WCP1515

42 Rutland gate S.W.

Feb[ruary] 5/91

My dear Mr. Wallace

The views you express so clearly & forcibly, agree with those I have often considered — ranging between a modest cottage with hutches & and a bit of ground, up to a Hereditary Institute. There was also a half move in this direction made last spring by Ray Lankester¹, Romanes², & others.

The difficulties I fear and which I hope you can remove, are as follows. Let us suppose that funds have been collected, a small farm procured, and a sensible manager installed in it and that operations are ready to begin. Also I would suppose that the cost of conducting experiments would be met by those who devised them, who themselves had obtained a grant for the purpose from the R[oyal].Soc[iety]:Brit[ian]:Assoc[iatio]n. or otherwise.

Now (1) I doubt if it would be easy to devise a sufficiency of experiments to occupy the establishment of a sort that would generally be recognized as crucial. In the two groups of desiderata you mention, no one that I know has yet suggested an experiment, much less several experiments, that those who believe in and those who don’t believe in hereditary transmission of acquired characters would accept as fair.

If a few such could be devised, all my fear as to the utility of the establishment would vanish. If it could settle this one question pains & cost w[oul]d be amply repaid.³

(2). Similarly as regards the sterility question, though in a much less degree. The uncertain & often large effects of confinement on fecundity would be a serious disturbing cause.

It then seems to be the first desideratum before making any move that a fairly long list of definite problems, that such an establishment might be [2] set to work upon, ought to be drawn up. Would you put your views to these on paper?

The number of experimenters is sadly too[?] small.

(3). Another difficulty is that the experiments are not likely to be so carefully tended & guarded in an establishment as they w[oul]d be by oneself or by personal friends. I have had some very marked evidence of this in my own experience, which I don’t like to put on paper for fear of causing annoyance.

If the difficulties I have mentioned can be shown to be small, all the rest would be plain sailing. The farm would bear the same ^{a similar} relation to Heredity both plant and animal that the Kew Observatory does to experimenters in Physical Science.

It might grow into a repository of stud books and all about domestic animal breeding, and pay its way well in this department.

Also it might become a repository of family genealogies & facts about human hereditary, and also pay its way here, for people love to have their genealogies put on record, photos of family portraits preserved &c. & would pay for the trouble it might cost to keep them.

But the first thing is the experimental farm in connection with Kew or Chiswick — the Zool:Society⁴ & Marine biological laboritories. It could be started modestly under the same roof, so to speak, as one of these, so as to avoid the many expenses of a separate establishment, while an independent home was being prepared for it to be entered into if it succeeded.

I have much that would be helpful to say if you can remove these initial difficulties of prospect.

Very sincerely y[ou]rs | Francis Galton⁵ [signature]

Pray give our kind remembrances to Mrs. Wallace, & accept them yourself

[1] [p. 129]

42, RUTLAND GATE, S.W. Feb. 5/91

MY DEAR MR WALLACE, The views you express so clearly & forcibly, agree with those I have often considered — ranging between a modest cottage with hutches & a bit of ground, up to an Heredity Institute. There was also a half move in this direction made last spring by Ray Lankester, Romanes & others. The difficulties I fear and which I hope you can remove, are as follows. Let us suppose that funds have been collected, a small farm procured and a sensible manager installed in it and that operations are ready to begin. Also ll: would suppose that the cost of conducting experiments would be met by those who devised them, who themselves had obtained a grant for the purpose from the R. Soc., Brit. Assoc. or otherwise.

Now (1) I doubt if it would be easy to devise a sufficiency of experiments to occupy the establishment of a sort that wd. generally be recognised as crucial. In the two groups of desiderata you mention, no one that l know of, has yet suggested an experiment, much less several experiments, that those who believe in and those who don't believe in the hereditary transmission of acquired characters would accept as fair..lf a few such could be devised all my fears as to the utility of the establishment would vanish. If it could settle this one question pains and cost would be amply repaid.

(2) Similarly as regards the sterility question though in a much less degree. The uncertain and often large effects of confinement on fecundity would be a serious disturbing cause.

lt then seems to be the first desideratum before making any move that a fairly long list of definite problems, that such an establishment might be set to work upon, ought to be drawn up. Would you put your views as to these on paper?

The number of experimenters is sadly small. [2] [p. 130]

(3) Another difficulty is that the experiments are not likely to very be carefully tended & guarded in an establishment as they would be by oneself or by personal friends. I have some fear very marked evidence of this in my own experience, which I don't like to put on paper for fear of causing annoyance.

If the difficulties I have mentioned can be shown to be small, all the rest would he plain sailing. The farm would bear a similar relation to Heredity both plant and animal that the Kew Observatory does to experiments in Physical Science.

It might grow into a repository of stud books and all about domestic animal breeding, and pay its way well in this department. Also it might become a repository of family genealogies & facts about human heredity, and also pay its way here; the people love to have their genealogies put on record, photos of family portraits preserved, &c. & would pay for the trouble it might cost to keep them.

But the first thing is the experimental farm — in connection with Kew or Chiswick — The Zool. Society & Marine biological laboratories. It could be started moderately under the same roof, so to speak, as one of these, so as to avoid many expenses of a separate establishment , while an independent home was being prepared for it to be entered into if it succeeded.

I have much that would be helpful to say, if you can remove these initial difficulties of prospect. Very sincerely yours, FRANCIS GALTON.

Pray give our united kind remembrances to Mrs Wallace, & accept them yourself.