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OCR Rendition - approximate
428 Life and Letters of Francis Calton 42, RUTLAND GATE, S.W. April 6, 1910. Dictated. MY DEAR KARL PEARSON, I have been so knocked about with cough, that I am still unfit for almost anything, with ever so much in arrear. I did not even wish you a happy return for your birthday, nor have I been as eager as I should be to hear about Wee Ling. It is joyful news that he gets on so well with you all*. I feel a sort of apology is due for having wandered so far from my regular track as to write the article in Nature, but I wished to finish off such bits of unfinished work as I could hope to achieve. As you say, life does not seem long enough for all the possibilities of interesting work. I feel like Tennyson's Ulysses "Life piled on life Were all too little, and of one to me Little remains." So please count my apparent vagaries as merely an attempt to get some things now in disorder into shipshape form before I die. If I find, as I expect to do, that Miss Jones can be trusted with the work you suggest and which is precisely one of the things I had in view, I will set her steadily at it. Ever affectionately yours, FRANCIS GALTON. P.S. I am so sorry I forgot to send a card about Uncle Frank's health, but I have been in bed with fever three days. E. B. 42, RUTLAND GATE, S.W. May 7, 1910. MY DEAR KARL PEARSON, The King's death will throw much out of gear, and may prove a disaster to our country ! The account you give of an apparent wish of the University of London authorities to dissever Eugenics, so far as locality is concerned, from Biometry, seems to me most unfortunate for the former. It may be logical to unite it with Sociology, but practically it would almost give a death-blow to its scientific status. Whenever you think I could intervene with advantage, pray tell me. I had seen the New Age and was vexed at Dr S.'s remarks. The allusion by the Editor to myself and to my letter may be quite correct, but I cannot properly recall the circumstances, owing to having had recently to reply to 2, 3 or more letters in the sense " I sympathise with your object, but am too infirm to give any active help." The Council of the Eugenics Education Society have, I learn, extruded Dr S. by not putting his name on the candidate list. As I am told, certain members of the Council strongly objected to serving longer with him, and Mrs G. undertook to tell him so, which she did, doubtless with all practicable tact, but I have reason to know his feelings are much wounded. He however spoke very nicely to Mrs G. Like yourself I missed the notice of Mr Justice Parker's lecture in the Times, and I am sorry. Crackanthorpe's address, as it appeared in the Times summary, was weak, but a little better in the original, which I read. Ever affectionately yours, FRANCIS GALTON. 42, RUTLAND GATE, S.W. May 11, 1910. MY DEAR KARL PEARSON, Saleeby's letter to the Pall Mall lies near the frontier between "do-nothing" and `° do-something." I wish that somebody, other than our two selves, could be posted up to reply to him. I am still in favour of "doing-nothing" ourselves. Whatever either of us might write, would be responded to and the issue be perplexed. Perhaps some opportunity may arise before long of pronouncing emphatically on all such inapt criticisms as those indulged in by C. W. S. and showing their futility. Ever affectionately yours, FRANCIS GALTON. 42, RUTLAND GATE, S.W. June 9, 1910. MY DEAR KARL PEAIISON, Your letter is a useful reminder, but you must not accuse yourself of having forgotten to tell me any part of its contents. Enclosed I send the pestilent copy of the New Age. Do not trouble to return it. I am very glad to have made it now clear to them that I will not take any part in it. Now, will you pardon me if I ask for a few minutes of your time, to look over the little memoir herewith enclosed. I may be a fool, but I think the simple results to be both new and important. Are they so, or merely rubbish, or anything between? Ever affectionately, FRANCIS GALTON. He had rejoined us at Hampstead.
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