London Saturday evg | May 27/54
My dear Tom.
I should not wonder if you thought me remiss in writing to you but the fact is I have been compelled to shut out the world, yourself included, for the last three or four days while I ran my lecture1 once more through the crucible of thought – I added some and changed some, and think you will approve of both changes and additions when you see the printed lecture. Today it was given. I had been in the house for 3 days previously, permitting my beard to grow and altogether when I had the matter complete I looked very much like a scoundrel with my unwashed and unshaven face. – I felt clear in head and not cowardly at heart when I entered the theatre. I acquitted myself to the satisfaction of every body – the bursts of applause were frequent throughout, and at the end the applause was long and loud – A kind of procession walked past me afterwards and both gentleman and ladies, quite unknown to me shook me by the hand. The audience was a fine one, included many men of eminence – Many Oxford men were present and Faraday told me that they frowned and looked gruff at the commencement but that every man of them melted before the lecture was concluded. Edmondson would be proud if he heard the people enquiring about Queenwood afterwards, I was glad to see this, for indeed my experience at Queenwood was a great help to me – I had the boys and the playground for some time before my minds eye and spoke, I doubt not, with the feeling which my affection for the little fellows prompted. It is a comfort to me to feel that I did not disappoint my friends. Some however in shaking hands with me said I was two centuries in advance of my time and I replied that Gallileo2 was the same. It is wonderful to me how things seem to have been arranged for me since I came to London – Here for example was an opportunity which never occurred before and may never occur again and which enabled me to to write my own testimonial in a manner somewhat congenial to me – Coupling it with the success of my Friday evenings3 I am sure if I had the arrangement of the circumstances of my life I could not have managed matters half so well. In the printed lecture I will try and introduce the extract from your journal4 in the form of a note, although I did not read the extract, but I gave Faraday the lecture to read beforehand and although your portion was crossed out he managed to read it and it was he suggested that it ought to be appended as a note. He evidently was highly pleased with it, and will probably shake your hand with increased cordiality the time he sees you next. Lyell5 was present and other men of similar calibre. On the whole, though physically very weak from fasting and confinement, I got through my task with vigour. I had studied Emerson’s lecture on Plato6 in the forenoon of the day, and entered the room in some measure imbued with the spirit of the man, who of all that I have read of comes nearest to the expression of my constitution. I had a cup of tea with Faraday afterwards, and the affectionate light of his clear eye was as grateful to me as anything else. I know all this will interest you for otherwise I would not write it.
You sent me a letter from Phillips7 on Sunday, and with a scrap from yourself – thinking I suppose that January’s letter8 would be an equivalent for the weekly epistle which I have a right to expect from you. I am not disposed to accept any such equivalent, but I suppose you were busy like myself and compelled to make your letter brief. With regard to January I dont know what to say – I believe he is improving but the letter is so very different from what I should write myself that I hardly know what to think of it – On the whole I am of opinion that it would be a greater service to him to leave him to his resources than to send him the money – I fear he has got money in this way too easily and that it has done him far more harm than good. If I were convinced of his stern probity in such matters I should not hesitate an instant to send him the money myself, but as yet he has given no sufficient proof of his amendment and until he does I would not lend him money. He must pay the penalty of his own folly, and learn, if need be by bitter experience, that his friends require honourable conduct at his hands – I have been forced before now to cast away friends for whom I entertained a warm affection purely because their want of probity destroyed all affinity between me and them. I hate that expression of his that you are to consider the matters he mentions to you ‘sacred’ – He said the same to me when he wanted to borrow ten pounds from me. I hate it because it is unmanly and shows a disposition to live under false appearances. This is all I have to say about January, and I know that in the main your thoughts will coincide with mine. I cannot conclude however without one word of admiration for little Smith,9 who although he knows his man has been willing to incur such risque to serve him – this last sentence may seem inconsistent with what I have said before, but I know you will not deem it necessary for me to reconcile both, as you will do it yourself without my aid.
If you would be kind enough to hand over ten shillings as my subscription to the Queenwood Cricket Club10 I will pay you when I come down – give the money to Charles Cumming and he will hand it to the Treasurer.11
Your affectionate | John
RI MS JT/1/T/589
RI MS JT/1/HTYP/341–342
my lecture: Tyndall’s Lecture on Education (see letters 0900, n. 6; 0924; and 0933).
Gallileo: Galileo Galilei (1564–1642), the Italian astronomer, physicist, and mathematician, who was famous for his telescopic observations of sunspots and the phases of Venus and Jupiter’s moons. Tyndall would later argue in his 1874 ‘Belfast Address’ as the President of the BAAS that Galileo’s forced renunciation of the Copernican system represented just one of many historical confrontations between scientific progress and theological dogmatism.
my Friday evenings: reference to Tyndall’s Friday evening lectures at the RI.
the extract from your journal: Hirst included an extract from his journal in his letter of 23 April (see letter 0924). Tyndall’s lecture was published later in 1854 (see letter 0900, n. 6).
Lyell: see letter 0882, n. 11.
Emerson’s lecture on Plato: see letter 0855, n. 5.
a letter from Phillips: letter missing.
January’s letter: ‘January’ was the pen name of George Searle Phillips (see also letter 0759, n. 15). The letter mentioned here is the same as n. 7.
little Smith: John Stores Smith (1828–1892/3), a young literary man and disciple of Carlyle. He was introduced to Hirst by George Searle Phillips (see n. 8). Smith was educated at the Manchester Grammar School and was the author of Mirabeau: A Life History.
my subscription to the Queenwood Cricket Club: Charles Cumming had asked Tyndall whether he would join as an honourable member of the Queenwood Cricket Club by becoming a patron or donor (see letter 0927).
the Treasurer: likely Mr. Taylor (see letter 0927, n. 1).
Please cite as “Tyndall0933,” in Ɛpsilon: The John Tyndall Collection accessed on