428 Life and Letters of Francis Gallon 



42, Rutland Gate, S.W. April 6, 1910. Dictated. 



My dear Karl Pearson, I have been so knocked about with cough, that I am still unfit 

 for almost anything, with ever so much in arrear. I did not even wish you a happy return for 

 your birthday, nor have I been as eager as I should be to hear about Wee Ling. It is joyful news 

 that he gets on so well with you all*. I feel a sort of apology is due for having wandered so far 

 from my regular track as to write the article in Nature, but I wished to finish off such bits of 

 unfinished work as I could hope to achieve. As you say, life does not seem long enough for all 

 the possibilities of interesting work. I feel like Tennyson's Ulysses : 



" Life piled on life 

 Were all too little, and of one to me 

 Little remains." 

 So please count my apparent vagaries as merely an attempt to get some things now in disorder 

 into shipshape form before I die. 



If I find, as I expect to do, that Miss Jones can be trusted with the work you suggest and 

 which is precisely one of the things I had in view, I will set her steadily at it. 



Ever affectionately yours, Francis Galton. 



P.S. I am so sorry I forgot to send a card about Uncle Frank's health, but I have been 

 in bed with fever three days. E. B. 



42, Rutland Gate, S.W. May 7, 1910. 



My dear Karl Pearson, The King's death will throw much out of gear, and may prove 

 a disaster to our country ! 



The account you give of an apparent wish of the University of London authorities to 

 dissever Eugenics, so far as locality is concerned, from Biometry, seems to me most unfortunate 

 for the former. It may be logical to unite it with Sociology, but practically it would almost give 

 a death-blow to its scientific status. Whenever you think I could intervene with advantage, 

 pray tell me. I had seen the New Age and was vexed at Dr S.'s remarks. The allusion by the 

 Editor to myself and to my letter may be quite correct, but I cannot properly recall the circum- 

 stances, owing to having had recently to reply to 2, 3 or more letters in the sense " I sympathise 

 with your object, but am too infirm to give any active help." 



The Council of the Eugenics Education Society have, I learn, extruded Dr S. by not putting 

 his name on the candidate list. As I am told, certain members of the Council strongly objected 

 to serving longer with him, and Mrs G. undertook to tell him so, which she did, doubtless with 

 all practicable tact, but I have reason to know his feelings are much wounded. He however 

 spoke very nicely to Mrs G. 



Like yourself I missed the notice of Mr Justice Parker's lecture in the Times, and I am sorry. 



Craokanthorpe's address, as it appeared in the Times summary, was weak, but a little better 

 in the original, which I read. Ever affectionately yours, Francis Galton. 



42, Rutland Gate, S.W. May 11, 1910. 

 My dear Karl Pearson, Saleeby's letter to the Pall Mall lies near the frontier between 

 "do-nothing" and "do-something." I wish that somebody, other than our two selves, could lie 

 posted up to reply to him. I am still in favour of " doing-nothing " ourselves. Whatever either 

 of us might write, would be responded to and the issue be perplexed. Perhaps some opportunity 

 may arise before long of pronouncing emphatically on all such inapt criticisms as those indulged 

 in by C. W. S. and showing their futility. Ever affectionately yours, Francis Galton. 



42, Rutland Gate, S.W. June 9, 1910. 

 My dear Karl Pearson, Your letter is a useful reminder, but you must not accuse your- 

 self of having forgotten to tell me any part of its contents. Enclosed I send the pestilent copy 

 of the New Age. Do not trouble to return it. I am very glad to have made it now clear to them 

 that I will not take any part in it. 



Now, will you pardon me if I ask for a few minutes of your time, to look over the little 

 memoir herewith enclosed. I may be a fool, but I think the simple results to be both new and 

 important. Are they so, or merely rubbish, or anything between? 



Ever affectionately, Francis Galton. 

 * He had rejoined us at Hampstead. 



