hardly be carried out efficiently by you. To this 

 most, perhaps all, considered that there was a complete answer — you have only to absent your- 

 self from Council meetings. During the present year Balfour never comes — as we knew he 

 would not — and we get through our business with the aid of the V.P.'s. 



I hope that you will not allow this consideration to deter you from acceptance, and, if you 

 will take it, my advice to you would be that you should not attend any Council meetings 

 during your year of office, when you would have to take the chair, or at least should ask a 

 V.P. to preside. I cannot of course judge whether you will feel yourself disposed to undertake 

 the duties, but I can only very heartily express the hope that you will feel you have the 

 strength to do so. Yours very sincerely, G. H. Darwin. 



To this letter I add Galton's reply : 



42, Rutland Gate, S.W. May 9, 1905. 



My dear George Darwin, It was only last night that I returned and found your very 

 kind letter and that of Prof. Herdman to whom I have just written. I am deeply sensible of 

 the proposed honour and fully recognise the unique opportunity afforded to the President of 

 the Brit. Assoc" of drawing the attention of the whole scientific world to such views as he may 

 put forward. Also I am cordially grateful to the thoughtful way in which you propose to make 

 the work less laborious and independent of my deafness. But the fatal fact remains that I am 

 not strong enough even under all these alleviations. The preceding excitement would be enough 

 to upset me. I cannot stand even a moderate amount of flurry. It is of no use for me to fight 

 against impossibilities. Long since I have learnt to renounce many tempting pleasures, and 

 must do so now. The only chance I have of doing useful work during the remainder of my 

 life, lies in doing it quietly and living very simply much like an invalid, and in never undertaking 

 to tie myself to a day when I might prove quite unfit. Once before when Sir William Flower 

 was President and the names of possible persons were to be considered at a Council meeting 

 at which I was present, he with the previous assent of the other General Officers, emphatically 

 proposed me at the first. I immediately begged to be left out of account, being too painfully 

 conscious even then of the limitations of my strength. Notwithstanding kindly pressure, I 

 persisted in the refusal. It would be foolishly rash if I made the venture now. 



Ever sincerely yours, Francis Galton. 



P.S. I have had a pleasant and healthful 2| months in the Riviera (Bordighera), but missed 

 your sister. I saw Miss Shaen during her brief visit there. What an eventful August you will 

 have at the Cape. I heartily wish you -every possible success and pleasure. But what a racket 

 it will be ! 



During this year Galton was very busy with the superintendence of his 

 Eugenics Record Office and many of his letters relate to proposed work, to 



