The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1893-11-12

L from BTef1uont QulnOy tSlllUB MIN tnhJ tnt
corporation OF the university would elect him
would beforehand signify his acceptance.
The endowment then yielded 81 500 year
| Dr. Gray was to have 81. 900 and allow the rest
to accumulate for while. In the mean time
he was to give only q course OF botanical lee
lures in his second spring term and look after
the garden. The offer was accepted by DIR.
| Gray. who. in the spring OF 1S43. entered upon
that connection with Harvard College which
was only to terminate with his life.
This autobiographical fragment. which
closes abruptly Mt this point. ia valuable chief
| ly for the glimpse which it gives OF DR.. Gray's
| earlier years 1t is his letters which contain
| the record OF his hard-working life or tho
many hundreds collected in those volumes. we
| can only make extracts from n few. and we
| prefer. as wo have said. to select for tho
| most rart those addressed TO Charles OAR
win during our civil war. tho purpose Of this
| notice. like that OF the book before aus. being
to throw light on the personality OF the
man. II seems that all Of DIR. Gray's letters
to Darwin. previous to 1882. were DESTROYED.
except one dated Jan. %. 1860, which is repro
duced in the present work. together with one
dated Jan. 5. in tho same year. and addressed
to DR.. joseph ID. Hooker. but also relating to
| Tho Origin OF Species" which had just been
published. 1t may be well for us to begin with
these two letters. promising that We can pre-
sent only small part OF the extracts from
them made by the editor Of these volumes.
Dr. Gray writes to Hooker:
The principal part OF your letter was
high laudation of Darwin's book. Well. the
book has reached me. and l finished its care
full pcrusnl four days ago. and freely say that
your laudation is not out OF place. 1t il dono in
n mastery manner. 1t might well have taken
twenty years to produce it. 1t Is crammcd full Of
most interesting matter. thoroughly digested.
well expressed. close. cogent: and. taken as n
system. it makes out better case than had
supposed possible. will write to Darwin when
/ get n chance. As have promised. he and
you shall have fair play here. l must myself
write review OF Darwins book for SRnan'S
Journal 1.-THE more so that l suspect ACas-
siz means to come out upon it, for the next
number. and l am now setting about it.
doubt II I shall please you altogether
1 know l shall not please Agassiz Mt all.
1 hear another reprint is in the press. and the
book will excite much attention here and
some controversy"
Under date OF Jan. %. 1900 DR.. Gray
tells Darwin: Such little notices in the
papers as have yet appeared are quite
handsome and considerable l hone next
week to get printed sheets OF my review
from New Haven, and send them to you. and
will ask you to pass them on to DR.. Hooker.
To fulfil your request. ought to toll you what
think the weakest and what the best part OF
your book. But this Is not easy. nor to be
done in n word or two. The best part. think.
is the trhoie. that is its plan and treatment.
the vast amount OF facts and acute inferences.
h,p o4 a oh bol
OF them. I do not think twenty years too
much time to produce such u book in" DR..
Gray adds: style clear and good. but now
and then wants revision for little matters.
tp. 81. self-fertilizes itself.) Your candor is
worth everything to your cause. 1t is
refreshing to find person with n new theory
who frankly confesscS that he finds difficult
ties insurmountabc. at least for the present.
know some people who never have any diffl-
cultes to speak OF. Tho moment i understood
your premises felt sure you had real foun-
dation to hold on. Well. il one admits your
promises. do not see how he is to stop short
Of your conclusions. as n probable hypothesis.
at least. 1t naturally happens that my review
OF your book does not exhibit anything like
tho full force OF tho impression the book has
made upon rue. Under the circumstances.
suppose do your theory more good here by
bespeakinC for it II fair and favorable consid-
GRAFTON. and hy standing non mitted as to
its full conclusions. than l should II an
nounced mYse' convert nor could say the
latter with truth. We'll. what seems to
mo the weakest point in tho book is the
attompr to account for the formation
OF organs. the making OF eyes. &C.. by natural
selection. Some OF this reads duh La N arck-
ian. The chapter on hybridsm is not weak.
but n strong chapter. You have done wonders
there. But still. you have not accounted. as
you may be hold to account. for divergence up
to a certain extent producing increased fer
tiity OF the crosses. but carried one short.
almost imperceptible step further giving rise
to sterility. or reversing tho previous ten
dency. Very likely you are on tho right track:
but you have something to do yet in that de-
partment. Enough for the present. am not
insensbe to your compliment. the very high
compliment which you pay me In vnluing my
opinion. You evidently think more OF it than
] do. ! am free to say that never learned SO
much from one book as l have from yours.
There remain q thousand things long to say
about it."