To Thomas Archer Hirst

My dear Tom

Before I start out upon my Sunday walk¹ I will write to you. I had a letter from Magnus² on Friday in which he desired me to return you his special thanks for having looked over the translation of his paper.

I am at a little crisis of my life³ at present and were I disposed to place more weight in externals and less on internals than I am accustomed to do I should doubtless be in a small fever. You saw a short note of mine⁴ perhaps some time ago in the Times referring to the examinations in which I have been engaged. Since the commencement of these examinations I have endeavoured to get a higher recognition for Natural Philosophy & Chemistry but in vain, they rate as less than one third of pure & mixed mathematics and are below English literature. on the 25^th of last month I had a letter from Prof. Galbraith⁵ of Trinity Coll. Dublin complaining that in the report submitted to Lord Panmure my department was totally ignored, ‘although a very cursory glance at the numbers would prove the past superiority of the answering in it over every other part of the examination. He complained because he & Haughton had worked hard to produce this result. Well I saw from the turn of the Report he referred to⁶ that Mr. Mosely had restricted himself to the publication of the remarks which accompanied the examiners returns. I made no such remarks as I trusted to the figures speaking for themselves; in this omission I saw the complaint of Galbraith originated. Well at the moment feeling the step could do no injury to anybody but myself I supplied the omission by writing that short note to the Times.

As I expected, a letter from the War office⁷ at once reached me telling me that I had no right to appear thus without sanction in the public prints. I felt that the War office was perfectly right from its own point of view. Still as I had besides the War office the general cause of science in view I felt that I was not altogether wrong. I thought therefore that an opportunity was thus given me to lay the whole subject before Lord Panmure. I set to work and after much thoughtful deliberation managed to say nearly what I intended to say, and sent the letter into his Lordship.⁸ before sending it I set clearly before my mind the possibility, nay the probability, that the whole matter would result in my removal from the post of examiner, and thus having accustomed myself to look at the worst, I became tranquil. What the issue is to be I do not know. I have shot a bomb which may recoil upon myself. But the great gods be thanked my existence or my happiness does not not hang upon the result. If it give them a better notion of science with reference to the practical life of a soldier my end is joined; if not it only proves that I have been too early, for a day will yet come, where natural philosophy & Chemistry will not in a soldier’s education be ranked at half the value of Greek & Latin, and occupy a lower place than English literature.

Affectionately Yours John.

Tell me how Anna is getting on this weather must try her very much. I had your brothers card⁹ and have written to him. Today it is cold & unfriendly here, a gray cloudy heaven & north east wind.

RI MS JT/1/T/897