1869 LETTER TO DARWIN 433 



The one is, that I shaped what I had to say at Edin- 

 burgh with a view of stirring up the prejudices of the 

 Scotch Presbyterians (imagine how many Presbyterians I 

 had in my audiences !) against Comte. 



The other is the concluding paragraph, in which Mr. 



recommends me to " read Comte," clearly im- 

 plying that I have criticised Comte without reading him. 



You will know how far I am likely to have committed 

 either of the immoralities thus laid to my charge. 



At any rate, I do not think I care to enter into more 

 direct relations with any one who so heedlessly and un- 

 justifiably assumes me to be guilty of them. Therefore 

 I shall content myself with acknowledging the receipt of 



Mr. 's letter through you. Ever yours faithfully, 



T. H. HUXLEY. 



JERMYN STREET, March 17, 1869. 



MY DEAR DARWIN After I had sent my letter to you 

 the other day I thought how stupid I had been not to 



put in a slip of paper to say it was meant for 's 



edification. 



I made sure that you would understand that I wished 

 it to be sent on, and wrote it (standing on the points of 

 my toes and with my tail up very stiff) with that end in 

 view. 



[Sketch of two dogs bristling up.] 



I am getting so weary of people writing to propose 

 controversy to me upon one point or another, that I 

 begin to wish the article had never been written. The 

 fighting in itself is not particularly objectionable, but it's 

 the waste of time. 



I begin to understand your sufferings over the Origin. 

 A good book is comparable to a piece of meat, and fools 

 are as flies who swarm to it, each for the purpose of 

 depositing and hatching his own particular maggot of an 

 idea. Ever yours, T. H. HUXLEY. 



VOL. I 2F 



