[1]1
St. Andrews,
Feb. 10, 1867.
Dear Sir,
I have received your letter of the 6th inst[ant].,2 and your little volume.3 It gratifies me much to receive a friendly communication from the Mr Wallace of my friend Darwin’s Origin of Species,4 and my gratification is greatly heightened on finding that he is one of the few men of science who admit the verity of the phenomena of spiritualism. I have for many years known that these phenomena are real, as distinguished [2] from impostures; and it is not of yesterday that I concluded they were calculated to explain much that has been doubtful in the past, and, when fully accepted, revolutionise the whole frame of human opinion on many important matters.
Your book, in little space, makes a greater approach to a philosophical view of the entire subject than any other I know, and I would be happy to contribute to a new edition if my health permitted. [3] I will be happy to hear from you again— for I am still able to pen a letter now and then.
How provoking it has often appeared to me that it seems so impossible, with such a man, for instance, as Huxley5, to obtain a moment’s patience for this subject— so infinitely transcending all those of the physical science in the potential results.
My idea is that the term supernatural is a gross mistake. We have only to enlarge our conceptions of the natural, and [4] all will be right.
I am, dear sir | Yours very sincerely | R. Chambers [signature]
A. R. Wallace, Esq.
Status: Edited (but not proofed) transcription [Letter (WCP2547.2437)]
For more information about the transcriptions and metadata, see https://wallaceletters.myspecies.info/content/epsilon
"St. Andrews, February 10, 1867.
"Dear Sir, I have received your letter of the 6th ins [text missing] and your little volume. It gratifies me much to [2] [p. 337] receive a friendly communication from the Mr. Wallace of my friend Darwin's 'Origin of Species,' and my gratification is greatly heightened on finding that he one of the few men of science who admit the verity of the phenomena of spiritualism. I have for many years known that these phenomena are real, as distinguished from impostures; and it is not of yesterday that I concluded they were calculated to explain much that has been doubtful in the past, and when fully accepted, revolutionize the whole frame of human opinion on many important matters.
* * * * * *
"How provoking it has often appeared to me that it seems so impoossible, with such a man, for instance, as Huxley, to obtain a moment's patience for this subject — so infinitely transcending all those of physical science in the potential results!
"My idea is that the term 'supernatural' is a gross mistake. We have only to enlarge our conceptions of the natural, and all will be right.
"I am, dear sir, | Yours very sincerely, | ROBERT CHAMBERS."
Status: Draft transcription [Published letter (WCP2547.6941)]
For more information about the transcriptions and metadata, see https://wallaceletters.myspecies.info/content/epsilon
Please cite as “WCP2547,” in Beccaloni, G. W. (ed.), Ɛpsilon: The Alfred Russel Wallace Collection accessed on 29 April 2024, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/wallace/letters/WCP2547