Life and Letters of Charles Darwin — Volume 2Darwin, Charles
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Life and Letters of Charles Darwin — Volume 2
Darwin, Charles
Darwin, Charles, 1809-1882; Naturalists -- Great Britain -- Biography; Naturalists -- Great Britain -- Correspondence
I am now at work at a new and cheap edition of the 'Origin,' and shall
answer several points in Mivart's book, and introduce a new chapter for
this purpose; but I treat the subject so much more concretely, and I
dare say less philosophically, than Wright, that we shall not interfere
with each other. You will think me a bigot when I say, after studying
Mivart, I was never before in my life so convinced of the GENERAL (i.e.
not in detail) truth of the views in the 'Origin.' I grieve to see the
omission of the words by Mivart, detected by Wright. ('North American
Review,' volume 113, pages 83, 84. Chauncey Wright points out that the
words omitted are "essential to the point on which he [Mr. Mivart] cites
Mr. Darwin's authority." It should be mentioned that the passage from
which words are omitted is not given within inverted commas by Mr.
Mivart.) I complained to Mivart that in two cases he quotes only the
commencement of sentences by me, and thus modifies my meaning; but I
never supposed he would have omitted words. There are other cases of
what I consider unfair treatment. I conclude with sorrow that though he
means to be honourable he is so bigoted that he cannot act fairly...
CHARLES DARWIN TO CHAUNCEY WRIGHT. Down, July 14, 1871.
My dear Sir,
I have hardly ever in my life read an article which has given me so much
satisfaction as the review which you have been so kind as to send me.
I agree to almost everything which you say. Your memory must be
wonderfully accurate, for you know my works as well as I do myself,
and your power of grasping other men's thoughts is something quite
surprising; and this, as far as my experience goes, is a very rare
quality. As I read on I perceived how you have acquired this power, viz.
by thoroughly analyzing each word.
... Now I am going to beg a favour. Will you provisionally give me
permission to reprint your article as a shilling pamphlet? I ask only
provisionally, as I have not yet had time to reflect on the subject. It
would cost me, I fancy, with advertisements, some 20 or 30 pounds; but
the worst is that, as I hear, pamphlets never will sell. And this makes
me doubtful. Should you think it too much trouble to send me a title FOR
THE CHANCE? The title ought, I think, to have Mr. Mivart's name on it.
... If you grant permission and send a title, you will kindly understand
that I will first make further enquiries whether there is any chance of
a pamphlet being read.
Pray believe me yours very sincerely obliged, CH. DARWIN.
[The pamphlet was published in the autumn, and on October 23 my father
wrote to Mr. Wright:--
"It pleases me much that you are satisfied with the appearance of your
pamphlet. I am sure it will do our cause good service; and this same
opinion Huxley has expressed to me. ('Letters of Chauncey Wright,' page
235."]
CHARLES DARWIN TO A.R. WALLACE. Down, July 12 [1871].
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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