238 THOMAS HENRY HUXLEY 



nent. The following extracts are taken from the Times 

 report : — 



" It is forty-three years ago this day since the Royal Society 

 did me the honour to award me a Royal Medal, and thereby 

 determined my career. But, having long retired into the position 

 of a veteran, I confess that I was extremely astonished — I 

 honestly also say that I was extremely pleased — to receive the 

 announcement that you have been good enough to award to me 

 the Darwin Medal. ... In reflecting upon what had been my 

 own share in what are now very largely ancient transactions, it 

 was perfectly obvious to rae that I had no such claims as those 

 of Mr. Wallace. It was perfectly clear to me that I had no 

 such claims as those of my life-long friend, Sir Joseph Hoolcer, 

 who for twenty-five years placed all his great sources of know- 

 ledge, his sagacity, his industry, at the disposition of his friend 

 Darwin. And really, I begin to despair of what possible answer 

 could be given to the critics whom the Royal Society, meetmg 

 as it does on November 30, has lately been very apt to hear 

 about on December i. Naturally there occurred to my mind 

 that famous and comfortable line, which I suppose has helped so 

 many people under like circumstances, ' They also serve who 

 only stand and wait.' I am bound to confess that the standing 

 and waiting, so far as I am concerned, to which I refer, has 

 been of a somewhat peculiar character." 



Here follows the story of the Quaker who only con- 

 sented "to stand and wait" at the gangway, when a 

 merchant ship was attacked by pirates, using the sharp 

 end of his pike with the remark, " Friend, keep on board 

 thine own ship." Huxley interprets his " standing and 

 waiting" in defence of the Origin of Species as having been 

 conducted on the same principle : — 



" ... I am sincerely of the opinion that the views which 

 were propounded by Mr. Darwin thirty-four years ago may be 

 understood hereafter as constituting an epoch in the intellectual 

 history of the human race. They will modify the whole system 

 of our thought and opinion, our most intimate convictions. But 

 I do not know — I do not think anybody knows — whether the 



