Old Orchard,
Broadstone,
Dorset.
Dec[embe]r. 7th. 1911
My dear Mr. Stead
Carnegie's list of the 20 greatest men, is the most preposterous I have ever seen! I can only retain one of them. It would require much more thought & time, as well as more general & historical knowledge than I have at hand to give even an approximate estimate of the World’s 20 greatest men. If you print my rough estimate, please arrange them [[ 2]] either alphabetically or chronologically,-the latter would be the most instructive and it would certainly be best & most instructive to arrange all the lists your receive alike — & in order of time, which any of your clerks can find out in an Encyclopaedia.
I dare say I should alter mine a good deal if I had more time to give to it. I take "greatness" to apply to character more than to any one or more striking [3] or useful discoveries which have often been made by very small & what a Yankee might call a "one-horse" man.
The great difficulty is that around any one supremely great man there is a cluster of others almost as great, who might almost monopolize the whole 20 — as is the case of Socrates & Michael Angelo [sic].
I think my List fairly shows the different types of greatness. Scott, Dickens, & R. Owen, will be most objected to, but I could give very good reasons for [4] including each of them.
I shall be very glad to see you at any time. Is there any chance of getting Sir E[dward]. Gray1 [sic] to resign? I suppose Lord Morley would be the best in his place?
I had a visit from my old friend Prof[essor]. Barrett last week & much enjoyed it. He is advancing still, & doing good work for Spiritualist by clearing the ground.
Yours very truly | Alfred R. Wallace [signature]
Status: Draft transcription [Letter (WCP4299.4424)]
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Please cite as “WCP4299,” in Beccaloni, G. W. (ed.), Ɛpsilon: The Alfred Russel Wallace Collection accessed on 2 May 2024, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/wallace/letters/WCP4299