FIFTY YEARS OF DARWINISM 21 



copy of the Origin to be placed in the library of 

 Trinity College, Cambridge/ My predecessor. 

 Professor J. O. Westwood, proposed to the last 

 Oxford University Commission the permanent 

 endowment of a Reader to combat the errors of 

 Darwinism. " Lyell had difficulty in preventing 

 [Sir William] Dawson reviewing the Origin on 

 hearsay, without having looked at it. No spirit 

 of fairness can be expected from so biased a 

 judge." ^ And even when naturalists began to 

 be shaken by the force of Darwin's reasoning, 

 they were often afraid to own it. Thus Darwin 

 wrote to H. Fawcett, on September 18, 1861 : — 



" Many are so fearful of speaking out. A German 

 naturalist came here the other day ; and he tells me that 

 there are many in Germany on our side, but that aU 

 seem fearful of speaking out, and waiting for some one 

 to speak, and then many will follow. The naturalists 

 seem as timid as young ladies should be, about their 

 scientific reputation." * 



Among the commonest criticisms in the early 

 days, and one that Darwin felt acutely,* was the 

 assertion that he had deserted the true method of 

 scientific investigation. One of the best exam- 

 ples of this is to be found in the letter, Decem- 

 ber 24, 1859, of Darwin's old teacher in geology, 

 Adam Sedgwick: — 



' Life and Letters, II, p. 261. 



' From a letter written by Darwin, November 4, 1862. More 

 Letters, I, p. 468. 



" More Letters, I, p. 196. 



* See Darwin's letter to Henslow, May 8, 1860. More Letters, 

 1, pp. 149, 150. 



