5l6 LIFE OF PROFESSOR HUXLEY chap, xxxii 



opinion, that from Aristotle's great summary of the Biological 

 knowledge of his time down to the present day, there is nothing 

 comparable to the Origin of Species, as a connected survey of 

 the phenomena of life permeated and vivified by a central idea. 

 In remote ages the historian of science will dwell upon it as 

 the starting-point of the Biology of his present and our future^ 



My friend Dr. Humphry has adverted to somebody about 

 whom I know nothing, who says that the exact and critical 

 studies pursued in this University are ill-calculated to preserve 

 a high tone of mind. 



I presume that this saying must proceed from some one 

 wholly unacquainted with Cambridge. Whoever he may be, I 

 beg him, if he can, to make the acquaintance of Charles Darwin. 



In Mr. Darwin's name I beg leave to thank you for the 

 honour you have done him. 



It happened that the quadrennial election of a Lord 

 Rector at St. Andrews University fell in this year, and on 

 behalf of a number of students, Huxley received a telegram 

 from his son, now newly entered at St. Andrews, asking 

 him to stand. He writes to his wife : — 



That boy of yours has just sent me a telegram, which I 

 enclose. I sent back message to say that as a Commissioner on 

 the Scotch Universities I could not possibly stand. The cockerel 

 is beginning to crow early. I do believe that to please the boy 

 I should have assented to it if it had not been for the R. Com- 

 mission. 



Apropos of controversies (November 23) 



We had a grand discussion at the Royal Society last 

 night between Tyndall and Burdon Sanderson. The place was 

 crammed, and we had a late sitting. I'm not sure, however, 

 that we had got much further at the end than at the beginning, 

 which is a way controversies have. 



The following story is worth recording, as an illustration 

 not only of the way in which Huxley would give what help 

 was in his power to another man of science in distress, but 

 of the ready aid proffered on this, as on many other occa- 

 sions, by a wealthy northern merchant who was interested 

 in science. A German scientific worker in England, whom 

 we will call H., had fallen into distress, and applied to him 



