Ɛpsilon

WCP3979

Letter (WCP3979.3920)

[1]

30, Cumberland Road

Kew

13th. Jany. 1911.

My dear Meldola,1

It is a "responsibility" to deal with this last book2 of poor Wallace's — and at first I was strongly tempted to shirk it. But it might fall into the hands of someone who could not resist the temptation to pour on it the ridicule, which it certainly invites. So I have undertaken the task and will try to avoid anything that could hurt the poor old man.

How well do I recollect Darwin3 saying to me one day [2] that "there is a twist in the mind of poor Wallace"!

In your kindly review of my little book,4 you suggest that some of the readers of Nature may be able to explain the origin of the passage in Darwin to which you refer. As I have written to you, I think this can now be done by reference to the "Foundations."5 Do you think it would be worth while for me to send a letter to Nature on the subject, or shall the matter rest? Please send a Post Card yes! or no! & I will do as you decide[.]

Yours faithfully | John W. Judd6 [signature]

1
Meldola, Raphael (1849-1915). British chemist and entomologist.
2
Wallace, A. R. 1910. The world of life: a manifestation of creative power, directive mind and ultimate purpose. London: Chapman & Hall.
3
Darwin, Charles Robert (1809-1882). British naturalist, geologist and author, notably of On the Origin of Species (1859).
4
Judd, J. W. 1910. The Coming of Evolution: The story of a great revolution in science. Cambridge University Press.
5
Darwin, Francis ed. 1909. The foundations of The origin of species. Two essays written in 1842 and 1844. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
6
Judd, John Wesley (1840-1916). President of the Geological Society (1886-1888). Professor of geology at the Royal School of Mines (1876-1905).

Editorial information

Status: Draft transcription [Letter (WCP3979.3920)]

For more information about the transcriptions and metadata, see https://wallaceletters.myspecies.info/content/epsilon

Revision history

Transcribed by Congerton, John [2019-01-08] Transcription checked by Congerton, John [2019-01-08] Transcription checked by Sherwood, Danni [2020-08-10] Transcription checked by Chua, Christine [2026-04-18]

Please cite as “WCP3979,” in Beccaloni, G. W. (ed.), Ɛpsilon: The Alfred Russel Wallace Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/wallace/letters/WCP3979