Eugenics as a Creed and the Last Decade of Galton' s Life 333 



that my letter to him has fallen aptly. They are very shortly going to consider seriously what 

 to do. Complaints are so wide and loud, not by any means from non-scientific people only, 

 and the Royal Soc. Lit. feels that criticism falls within its province. All goes well here. The 

 Hope Pinkers lunched with us yesterday. He told me about the progress of the bust of Weldon 

 and that you had seen it. Ever affectionately, Francis Galton. 



7, Well Road, Hampstead, N.W. Jan. 2, 1908. 



My dear Francis Galton, I am very busy to-day, but I must send you some few lines in 

 reply to your very kind note. I reciprocate heartily your wishes for the New Year, and these 

 include my desire for the success of your proposed attack on the citadel ! 



I am quite ready to continue superintending the Eugenics folk, and you must not suppose 

 I am not interested in the work. All the same I am quite prepared to surrender the reins 

 whenever you feel another man would achieve more in the particular directions you have most 

 at heart. We are both ultimately of Quaker stock, and I want you to talk quite frankly when 

 the time comes, remembering that I shall not be hurt by any decision you may take. I have 

 so much in hand, that to close one phase of my work only means more progress in other phases. 

 I should only feel sad if something were to happen which closed all phases of my work. Why, 

 if Eugenics and even Biometry were closed down, I should turn to Astronomy with all my energy 

 and time; I know how badly statistical knowledge is needed for problems therein ! I will send 

 you a little formal note shortly as to the re-appointment of the " Eugenicians " (that word shall 

 not go further !), which you can forward with any further comment to the University authorities. 

 As a mathematician I must emphasise my view that symbolism is an enormous gain to any 

 branch of science. Just think where we stood in statistics without the theory of total and 

 partial correlation coefficients ! But how in the world can we express in any brief and decent 

 English the formula 



Pim = (fa - W-OM 1 - rj) (1 - r^), 



for the influence of the mother (2) on the son (1) for a character constant in the father (3)? 



I think you are wholly right to demand good grammar and clear expression, but I believe 

 your movement will fail in these demands, if you attempt to drag terminology and symbolism 

 into the fight. My ideal scientist in this respect was Clifford ; every educated man can follow 

 his popular addresses, yet how few but mathematicians his scientific memoirs. Discovery and 

 popularisation are distinct aspects of scientific work. They were excellently combined in 

 Clifford and Huxley, and largely in Darwin ; but you must not expect to find this combination 

 frequent nowadays. Your battle will be the easier, if you avoid arousing the wrath of the 

 specialist in this respect. You have him in a cleft in the matter of English, but I fear you court 

 failure, if you assert that the average man of science ought to be able to follow all the specialist 

 papers in the Phil. Traits. If the terms accepted by every student of a specialised branch of 

 science and the whole of its symbolism — its " short-hand " — are to be classed as jargon, and given 

 short shrift, I sadly fear the Royal Society of Literature will find itself prostrate, Don Quixote- 

 like, before the windmill ! Affectionately, K. P. 



How I shall rejoice to see the " Reminiscences " ! 



Extract from a letter of Francis Galton. 



Quedley, Haslemere. Jan. 25, 1908. 



...The same morning that brought your reply to my letter, brought also the typed copy of 

 your Report from the University of London, which I signed as approving. What a very good 

 report you have made ! I wish I could see any glimmer of light in the cousinal = avuncular 

 correlation. It seems almost equivalent to fraternal = nepotal correlation, and quite incredible 

 a priori. 



7, Well Road, Hampstead, N.W. Jan. 27, 1908. 



My dear Francis Galton, Being kept to the house and sofa to-day — not 'flu, or I would 

 not write to you — I have some chance of getting letters off hand. Many thanks for your kind 

 and helpful letter of this morning. There are now some 40 to 50 avuncular correlations worked 

 out and they fully confirm the view that the relationship of cousins is as high as that of uncle 

 and nephew. There are several points that need to be thought out carefully. The cousins are 



