428 LIFE OF PROFESSOR HUXLEY CHAP. XXII 



and know what is meant by "eating a leek." Well, 

 every honest man has to do that now and then, and I 

 assure you that if eaten fairly and without grimaces, the 

 devouring of that herb has a very wholesome cooling 

 effect on the blood, particularly in people of sanguine 

 temperament. 



Seriously you must not mind a check of this kind. 



This incident, one may suspect, was in his mind 

 when he wrote in his Autobiography of the rapidity 

 of thought characteristic of his mother : 



That characteristic has been passed on to me in full 

 strength ; it has often stood me in good stead, it has 

 sometimes played me sad tricks, and it has always been a 

 danger. 



At the Norwich meeting of the Association he also 

 delivered his well-known lecture to working men 

 "On a Piece of Chalk," a perfect example of the 

 handling of a common and trivial subject, so as to 

 make it "a window into the Infinite." He was 

 particularly 'interested in the success of the meeting, 

 as his friend Hooker was President, and writes to 

 Darwin, September 12 : 



We had a capital meeting at Norwich, and dear old 

 Hooker came out in great force as he always does in 

 emergencies. 



The only fault was the terrible " Darwinismus " which 

 spread over the section and crept out when you least 

 expected it, even in Fergusson's lecture on " Buddhist 

 Temples." 



You will have the rare happiness to see your ideas 

 triumphant during your lifetime. 



P.S. I am preparing to go into opposition ; I can't 

 stand it. 



