WCP4811

[1]¹ [p. 522]

Here is the letter written to me 41 years ago by that fine old gentleman Dr. A. R. Wallace. We who are old miss much the great men of our past, we prefer them to some recent figures on the world's stage.

The Old Orchard,

Broadstone, Wimborne.

December 3, 1908.

W. J. Farmer, Esq.,

Dear Sir,—I presume your question "Why" as to the varying colour of individual hairs and feathers, etc., to form the surface pattern applies to the ultimate cause which enables these patterns to be hereditary, and in the case of birds to be reproduced after moulting yearly.

The purpose or end they serve I have, I think, sufficiently dealt with in my Darwinism, the method by which such useful tints or markings are produced, because useful, is I think clearly explained by the law of natural selection, or survival of the fittest acting through the universal facts of heredity and variation, but the why which goes farther back to the directing agency, which not only brings each special cell of this highly complex structure of a feather into its right position, but further, carries pigments or reproduces surface striae (in the case of the metallic or interference colours) also to their exactly regal place and nowhere else is the mystery which if we knew we should, as Tennyson said of the flower in the wall, "know what God is and what man is."

The idea that cells are all concise beings and go to their right place has been put forward by Butler in his wonderful book Life and Habit, and now even Haeckl seems to adopt it.

All the theories of heredity, including Darwin's Pangenesis do not touch it, and it seems to me as fundamental as Life and Consciousness, and to be absolutely inconceivable by us till we know what Life is and what Spirit is, and it is probable that we must develop in the spirit world some few thousand million years before we get this knowledge, even if then.

Yours very truly,

Alfred Russell Wallace.

[1] [p. 101]

To MR. W. J. FARMER

Old Orchard, Broadstone, Wimborne.

1913.

Dear Sir,—...

I presume your question "Why?" as to the varying colour of individual hairs and feathers, and the regular varying of adjacent hairs, etc., to form the surface pattern, applies to the ultimate cause which enables those patterns to be hereditary, and, in the case of birds, to be reproduced after moulting yearly.

The purpose, or end they serve, I have, I think, sufficiently dealt with in my "Darwinism"; the method by which such useful tints and markings are produced, because useful, is, I think, clearly explained by the law of Natural Selection or Survival of the Fittest, acting through the universal facts of heredity and variation.

But the "why" — which goes further back, to the directing agency which not only brings each special cell of the highly complex structure of a feather into its exactly right position, but, further, carries pigments or produces surface striae (in the case of the metallic or interference colours) also to their exactly right place, and nowhere else — is the mystery, which, if we knew, we should (as Tennyson said of the flower in the Wall) "know what God and Man is."

The idea that "cells" are all conscious beings and go to their right places has been put forward by Butler in his [2] [p. 102] wonderful book "Life and Habit," and now even Haeckel seems to adopt it. All theories of heredity, including Darwin’s pangenesis, do not touch it, and it seems to me as fundamental as life and consciousness, and to be absolutely inconceivable by us till we know what life is, what spirit is, and what matter is; and it is probable that we must develop in the spirit world some few thousand million years before we get to this knowledge-if then!

My book, "Man’s Place in the Universe," shows, I think, indications of the vast importance of that Universe as the producer of Man which so many scientific men today try to belittle, because of what may be, in the infinite !—

Yours very truly,

ALFRED R. WALLACE.