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OCR Rendition - approximate
544 Life and Letters of Francis Galton_ of his back) is at last on view. I shall call upon him to-morrow. You may have seen in the papers an account of the public presentation of him to the Natural History Museum yesterday. My Eugenics Research Fellow has been grinding on, but possibly he needs more go. Statisticians, like the children of Israel in Egypt, have not only to make bricks but to collect materials. Here it is that men differ so much in their success. The most hopeful line just now seems to be in the direction of the feeble-minded, about whom a Commission is now sitting. Several eager and capable ladies are engaged in the work, and they seem desirous of scientific guidance, so I hope something may be done there. They are to have a big meeting next month and are preparing their programme of work. I am so very glad that many of your family anxieties are over. Amy will, I trust, improve under the sky of Brittany. It is said to be a rainy part of the world, but it cannot always rain. At Marseilles and at Paris it poured while we were there, two nights at each place. I ate a Bouillabaisse at Marseilles which had been an epicurean dream for years. They say you ought never to eat it unless you have a spare day to get over the effects. It contains a vast variety of shell-fish, as well as other fish, which may be half poisonous. However, mine proved particularly digestible. Affectionately, with many loves, FRANCIS GALTON. 42, RUTLAND GATE, S. W. June 13, 1905. DEAREST MILLY, Your card of this morning gave great relief. The weather is all in your and Amy's favour now, but the "flu" is a nasty thing. My sister Bessy seems to have had a touch of it. Temperature only 100, but continuously, or almost so, for a week. She has been in bed at Claverdon. Since Saturday I have not heard. I think they were anxious about her. We, thus far, are all right. To-morrow I go to Cambridge where there is the function of degreegiving, lunch and dinner, which I hope to digest. A few days ago I was invited and went to a big Statistical dinner, at which when the visitors' healths were drunk, after talking about me, the proposer said I should leave my mark-he would not say on the foot-prints, but-on the finger-prints of time! Rather forced, but it did for an after-dinner speech. About a week ago, Eva and I went to the Farm Street Roman Catholic Chapel, to hear "Father" Galton preach. He is not the Bishop of Demerara, but Charlie Galton. Two of Theodore's sons became priests*. He preached uncommonly well, with singularly good articulation, as though he were fond of the sound of every word he uttered. He would be an excellent master of elocution. The chapel itself is one of the most beautiful and decorous I have ever seen. The congregation most reverent, and the music perfect. As you will have heard, and perhaps experienced in Brittany, we have had the rainiest week almost on record, to greet the King of Spain. I passed Windsor to-day and saw the King's flag flying. They are making ready a royal wedding for a king-to-be, but of only half the kingdom-Sweden-that he expected to have. Good-bye, love to you all and may you all pull happily through this hateful scourge of influenza. Ever affectionately, FRANCIS GALTON. 42, RUTLAND GATE, S.W. June 25, 1905. DEAREST MILLY What a very gallant act of Guy! I wish it had been some millionaire whose life he saved. It was such an English act too, unselfish, single-handed and prompt, while others were "disposing themselves" to launch a boat. I cannot realise how with only one arm such a feat could be done, though I know he used to be an excellent swimmer. I suppose that the water was not deep and that the rough sea was not dangerous to a man accustomed to water, and able to keep his wits cool, and that Guy was able to touch ground and to push. It would have been most dangerous had the drowning man retained enough vitality to grapple. A sea bath is usually ruinous to clothes and watch. I hope he had nothing on or with him that suffered much? The excitement of this family event may have harmed, or may have helped, Amy in her convalescence. I sincerely hope the latter. Much has happened here during the past week of "Eugenic" interest, but it relates chiefly to administration, which was more than my "Fellow" could manage, together with research. So a readjustment of duties has had to be made and there will be a Lady Secretary. Also Murray, the publisher, will publish for us (on the half-profit' plan) books of families on the same principle as that little pamphlet you saw, but on a substantial scale. There is material for one now, that Schuster has put into order, but to Theodore Howard Galton Francis Galton's cousin.
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