Eugenics as a Creed and the Last Decade of Galtoris Life 393 



Now r is very close to - 5 — it varies from about - 46 to 52 for the best series in man. Weldon's 

 results for mice not yet publislied give almost the same values. But he has so selected his pairs 

 of mice that p runs up to - 8 ! For man p may be safely put -2. Thus the ratio you want 



■a 



is = - - - = about -i. 



The ratio of mean filial deviation to parental deviation, i.e. for a single parent, is - 5 but of 

 course the prediction in this case is subject to a larger probable error ; these errors in the two 

 cases being about in the ratio of \/'75 to V"60, the latter corresponding to the midparental 

 estimate. 



I hope this will not be too complex, and that I have given what you want. Pray write again 

 if there be any further point I could make clearer. 



I had a letter from the Principal of the University saying that the University was drawing 

 up a list of their needs and asking me to say what the Galton Eugenics Laboratory needed. It 

 was a somewhat difficult question to answer since if the University is in the way of getting money, 

 there is no reason why the Laboratory should not have a considerable share. I suggested that £100 

 a year for books, £200 for publications, and £500 to pay a man to give the bulk of his time to 

 supervision, could be easily assimilated ! If we get \ of all this from the University we may 

 be happy, but it really is a sign of the times that they ask us if they can aid. We are very 

 full this session. In the Biometric and Eugenics Laboratories together we have I think 16 

 research workers, and practically no vacant tables. 



I shall shortly send you the average numbers of certain classes of relatives — aunts and uncles. 

 I fear we cannot work cousins because the records are too incomplete. 



Has Wee Ling behaved himself, or has he become a nuisance ? Don't hesitate to return him 

 if he has become a difficulty. 



Affectionately yours, Karl Pearson. 



The Rectory, Haslemere. October 25, 1909. 



My dear Karl Pearson, You can with difficulty understand how incompetent I am to 

 do mental work. I have blundered much in putting the enclosed into shape, desiring to avoid 

 needless complexity, and now if the suggestion (B) be adopted the problem becomes apparently 

 simple enough. Still I dare not trust myself to do it. I only want a rude approximation, but 

 want one very much. 



Nettleship lunched with us on Saturday and inspected Wee Ling's eyes. The puppy is a joy- 

 ful little beast with a now tightly curled tail and is a friend with all the servants. But he has 

 a horrid temper, and bites with his little sharp teeth and swears in Chinese dog-language, a quite 

 different language to that of English pups. He had a sharp lesson from the cat, in social usages ; 

 for trying to oust her from her chair, he received a wipe from her claws across his little pink 

 nose. No real harm done, but it must have hurt. 



We are well placed and the air of Haslemere suits me perfectly, but I do very little. 

 Sir Archibald Geikie tells me of scientific events. He was delighted with Birmingham and 

 remarked that among the men selected for degrees were two brothers (Haldane), one brother 

 and sister and brother-in-law (Balfour, Mrs Sidgwick and Lord Rayleigh). 



I asked Nettleship about you, whether he thought you were not working too hard. He 

 evidently thought so, but added that you were like a racehorse, difficult to keep quiet. And 

 here am I bothering you about a problem ! How I wish you could be relieved from routine 

 work. I wonder if you will come down to see your friends hereabouts? 



My niece is happy, after 2£ weeks out of the allotted 4 weeks in bed, for rest-cure. She 

 hopes to get abroad to S. France in early winter, leaving me in charge of another niece (Mrs 

 Lethbridge). I am fortunately well-nieced ; three are at the moment hereabouts, two in this 

 house and one hard by. Ever affectionately yours, Francis Galton. 



This letter contained the following problem of which a solution was sent 

 to Francis Galton as a New Year's Greeting, 1910, and was published in 

 Biometrika, Vol. x, pp. 258-275. 



PGin 50 



