44 HUXLEY 



discussion had been practically continuous, and fre- 

 quently bitter ; but at last Darwin's day had come, 

 and it must have been a remarkable experience for 

 Huxley once more to be in the great theatre where 

 he and others had been so roundly abused, hstening 

 to the doctrines, for which they had so long con- 

 tended, being admitted as a matter of course. 



Huxley's own part on this last occasion was to 

 second the vote of thanks to Lord Sahsbury for his 

 Presidential address. In spite of the obvious irri- 

 tation with which Huxley had listened to the address, 

 he, nevertheless, was thus in the position of having 

 to thank the speaker for sentiments which were, to 

 a large extent, in exact opposition to those for which 

 he himself had contended for the past quarter of a 

 century. The President's vote of thanks was pro- 

 posed by Lord Kelvin ; and then Huxley, in the 

 words of Professor Osbom, " veiled an immistak- 

 able and vigorous protest in the most gracious and 

 dignified speech of thanks." Professor Osbom adds 

 that at this meeting Huxley gave one the impres- 

 sion of being aged, but not infirm, and that no one 

 realised that he had spoken his last word as the 

 champion of evolution. 



Huxley's own opinion of Lord Salisbury's address 

 appeared in a criticism, which he named " In Nature," 

 the main point of which is that, in spite of his un- 

 waUingness to do so, Lord Sahsbm-y and his school 

 were compelled to admit the truth of the main 

 contentions put forward by Darwin. Huxley's own 

 impression of this memorable meeting may be 

 gathered from letters such as that written to Hooker, 

 collected by Huxley's son. He saj'^s, " It was very 

 queer to sit there and hear the doctrines you and I 



