WCP3550

[1]

Broadstone, Wimborne.

Nov^r. 29th. 1903

Robt Brown¹ Esq.

Dear Sir

Many thanks for your kind appreciation of my book.²

With regard to the passage about pure air, which to you & many other readers will appear quite uncalled for & almost rabid in its exaggerated language, I may say that it came to me as it were, without premediation, and as I am a thorough socialist I think it a duty to say a word for human progress at every opportunity.

I see from the list of your [2] numerous books, that you have written a pamphlet on the Origin of Language.³ That is a subject which has a fascination for me, and I shall be obliged if you can spare me a copy.

I am myself a dreadfully poor linguist, it being a great pain to me to learn a language, and then after some years of disuse I almost totally forget it. Nevertheless, I have written an Essay⁴ dealing with the origin of Language on the same lines as Wedgwood⁵ or Farrar,⁶ — but, I believe, I have discovered a new idea or principle, which carries the [3] imitative principle far beyond what they have suggested, and it seems to me renders the whole progress of speech development ^{or rather of speech origination —} simple & intelligible.

I have seen no reference to this idea in any English book but you will know whether it occurs in any German author or elsewhere. My article was published originally in the "Fortnightly Rev", & attracted the attention of Gladstone⁷ who wrote me an interesting, but in parts quite unintelligible letter⁸ about it, & its illustration in Homer. I have reprinted [4] the article, with a few corrections, in my "Essays Scientific & Social"⁹ — Its title is — "T. Expressiveness of Speech." It has been entirely unnoticed except by one or two ignorant critics, who, of course sneered at it, as utterly worthless.

When I have read your paper & seen whether there is any reference to the principle, I will, if you cannot get the book to look at, lend you my only copy of the original article.

Believe me | yours very truly | Alfred R. Wallace [signature]

[5] P.S. I meant to say that I have looked through, & read portions of your book on the Constellations, parts of which I find very interesting though too technical for a linguistic ignoramus like myself. What was especially interesting to me is your reprint of a translation of the Star Catalogue of Hipparchus, as I had never understood before how he defined the several stars. Your account of the origin & development of some of the Constellation figures is also very interesting.

A.R.W.