My dear Tom.
I have worked pretty hard and pretty successfully today. I have had my supper, it is half past 9 oC. and I am afraid to work after supper lest I should petrify my bowels, so instead of working I take up my pen to play and amuse myself by writing to you. You are aware that one of the little jobs I had set before myself was an article on du Bois researches for one of the quarterly reviews:2 – The writing of such an article is a horrible undertaking for a conscientious man. You have to read an immense lot and to digest it all and try to understand it if possible better than the writers. I have waded through these two mortal volumes of du Bois,3 and through sundry papers of Matteucci’s4 spurred on by an anxiety to do no man an injustice. When I look at the volumes that have been written upon this subject, on the amount of real talent that has been expended upon it, an indescribable mixture of the solemn and the ludicrous fills my heart, I could sometimes sigh, sometimes swear, sometimes burst with laughter. If du Bois knew what was passing in my mind I believe he would think it doing God service to assassinate me. I came to Berlin a believer in animal electricity. I have looked at it, pondered it, I think mastered it, and my connection is that this thing about which du Bois and Matteucci are ready to crack each other’s sculls,5 on which Helmholtz and fifty others have edified the world is a pure non-entity, the child of misconception, the offspring of genius and ambition, the result of too little and of too much talent of too deep an insight and too shallow an insight, the result of a longing after nature’s secrets, unchecked by an humble wish to accept her admonitions whatever they might be. In short I believe it to be the battling of ten thousand conflicting forces which belong to the greatest and to the littlest of men. I have never I think seen real talent so blindfolded as here. I have never before witnessed such an example of the lengths of error to which a single misconception can lead a man. If a man be once false to nature he appears to be afflicted with a judicial blindness in punishment of his crime. The sin against the holy ghost6 was something of this nature. A man to be a true physicist must be capable of renunciations, tho’ strong in will as an oak he must bend like a reed7 before the revelations of that power whose laws he would investigate. But you will think that I am raving and I am willing that on the present you should believe with the crowd against me. I prophesy however that the fabric of Animal Electricity as it at present stands will share the fate of solomon’s temple.8 The ploughshare will pass over it. I began a believer, I end an infidel; I believed in authority, I doubt on convictions – I wonder if a man gazed steadfastly at the law of gravitation9 would it stand his gaze? It is now a quarter past 10 oC and I will go to bed.
17th. Aug. 53. John
19th Aug. 1853
I must have been drunk when I wrote the above. there is a good deal of truth in it but it is so wildly expressed. dont mention it to mortal man. Your sweet letter10 has just reached me Tom. It makes me like you better than ever. I never knew a truly noble fellow who could not love children and make himself at home amongst them. Its the best test I know of a real healthy and expansive soul. If I hear a teacher complaining of his profession I hear the words of a defective man. I knew you would like it boy. Something told me you would, [perhaps] it is all an arrangement of the Gods to make your pleasure and Queenwoods interests thus harmonize. I shall often come down to see you, when choked with the soot of London and bewildered by Science I will take a run down to you and cleanse my lungs and my affections at the same time. I will not neglect your advice as regards my health; it would be sheer madness. I know I shall soon get strong when I break away from all temptations to work. I have had most strange experiences of late. What Doctors call nervous attacks – Just imagine me getting out of bed to block up my bedroom door with chairs lest I should get up in my sleep and jump out of a window some 30 feet high. Yesterday I worked hard and eat nothing up to 2 or 3 oC. I felt a strange headache, and in the afternoon got on the top of an omnibus drove to Charlottenburg11 and walked home again. The head ache stuck to me for a long time but at length it departed. It is now Friday. I shall leave on Sunday or Monday, travel to Halberstadt12 and thence over the Harz13 to Cassel.14
Do take a run up and see du Bois.15 He is a profound fellow, an intellect as keen and cutting as the sabre of Saladin16 and as eloquent as an orator of the forum.17 Altogether a wonderful fellow, and the most instructive man that I have met. There is a great gulf between him and me on many points; but this does not prevent me from recognizing the manly proportions of his mind. He is a child of this world; prepared to battle in it like a man and keenly alive to its rewards and its inflections. In my eyes he would be nobler if he could realize at times a feeling of superiority to wordly chances, but this I believe he never does. He is a splendid animal – his bowels are always free and his head clear. What his feelings will be if he finds his animal electricity in peril I cannot imagine – in fact I dont like to imagine it. I wish I could undertake an investigation with him. I wish he could bring himself to look at least at the possibility of his being mistaken and to meet the question at all hazards. But when I look at these two terrible volumes18 the sacrifice strikes me as an immense one. I have no doubt that he will be able to maintain his ground against all gainsayers, that is, nobody will be able to prove him absolutely wrong, but I do believe that a sufficient cause will be assigned for all his phenomena without ever calling in the aid of animal electricity. I trust this subject will not haunt me on the Harz. dont mention the matter at all to du Bois, only remember me to him most kindly.
65 or 66 boys and more to come! that is a trumpet note of triumph – I know you will keep them boy – I know that Queenwood will be filled – I said 12 months ago to a man in Salisbury19 the time will come when people will think themselves happy in finding a place for their children at Queenwood – It has almost come already. God speed you and I need not tell you the best way to make him ‘Speed’ that is to help him.
‘our valours are our best gods’20
night –
Since writing the last 4 pages I have been out. The nerves were at work and I took a cigar in my pocket and walked towards the Thier Garten.21 I saw a number of fire-men pushing on in a certain direction as if they were in earnest about something. Shortly afterwards a heavy engine rattled by me. I saw at a distance the smoke of the fire they were going to quench, but walked listlessly on – I paused, and said mentally – here is something that will keep your brain from eating itself for one half hour. I went to the fire – a number of men were already upon the roof of the high house smashing down the flags, at intervals the heavy roll of fresh engines sounded like the rumble of cannon upon the pavement – the clouds of smoke sometimes enveloped the workmen – sometimes drew aside and let me see the brave fellows at work. I had often met them with their slouched leather hats and polished pickaxes and thought the latter more for ornament than use but here it was brought into play in good earnest, the spray of the hose split the smoke and showers were thrown upon the burning mass – man at length conquered and fire yielded. I turned towards the Thier Garten once more, lighted my cigar and at a distance observed illumination – It was Kroll’s concert22 in the public garden. I stalked towards it for the nerves had begun to work again; paid my 5 silbergroschen23 and went in, had a glass of Weiss bier,24 heard the music and enjoyed it. The moving crowd, the flicker of the lamps, the melody, the bright eyes and cheeks like the flush of roses, all had a medicinal effect – I went to see some officers shoot at a target – various instruments meant for proving strength were placed around: I tried my tragkraft25 and my Shlagkraft26 and found myself in each case above the average – so that whatever may be the state of the nerves the muscles have not yet lost their force. I returned very deeply impressed with the philosophy of folly. I felt improved and now trust the gods will grant me a good night’s rest. | 19th Aug 1853.
You defend woman against me,27 my dear boy if you knew my feelings towards a fair sweet face you would not deem this necessary. Man is a religious animal, a social animal a chivalrous animal, a loving animal. He is all in turn and if he were not all but one he would no longer be man but something else. You ought to know better than to take the affirmation of one of his moods for the totality of your friend John. Why man I caught myself singing ‘love, young dream’28 all unconsciously this morning. Sometimes a woman is a toy to me, sometimes a goddess, but I must stop or the nerves will begin once more.
10 oC. good night.
Remember me to Dr. Fox.29 If he wants the model of an ear let him write to me to the care of Knoblauch Marburg – I shall be there in a week.
Saturday.
No historian ought to undertake to write the life of Chatham30 without having first had an attack of the nerves. What solution can a fellow offer who has not made this experiment. How can the strong man’s tears and womanly weakness be accounted for? There is a great deal of nonsense in the world through talented people writing about what they themselves have never experienced. I plunged three times into the Spree31 today and bought a knapsack. – I leave it to you to connect the facts.
I gave your letter32 to Schneider – The money has all come safe. It is plenty for the present. The diagrams33 are not here but in Paris. I shall be off tomorrow or next day – The last letter34 containing the notes has not been 10 minutes in my possession so you cant accuse me of delay.
ever your old friend│John.
RI MS JT/1/T/914
RI MS JT/1/HTYP/263
[17, 19, 20 August 1853]: Tyndall wrote this letter over three days, as noted within the text of the letter.
article on du Bois … quarterly reviews: Tyndall’s review of Emil du Bois-Reymond’s work on animal electricity would be published in January 1854 (see letters 0754, n. 9 and 0780, n. 5).
two mortal volumes of du Bois: most likely E. du Bois-Reymond, Untersuchungen über Tierische Electricität, 2 vols. (Berlin: G. Reimer, 1848–9). Volume 1 was published in 1848; the first half of volume 2 was published in 1849. Du Bois-Reymond did not complete the second half of volume two until 1860 (Finkelstein, Emil du Bois-Reymond, p. 89).
papers of Matteucci’s: for a list of Matteucci’s publications see ‘Matteucci, Carlo’, RS Catalogue, vol. 4, pp. 285–93.
this thing … each other’s sculls: Matteucci and du Bois-Reymond were engaged in a heated public conflict over their views on animal electricity (see letters 0724; 0730; 0732; 0737; 0744; 0754; and 0780).
The sin … holy ghost: blasphemy, or the willful denial of divine truth (Mark 3:28–30).
Tho’ strong … like a reed: an allusion to ‘The Oak and the Reed’ in Aesop’s Fables, which teaches that it may be better to bend like a reed than stand sturdy like an oak in the face of powerful external circumstances (S. Croxall, The Fables of Aesop; With Instructive Applications [Halifax: William Milner, 1843], p. 74–5).
the fate of Solomon’s Temple: according to the Old Testament, the Temple was built by King Solomon during the tenth century BCE, and then destroyed during the sixth century BCE when the Babylonians under Nebuchadnezzar besieged Jerusalem and burned it down.
law of gravitation: Newton’s law of universal gravitation, which states that ‘the attractive force of bodies varies directly as their masses and inversely as the square of the distance between them’ (OED)
Your sweet letter: letter 0798.
Charlottenburg: a locality of Berlin, home to the famous Charlottenburg Palace.
Halberstadt: a town in Germany located near the Harz Mountains.
the Harz: the Harz Mountains (see letter 0795, n. 1).
Cassel: a city in central Germany located on the Fulda River.
see du Bois: Emil du Bois-Reymond had invited Hirst to visit him in London (see letter 0798, n. 15). Du Bois-Reymond had travelled to England to be married (see letter 0780, n. 18).
the sabre of Saladin: the sabre belonging to the Muslim hero Saladin (1138–93), who unified religious factions during a period of Muslim disunity, and captured Jerusalem during the Crusades. The sabre was found in Saladin’s tomb, and has received much popular and scholarly attention (N. Chase, ‘Saladin’, in F. N. Magill [ed.], Dictionary of World Biography: The Middle Ages [New York: Routledge, 1998], vol. 2, pp. 809–11).
the forum: likely an allusion to the Roman Forum, a site of various activities such as public speeches, elections, communal feasting, and religious sacrifices in Ancient Rome (D. Watkin, The Roman Forum [Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 2009], pp. 11–6).
these two terrible volumes: see n. 3.
a man in Salisbury: possibly James Bevington (see letters 0681 and 0691; see also Journal, 19 November 1852, JT/2/13b/589).
‘our valours are our best gods’: line spoken by Caratach in John Fletcher’s 1613 play, Bonduca: A Tragedy.
Thier Garten: see letter 0793, n. 7.
Kroll’s concert: a concert held by the Kroll Opera House in Berlin. Otherwise not identified.
silbergroschen: see the ‘Note on Money’.
Weiss bier: German, ‘white beer’, brewed from wheat (Weizen).
tragkraft: German, ‘capacity’ (weightlifting).
Shlagkraft: misspelling of Schlagkraft; German, ‘clout’ (punching or pushing).
you defend woman against me: see letter 0791 in which Hirst suggested that Tyndall needed to alter his views when it comes ‘to judging our veritable “womankind.”’ (See also letter 0784.)
love, young dream: ‘Love’s Young Dream’, an 1811 song by the Irish poet and songwriter, Thomas Moore (1779–1852).
Dr. Fox: Luther Owen Fox (1812–79), the surgeon in Broughton who attended to the pupils and staff at Queenwood College. Tyndall often visited and dined with him.
Chatham: likely William Pitt (1708–78), the 1st Earl of Chatham; Pitt suffered from nervous and psychological disorders (ODNB).
the Spree: see letter 0797, n. 6.
your letter: letter 0799.
The diagrams: see letters 0796 and 0799, n. 4.
The last letter: see n. 32.
Please cite as “Tyndall0800,” in Ɛpsilon: The John Tyndall Collection accessed on