From Thomas Archer Hirst   Nov 6th 1853

Queenwood College. | Nov 6^th 1853

My dear John.

Your letter yesterday morning¹ caused such elevation of spirits that at the moment I accepted the invitation at the close, and told Mr Edmondson I was going up to London. In 5 minutes time I should have been on my road but my eyes happened to fall on a large amount of work that ought to be dispatched that day and without allowing myself time to argue the matter I seized my pen instead of my hat. I hope you went to Simpson’s² to tea for then you will have seen for yourself what sort of good folks they are. What a good natured little daughter³ I have and what a beautiful little girl Simpson eldest⁴ is. But about the Medal⁵ I wish you had been a little more explicit, is it the Copley Medal?⁶ How many of your medals are presented yearly, and what does the memorial⁷ say which accompanies it? I am greatly pleased about it for it shews me once more that you have some staunch friends. The gift is graceful and encouraging in every respect. The effect it had on you was curious and to the donors I am sure unexpected. Were you to take Prussic Acid⁸ I am afraid posterity would give you a far different reputation from the one you anticipate. Some (the Tom Perkintons⁹) would call you a clever fellow but a great ass or a ‘damned fool’ Others would say that like a mushroom you had grown up in 24 hours to reputation and not being able to sustain it you had quitted the scene in a rather cowardly way. No, to preserve the halo about you you must die a natural death, and this is out of your power to retard or accelerate. it is true you might accomplish death without poison by overwork but that would not be natural, and posterity would then say that in a few weeks you had compressed the work of as many years and had exploded with a puff. But to return to our old fundamental principles it is wisest not to care a straw about posterity and medals To go on your own way quietly and without misgivings, so that your life’s labour shall not be a forced overgrown part but a solid proportionate whole. I write this under the conviction that you have anticipated it and that it is unnecessary. And in passing I may just remark that you have to thank such convictions for so many short letters. It is strange but yet true that for full & interesting correspondence there should exist less unanimity of thought and opinion than in our case This very unanimity destroys to a great extent the reflectional part, and limits interest to matters of news and fact which are far more concisely told and in my case at any rate far more scanty. If you were at Queenwood instead of Debus there would be much less spoken between us but much more understood. Ginty was here a week ago. He says you are growing morose, your a clever fellow he knows but ‘I’m damned’ says he ‘If I know what’s matter with him. His notions about money and the practicalities of life are in my opinion absurd in the highest degree’ I enjoyed Ginty’s company for a day very much. That vigour and acuteness of intellect he possesses is truly refreshing in these twaddling¹⁰ days. It is true his ideal of Life differs materially from mine, indeed has very little in common with it.

Ginty requires an atmosphere of publicity and strife just as a fish requires water He must have something to conquer and he must measure his strength against other men’s weakness. He can appreciate no work performed for its own sake or for discipline in his own study & without intended publicity before Chancery Court¹¹ or Manchester Athenaeum.¹² In his own words Mans object in the world is to improve the material condition of his fellow men and of himself. Such men are of immense value but there must be men above them whose will they shall unwittingly execute –

I was almost entirely a listener during his graphic talk, only once we clashed about Carlyle and Emerson and to my surprise he gave way rather than defended his position. He admires Emerson more than Carlyle, nay he believes the latter is but an imitator of the former! His great mistake arises from his want of sympathy with what constitutes the highest merit of both. He judges them as mere book writers. Emerson gives him sound deep glances into things gives him a solid hint or two and above all does not interfere with his own theory of action. Carlyle on the contrary possessing his own vigour incites him to combat, and he finds in Carlyle’s action nothing practical nothing tangible or in accordance with his theory. Lacking this its deep earnestness is lost on him. Engaged in his own whirling combats he fails to see in Carlyles ‘grumblings’ the most radical & certain of all remedies.

Tomorrow we celebrate our 5^th of Nov^r13 Queenwood is in a glorious condition, there is but one drawback and that is Coombes¹⁴ he is a perfect fool. To prevent rows we have had to take work away from him and we are now almost inclined to dismiss him and share his classes between us.

Haas was far too scrupulous about your letter to Charley Cumming,¹⁵ he would not publish it, but he read it to the Mutual Improvement Society¹⁶ suppressing the name of the boy to whom it was addressed. All recognized your writing and foolishly Edmondson set them at guessing to whom it was addressed. After a short silence George Case¹⁷ gave it as his opinion that it was addressed to me

Haas is a splendid fellow but we differ much in opinion, of which more another time. You need not send me the Leader¹⁸ any more I see it every week now. Did you notice that sound letter of Palmerston’s?¹⁹ Tell me the nature of those experiments which militate against those of some eminent man.²⁰

Yours affectionately | T.A. Hirst.

RI MS JT/1/H/183

RI MS JT/1/HTYP/280–281