WCP2895

[1]

Netherby,

Victoria Road, S.

Southsea.

5^th Jan 1908

My Dear Sir

I read with great pleasure your kindly article in the Fortnightly Review. May I thank you for it. The pleasure is intensified by the fact that that I believed you disapproved of me [1 word illeg.], and I would very gladly have [1 word illeg.] your approval. I felt sure I was [1 word illeg.] in the points mentioned by you in the Fortnightly, and consequently I feel somewhat [1 word illeg.]. Will you please forgive me? I am beginning to suspect that [2] I am an ill-conditioned fellow. In just the same way I suspected Laukedie of [1 word illeg.] injustice some years ago and wrote about him in a way he made me regret by helping unlimited kindness, as [1 word illeg.] of tire, on my head.

Professor [1 word illeg.] wrote me the other day that he had been discussing Mendelism with you. I daresay you saw urs correspondence in Nature. We had a meeting at the Linneaus affiliats if which I read a paper which was followed by a discussion in which Laukedie, Poulion, + othes [1 word illeg.] pact, Mendelism appears to me an abroadly once sated fad which might be disregarded were it not that it has directed — with other kindred [3] fads — attraction from more important problems.

It has always seemed to me that the most important thing about biology is the light it [1 word illeg.] on mind. If we could only convince people of its tremendous part played by ‘[1 word illeg.]’ in man — if we could only draw attention to the fact that the [1 word illeg.] characteristics of the various faces depend mainly on acquirement, it would be possible to achieve a real advance on one [1 word illeg.] system of training the [1 word illeg.] by nature how good results were achieved in past times. Education would then feed on the bed-rock — biology. But at present while Mendelism, [1 word illeg.], and the rest hold the field it seems impossible to [4] interest me of [1 word illeg.] in the matter. We have [1 word illeg.] joined in which such questions can be brought out. At my [1 word illeg.] LauKedie is trying to [1 word illeg.] one. But it is a question of finance. I think it should be financially successful. People are interested in such questions as education + ‘physical [1 word illeg.]’ but have no guidance. The Royal Commissions of recent times give an indication of the interest. I have done a good deal of work in connection with the fact — on feeble-minded persons, and I believe its decisions will be such as to enhance the interest in biology.

With endured thanks

Believe me | Yours very truly | G. Archdall Reid [signature]¹