WCP4445

[1]

Old Orchard,

Broadstone,

Wimborne.

March 1st. 1909

My dear Poulton¹

Thanks for your interesting letter.² I am very glad you have found a useful lot of insects and cabinets! left at Miss Pascoe’s³ house. Allow me to congratulate you on the approaching marriage of your daughter, in so suitable and satisfactory a manner. We were all very favourably impressed by her.

I am glad that Lankester⁴ has replied to the almost [2] disgraceful Centenary article in "The Times" — but it is an illustration of the wide-spread mischief the Mutationists &c. are doing. I have no doubt, however, it will all come right in the end, — though the end may be far off, & in the mean time we must simply go on, and show, at every opportunity, that Darwinians actually does explain whole fields of phenomena that they do not even attempt to deal with, or even to approach.

[3] As to D^r. Dixey’s⁵ candidature for the F.R.S., I cannot take the interest in it that you do, nor am I much surprised that he has to wait an unusually long time, considering that the majority of the Council know nothing whatever of the special importance of his work.

With the enormous spread of scientific Education, — & of Colleges & Universities it is to be expected that the candidates for F.R.S. should increase & that persons who are not "Professors" should have to wait. If all could get in at the first or second application the honour would be [4] less.

With my absolute ignorance of ^the actual work of the R. Society, — never, I think, having attended one of its Scientific meetings — I feel I rather stretched a point in signing D^r. Dixey’s certificate. As to making any special recommendation that is, under the circumstances out of the question. You, & the other persons you name who can speak in his favour, from intimate personal knowledge, will (& ought to) have more weight than a score of outsiders like myself.

Yours very truly| Alfred R. Wallace [signature]