WCP2774

[1]

20, Avenue Road,

Regents Park N.W.

Telegraphic Address

Ludwig Mond, London

July 13th 1899

Dear Mr Wallace,

I do not know how to thank you for the promptness, & the great kindness, & the thoroughness with which you have responded to the wish which Mrs Arabella Fisher submitted to you on my behalf. Your introduction to Mathilde Blind's¹ "Ascent of Man" is just what I had hoped & wished it to be, & I am convinced that it will <raise> [2] for her poem a large number of new readers & friends.

You will be interested to know that Mathilde Blind, when she first became acquainted with Darwin's works, retired to a solitary farm house for 9 months, leaving all her friends, & her other work, & devoting herself entirely to the study of the new gospel.

The result of her devotion to this study during this time was her poem: "The Ascent of Man", which was ultimately published in 1889.

The work which Mr Drummond² published under the same title appeared 5 years later in 1894.

Mathilde Blind was greatly [3] annoyed at Mr Drummond having used her title; but apart from this I have every reason to believe she did not know Mr Drummond or his previous works.

As you have spoken of Mr Drummond in the 2nd page of your introduction you will perhaps prefer to leave out this reference to him & I shall be glad to hear from you before putting the introduction into the publishers' hands.

To save possible trouble, I enclose a copy of the passage in question.

Believe me | Yours very truly

Ludwig Mond³ [signature]