New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-05-26
HUXLEY ON HUXLEY.
HIS OWN STORY OF HIS LIFE. AIMS AND
WORKS

WORKS.
Professor Huxley in Our Celebrities
Why was chrstencd Thomas Henry do NOT know,
but is curious chance that my parents should have
liked for my usual denomination upon the name 90. 9,
most sympathy. Physically and mentally am inc
son of my mother 50 eomplsolyeyen down tha; to pe
pearance in as ! reached the age she had when J.
noticed thomthat can hardly hnd any trace OF my
which unfortunately IN my case has never been t ~
obsiinacy My mother was slender brunette, OF an
emotional and energetic temperament and poS
no moro education than other women Of the middle
classes in her day, she hal excellent mental ca
paclty Her most distn gushing Characteristic, how
ever rspidlty Of thought II one ven,nre ,, =.
any conclusion, she would say ! cannot help It;
things fash me- That peculiarly mas od Ie H'n
In good stead It has sometimes played me san tficks
and it has always been danger. But after all II my
less willingly part with than my inheritance OF mother
Wit. / have next to nothing 10 say about my ~h's,
most reproachtuy would sometimes say ,,e An you
such pretty boy Thencs nsd no nrnuiss
t tSn mstcr OF lOoks In fact have dtns, reco
lee ton OF certain curls Of which was VAN ana OF
c0urtly gentleman Sir Herbert Oakley, who was vicar
II our parish and who was as goa 70 US to" thr
prince George OF Cambridge. remember turning
nv pInafore wrong side forward In order to represent
Kitchen a. nearly a, possible in Sir Hcrberts manner
one sunday morning when III" resi- OF ne tanI!S
cali 10 mind Of the strong clerical aHnifes which my
friend Mr. Herbert spencer has nar rs :"
me- though fancy they have for the MOST part ie-
manned In a latent state.
EARLY AMBITIONS.
Ny great desire was 10 be mechanical engineer
but hc fatcs against this and while very young
began the study Of medicine under q , medical
ca Engineers would certainly not me-. am not
that have not all along been sor! Oh n"cn
s S sF SSrrc 5 hnk how Very e ever knew
or carrd about medicine as the art Of healing; The
smy part OF my T.ioosy Which is the
mechanical en- cheering Of living machines; and not
am mat a aaIf ns SEEMS Is ii Se the
Inc naturalist n me- never collected shy rhai
s snn so ws ~t the srstSrsl and engineering part
Of the business, The working out OF N" ~onnerfn
verse Iivnc cnnstrlctons and the notifications OF
similar appnrauses 10 serve diverse ends. The ex
s az ,hs o "t tS Ta cr" SoT think b~sen
h HF. ." AMI "rr s,rnr friends Of mine to the ars
pos. mnr"m examination l ever attended, All nv
s aaTf bee" wh IG sea aS%S
hut on this occasion my curiosity overpowcred gu
fG %s ifops a"H no, S c and Of the or
NARY symptoms Of dissection poison snpcrvened but
poisoned ] was Somehow, anu T'HicHiu'T winning
Into strang" stat" Of apathy By way Of last
chance was sent 10 the carr OF some sood kind p"n
In thc heart Of warwLkshlrr. l remember stagrr
Ing from bcd TO the window on the hrgh, spring
m"nt lie seemed to com" Lack on tho wings of the
nIc"ze md 10 th'o day rhr faint 2lor % wood smoEr
early morning. Is a. 'od 70 me sS tho sweet south
uron hct o. yiol"ts ! soon recovered nut TOR
pan. and fom that time nv constant friend hvpo-
"honlIa"al dyspepsia r0mmcmc"d his halt-c"nfury
OF cOiCnan"y on my h"shly tabernacle.
he DRIFTS INTO PALEoNToLoGY.
presently he became surgeon IN the navy. A.
aiterward servai In he Rstursnake under Captain
Dur,nk the four years OF our absence sent home
h 1e .,s rm "a to ain y S"s
when he sent the raven out Of his ark Tr at last Of
hearing nothing about them. determined :" 10 or die
orssricl II to the Royal society This was my dove,
naG In Sns nohnT o. GS Sa To me n y M
turn TO England in the latter end II the 1850,
sn Of %Hs S ard and
hear OF my Young friends complain 81 want OF
that my naval lltc not the least valuable par of
ny "iura'I"n Tire wears af"r my rtnrIi "in rr
OF = hand, ard tho Admirairv, IN. other, a. 10
wi ether the latter ought Or ought M" 70 sc MP to the
Who had done scientific work by contributing 10 III"
rxrns" of publishing mine. A. las, the Admrslty.
| ordering me to Join ship Which thing declined To
do, and Rastlsnsc. IN n" Per- GorI9t, Ssys 70
obtain procssorship Of either Physiology compare
tive anatomy; and as vacarri"N o cnrrd, applied.
but in vain. My friend Professor TSndsl and ware
Physics and tor that Of Natural istory in the rni
would not look at either II Us. saw forrunssly no,
from any lack Of re<p"c, tor Toronto but osSam>r !
me- and hence have seaiilv irclinci the Inducements
10 leave It which hayr at various times been Offered
I'm, on tbp ira friend
E,wari FORBES To Edinburgh 81, Henry u" la ncche;
the Director General OF the Geological sryry Gtrrr'i
me the post Forbes vacated OF Psl"onfoogist and
lecturer on Natural History. refused the former
es%h and a l ns . only o .Hi
that should give nip natural history As soon a. could
get physiological post lnt hrli the ONE t Tor
been chronological.
| HIS LIFE AND AIMS.
would be to speak Of thu work q my ilfe TO say At
the end Of The day whcther hnk have earned my
MISUNDERSTANDING men may be-. doubt n old men are
Life seems terribly fore>hor'cn"i as they look back
turns out b" mcre spur o, tmmea.urahy higher
Who'll WITH failing In, GrSain they reach the top
less definitely IN view since began thc ascent of my
AS natural . y S' and To to s The the IN
| pcaton Of scientific mcthUi> OF investigation 10 all
he problems Of lf to the best Of my ability IN the
strengthened with my sr,ngth: that there Is arv
for tlC sucrligs OF ankHd, except verarity Of
thought and OF ton. and the sOutc facing OF the
world Is, when the garment Of make believe by
which plOuS hands have hidden lis uger features is
stripped OH II is with this intent that have subor.
dnat'-i ar Reasonable OF unreasonable ambition for
scientific fame which may have permitted myself to
entertain other ends 10 the pOpulariEation OF sci
| rnrc ~ the development and organization OF sccn.
,IAc education 10 tho endless series Of battles and
| sklrmshos evolution and tO unrng opposition
10 that bcstssra spirit, thar cicrca> m which I'm
England every where else. and to whatever S.nomi.
nation It may belong. IS the deadly enemy Of science
-~-
| FOLLOWING THE PRECEDEyrs.
| From Tho Washington Critic.