WCP3759

[1]

HODESLEA,

STAVELEY ROAD,

EASTBOURNE.

Jany 22. 1893

My dear Hooker¹

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’ –

By the way I wonder who the Times 'Critic' was. He came out for word & 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 Owen² 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 upon which [3] 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 marked silence in absence 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 live 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 Hume³ said to his housekeeper when they chalked up ‘S. David’s Street’ on the wall.

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

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. Huxley⁴ [signature]

Evans⁵ is going to bring out a new edition — himself per Lady E⁶ — G.O.M.