Life and Letters of Thomas Henry Huxley — Volume 3Huxley, Thomas Henry
History
Life and Letters of Thomas Henry Huxley — Volume 3
Huxley, Thomas Henry
Huxley, Thomas Henry, 1825-1895; Naturalists -- England -- Biography
Both the speculative and the practical sides of his intellect were
strongly developed. On the one hand, he had an intense love of
knowledge, the desire to attain true knowledge of facts, and to
organise them in their true relations. His contributions to pure
science never fail to illustrate both these tendencies. His earlier
researches brought to light new facts in animal life, and new ideas as
to the affinities of the creatures he studied; his later investigations
were coloured by Darwin's views, and in return contributed no little
direct evidence in favour of evolution. But while the progress of the
evolution theory in England owed more to his clear and unwearied
exposition than to any other cause, while from the first he had
indicated the points, such as the causes of sterility and variation,
which must be cleared up by further investigation in order to complete
the Darwinian theory, he did not add another to the many speculations
since put forward.
On the other hand, intense as was his love of pure knowledge, it was
balanced by his unceasing desire to apply that knowledge in the
guidance of life. Always feeling that science was not solely for the
men of science, but for the people, his constant object was to help the
struggling world to ideas which should help them to think truly and so
to live rightly. It is still true, he declared, that the people perish
for want of knowledge. "If I am to be remembered at all," he writes
(see volume 2), "I should like to be remembered as one who did his best
to help the people." And again, he says in his Autobiographical Sketch,
that other marks of success were as nothing if he could hope that he
"had somewhat helped that movement of opinion which has been called the
New Reformation."
This kind of aim in his work, of taking up the most fruitful idea of
his time and bringing it home to all, is typified by his remark as he
entered New York harbour on his visit to America in 1876, and watched
the tugs hard at work as they traversed the bay.] "If I were not a
man," [he said], "I think I should like to be a tug."
[Two incidents may be cited to show that he did not entirely fail of
appreciation among those whom he tried to help. Speaking of the year
1874, Professor Mivart writes ("Reminiscences of T.H. Huxley,"
"Nineteenth Century", December 1897.)
I recollect going with him and Mr. John Westlake, Q.C., to a meeting of
artisans in the Blackfriars Road, to whom he gave a friendly address.
He felt a strong interest in working-men, and was much beloved by them.
On one occasion, having taken a cab home, on his arrival there, when he
held out his fare to the cabman, the latter replied, "Oh no, Professor,
I have had too much pleasure and profit from hearing you lecture to
take any money from your pocket--proud to have driven you, sir!"
The other is from a letter to the "Pall Mall Gazette" of September 20,
1892, from Mr. Raymond Blaythwayt, on "The Uses of Sentiment":--
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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