WCP3759

[1]¹

HODESLEA,

STAVELEY ROAD,

EASTBOURNE.

July 22. 1903

My dear Hooker²

I am very glad you have brought Wallace to his senses[.] Hope I may have contributed to the result by the gentle kick behind I administered in ‘Nature’³ — By the way I wonder who the Times⁴ 'Critic' was. He came out for [1 word illeg.] & came back there any how [.] What lies the fellow told — [2] What grim corners one gets into if one only lives long enough! The grim humour of the situation when I was seconding his proposal for a statue to Owen⁵ yesterday tickled me a good deal. I do not know how they will regard me in the Times but if they do it properly I think you will see that I said no word after[?] which [3]⁶ I could not stand cross-examination[.]

I chose the officer ^office of seconder in order that I might clearly defend my position and stop the mouths of blasphemers — who would have masked[?] silence in where[?] to all with [3 words illeg.] [.]

Whatever the man might be, he did a lot of first rate work and now that he can do no more mischief he has a right to his wages for it.

If I only kill another ten [4] years I expect to be made a saint of myself — "Many a better man has been made a saint of " as old Davie Hume⁷ said to his housekeeper when they chalked up ‘S[aint]. David’s Street’ on the wall.⁸

We have been jogging along pretty well, but work has been creaky[?] & I got some up in a brutal London fog struggling with the worse fog of this New University⁹[.]

I am very glad you like my practical adventures. I do not know whether it is good but I am sure the others are bad.

Ever yours affectionately | T. H. Huxley¹⁰ [signature]

Evans¹¹ is going to bring out a new edition — himself per Lady L[ubbock][?] ¹² — G[rand]. O[ld]. M[an]."¹³