New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-06-30

"ThOugh
made me acquainted with all sorts ana condi-
tons of men, from the highest 10 the lowest
deliberately affirm that the society fell INTO az
school was the worst ! have ever known. We
boys were average lads. with much the same IN
herent capacity for good and evil as any others
but the people who were set over us cared ABOUT
as much for intellectual and moral welfaIe
"a if they baby farmers. We were lett 10
the operation OF The struggle for existence among
ourselves and bullying was the least of the III
practices among Us" There was no hope OF MS
roing 10 a M 'versity His fathers poverty pre-
cluded that But he had a passion for reading
and II appears for systematic reading though ne
did not make il clear how he came by so much
method The works of Thomas Carlyle, JOhh
Stuart NH and the leading philosophical writer's
OF Germany were studied with eagerness IN
questionable traces Of this early study are 10 pe
found throughout his published writings. But
no book amlss to him and as he grew up
his projects for start IN life were nunberleSS
He took up all sorts Of pursuits. only to drop
them again quite speedily. Bat there was one
plan which he cherished long and gave up very
reluctantly His desire was 10 become me-
chan!ca engineer. He read much with this aim
in view and. although baied In his purpose. re.
tanned the taste for the mechanical SIDE OF an
investigation AS a specialist In zoology ana pl-
ology he won high rank. but he never !ookni upon
his specialties az the main interest or ms IRE re
was not sure. as he remarked humorously, that
he was not TO the last mechanical engineer IN
partibus inhdeun. Though he began carry
the study Of medicine in the office OF
q brother in-law who was physician.
ne never could bring himself 70 care for the ART
fessional course" he added. (Which really ana
deeply Interested me was physiology. which Is
the mechanical engineering Of living macnines'
and notwithstanding that natural science mas
been my proper business. | am AFRAID there ~
very little OF the genuine naturalist In me-
never collected anything. and species work was
ALWAYS n burden to me- what | cared for was
the architectural and engineering part or the
business the working ont Of the wonderful unity
OF plan In the thousands and thousands OF d.
verse living constructions, and the MODIFICATION
IN ~
HUXLEY AS AN EXPOsITOR
Ana I, Is in this aspect that his ac-
tivity Is best known TO the public. As
an cxnositor he co-ordinated facts into
system. and his Individuality as thinker
madc this system different in marked
sense from that OF the other philosophers OF his
time and countrv-for example. Charles Darwin
and Herbert Spencer He did not offer az these TWO
distinguished men have done. co-ordnating
principle but he inculcated method In which
such principles were 10 be used not slavishly, but
lntelligently He accepted the theory OF e'oi"-
ton as an explanation OF facts. hut not as heces
sarlly final. Indeed. one OF his later utterahces
on this theme aroused not little STIR because II
seemed TO reegate the theory to the vague realm
OF figures OF speech. Speaking OF the growth ana
decay OF n plant in the Romanes lecture 'or
1893 he said:
Neither the poetic nor the SchtNtlH'
actnation is put 20 much strain In the search
after analogies with this process oil gong
forth and. as II Were. returning - the s'a,"ns
point II may be likened 10 the ascent ana u.
sf.nf ~ n slung stone or t. tn" course 81 an ar
roor along It's Trajectory. or We may say ihat
the living energy takes first an upward ana men
downward road. or 1t may seem pr"ie.H"'Ss u ~
compare the exposition u the germ into the luiI-
gr,,.n miami t. thr IN. lldinC ~ n fan or 70 inc
rolling forth and widening 81 stream ana mus
arrive AT the conception ~ u"Feopthent vi w wv,
b..r. man rp
suok,'. tho important point H. - nav" ciear
and adequate conception ~ the fhct shhii'eu .!
a name" There was some bitterness as =. =.
seemed FOR a time over this uttrrahce- but ~
Is hard t. see how man like Huxley, ihHihir
with the contents = many systems "i pniiosoPnyy
and with The facts Il their rise and fall. couid
have spoken otherwise In fact. ne proceedeu 10
nuf the whole history Of philosophy on this point
into a nutshell by saying that theories OF thc
universe In which the conception or evolution
PLAYS n leading part We're extant at least III SIX
centuries before our err, Certain kno"ieise OF
them I'm IN. NTH century reaches us from l'C",
,i.s as distant as ~" valley OF N" fang'S anu
80, .eio.i. casts Of Aegean. t. the early philos-
ophcrs = Hiniustan no less inan 10 ms .,
Ionia the salient ard characteristic feature Oh
IN. phenomenal world was Its chahs"tun'Ss'
tho t,nres,ing now OF all things. through olrth
- yislble being and thence t. not being. In when
they could discern no sign 81 oeg'nninE ana i''
which they saw no prospect ~ an ending go
p.sl1.s the quantity ~ reading which he dlf
another factor In the varied culture which ne "N-
limited in later life must have been me chapter
~ accidents ly when h" AZ last I'd'''u Il P,o.-
lion which he never meant 70 attain. out IN "i,1ch
he snenf a large portion Of hs mature years pe-
f.aicI In his hopes y being nechamcal '"si
Moor bred as a doctor almost IN MS own ne-
.,,i,. no Now turned his aspirations - physiology
lie attained something very different. as ne says
HOW HE TURNED TO PHYSIOLOGY.
:, w,s,n the early spring OF 1916 that. having
finished my obligatory medical studies and passed
the first NJ -. examination at the LONDON UNI
vcrsltv Though | was still too young to qualify
q, tho College Of SurgeOns). I was talking 10
follow studcnt-thc present eminent physician
Sir Joseph Foyrer-and wondering what snould
do 70 meet the imperative necessity for earning
my own bread when my friend suggested that
should write 10 Sir william Burnett at that tme
Drector-Ccncra for the Medical service 81 me
Navy. for appointment. thoush' inns Ti'n.'
A strong thing 10 do. IA Sir william was person,
aliv unknown to me. but my CHEEKY friend would
not listen to my scruplcs. ~ went 10 my "us
ings and wrote the best letter could devise ~
4 few DAYS afterward received the usuai 'iii-
ciol circular Of acknowledgment. but at IN" DOT
tom there was written an instruction 10 can III III.
Somerset House on such day thought that
looked like BUSINESS. So At the appointed 'iih'.
called and sent in my card. while waited III H,I
Williams ant.-room. He WAS n tall, shrewd-
looking old Gentlenln. with broad scotch ac.rn'
and | think see him now. as ne en'r'ri WIN
my card I'm his hand The first thing II" ga was
10 return II with the frugal reminder mat
should probably ind 1t useful on some oth'r o,-
casion The second was to ask whether was an
Irshman / SUPPOSE the air II mod"sty ABOUT
nv anncal must have struck him. ! satisfied the
Dlrccior-GcncraI that was English 10 the back-
hone and he made some inquiries as TO my S'u-
dent career finally desiring III" 10 hoii inySe'
ready for examination. Having passed thi'
was i'm Her Maiesty's service and entered On 'he
books OF Nelson's old ship Victory Tor duty d.
Uaslar Hospital about couple OF months AFTER
made nv application Ny official chief AT iasiar
was a very remarkable person-the late SIT '"hh
Richardson. an excellent naturalist ana lar
mod M inlOmitable Arctic Traveller.
iTc vas \ silent reserved man outside the cir
cI, Of his family and intlmates and. having luii
share Of youthful vanity was extremely as
gusted 10 find that "Od JOHN as We irrevereht
Soungs,ers called him. took not the slightest mo-
lice of my worshipful self. either the hrst Time
attended him. as 1t my duty TO do, or Tor
some weeks afterwarl. ! am afraid 10 thlnK OK
III. leng,hs to which nv tongue may have run on
the subject OF the churlishnces OF the chcf VINO
2as in truth one of the kndest hearted ana
most considerate of men But one Gay "s wa