32 



MY LIFE 



[Chap. 



The last three letters I received from Herbert Spencer 

 were in 1894 and 1895, all on the subject of what he termed 

 "the absurdity of Lord Salisbury's representation of the 

 process of natural selection " in his British Association 

 address at Oxford, wishing me to write to the Times^ point- 

 ing out his errors, which were influencing many persons and 

 writers in the press, and suggesting certain points I should 

 especially deal with. He concluded, " It behoves you of all 

 men to take up the gauntlet he has thus thrown down." I 

 replied, declining the task, on the ground that I did not think 

 Lord Salisbury's influence in a matter of science of much 

 importance, and that I thought my time better employed 

 in writing such articles on social and political, as well as 

 general scientific questions which then interested me. To 

 this he replied that he did not at all agree with me, and that 

 " articles in the papers show that Lord Salisbury's argument 

 is received with triumph, and unless it is disposed of, it will 

 lead to a public reaction against the doctrine of evolution at 

 large." 



As I still declined to go into this controversy, having 

 dealt with the whole matter in my "Darwinism," and still 

 being sceptical as to any great effects being produced by the 

 address in question, he wrote me a month later as follows : 

 "As I cannot get you to deal with Lord Salisbury, I have 

 decided to do it myself, having been finally exasperated into 

 doing it by this honour paid to his address in France — the 

 presentation of a translation to the French Academy. The 

 impression produced upon some millions of people in England 

 cannot be allowed to be thus further confirmed without pro- 

 test." He then asked me for some references, which I sent 

 him, and his criticism of Lord Salisbury duly appeared, and 

 was thoroughly well done, so that I had no reason to regret 

 not having undertaken it myself This was the latest letter I 

 received from him ; but during his last illness my wife, being 

 in Brighton, called to make inquiries after his health, and left 

 our cards, and I received a kindly expressed card in reply, 

 written by his amanuensis, but signed with his own initials. 

 It is dated November 28, 1903, ten days before his death. 



