78 HUXLEY 



of all others, had been the most stalwart protagonist 

 of the doctrines advocated by Charles Darwrin, and 

 who, in consequence, had suffered more than any 

 one else in England m the estimation of those who 

 arrogated to themselves the essence of righteousness. 

 It was quite natural that this phase of Huxley's life 

 should stand out so prominently at that time, and, 

 indeed, any one could see that it was one of his fore- 

 most lines of work. But the years have passed since 

 then, and everjiihing for which Huxley contended — 

 or nearly everything — has passed into the ordinary 

 mental equipment of the average citizen of to-day, 

 who would find it difficult to realise the intense oppro- 

 brium under which Huxley suffered for his behefs 

 and his advocacy of them. After all, in this respect 

 he only suffered what every reformer and prophet 

 has to undergo, and the remarkable thing is that 

 the world never learns, in spite of repeated object- 

 lessons, that the kind of persecution and abuse, to 

 which it invariably subjects the greatest minds of 

 any age, never has the slightest effect upon the 

 ultimate establishment of their beliefs if true, or 

 their extinction if false. 



We may, therefore, briefly note the estimate formed 

 of Huxley's life and work by some of his contem- 

 poraries, as an aid to forming our own conception 

 of his place in history. Let lis note first his son's 

 opinion, as stated in the last of these three delightful 

 volumes. Life a7id Letters of Thcnnas Henry Huxley. 

 Mr. Leonard Huxley says that liis strongest charac- 

 teristic was his passion for veracity — " an uncom- 

 promising passion for truth in thought, which would 

 admit no particle of self-deception, no assertion 



