32 HUXLEY 



D at the British Association meeting at Nottingham — 

 a meeting which was remarkable, because of the dis- 

 cuesion which took place on Dean Farrar's paper on 

 " Science Teaching in Schools." This brought forth 

 the complaint that men of science rarely condescended 

 to such teaching. It was no doubt partly in answer 

 to this criticism that many of Huxley's lectures 

 were due, and also his course of training for science 

 teachers, which he began in 1871. It was at a sub- 

 sequent meeting with the British Association also, 

 namely, in 1868, that he gave his now famous lecture 

 to working-men " On a Piece of Chalk," and also 

 other lectures are of this period and the following 

 year, to which we shall again refer. 



In 1869 the Metaphysical Society was founded, 

 with the idea of bringing together men of very 

 diverse opinions for the purpose of discussion on 

 momentous questions of the day. The list of members 

 is truly remarkable, including, as it did, the then 

 Archbishop of York, 'Mr. Gladstone, the Duke of 

 Argyll, Cardinal Manning, Dr. Martineau, Frederick 

 Harrison, Huxley, Tyndall, and John Morley. After 

 a while, in spite of the inevitable clash of opinions, 

 it was actually possible for Huxley to write that 

 " Charity, brotherly love, were the chief traits of 

 the society. We all expended so much charity, 

 that had it been money we should every one have 

 been bankrupt." 



In 1870 Huxley published his volume of Lay 

 SermoTis and Addresses, to which reference vnW be 

 made again later. But we would point out here 

 that this period in Huxley's life was that which 

 marked him out as the specially prominent figure 

 in British scientific thought which he then became. 



