WCP2834

[1]

City & Guilds of London Institute¹

Technical College Finsbury

Leonard Street City Road

London E.C.

June 28th 1904

My dear Wallace

Your approbation of my review is extremely gratifying because the book is a mixture of such very different opinions. Also in a "Nature" review one is limited to a few columns & I have already exceeded the usual Editorial allowance. It is astonishing to see the great hold upon the Cambridge school obtained by de Wies v. Bateson. Even Francis Darwin is more or less under their dominion! I dare say you noticed that his Presidential Address to the Brit. Assoc. in Dublin last year was distinctly Lamarckian. But I for one feel like that in a few years us shall see [1 word illeg.] defunct & "Mendelism" assigned to its proper place. Among the speeches delivered in the Senate House, Ray Lancaster was the only one which really reaffirmed the True Darwin-Wallace position - which he did (like L.R.L.!) [?] somewhat aggressively in view of the fact that do de Weis himself was present. I cannot [2] make out why I was not asked to contribute to the Memorial volume. I suppose I am too "Darwinian" for that school! Hooker was there & seemed quite vigorous.

I am rejoiced to hear that your work is ongoing & we shall look forward to a further vindication of the only workable theory of the Origin of Species.

The Cambridge people have printed Darwin's original rough draft of the "Species Theory" (1842). F. Darwin has edited it & it is a very interesting historical contribution to Organic Evolution. But no doubt they have sent you a copy.

With kindest regards to you & yours

Yours very sincerely

R. Mendola²[signature]