| ||||||
OCR Rendition - approximate
554 Life and Letters of Francis Galton of; also that Amy's visit to Cambridge proved so interesting to her. The week here has passed .pleasantly: There are interesting people here and very sociable ones. Mrs Tollemache is invaluable with her big collection of books and intelligent sympathy. He is greatly invalided and can work little, if at all, now. I sit with him and talk the philosophy he likes. He is quite blind, or rather can just distinguish light and dark out of the corner of one eye. Even that much is far better than pure darkness. You recollect (or if you do not my little book when it arrives will remind you) my nomenclature for kinship. It occurred to me that its particularising power would be greatly increased by foot-figures, thus bro3 would mean the 3rd brother in the family. Taking yourself as the Subject of a pedigree, I am your me, bro3, Eva is your me, si, dal da3. In other words your mother was the third sister of her ("Geschwister") brothers and sisters, and her second sister's eldest daughter's third daughter is Eva. So a great deal of additional information can be given by these foot-figures without necessarily interfering with the general simplicity of the formulae. I sent a brief paragraph to Nature illustrating it by the more highly placed relatives of the newly elected King of Norway, and have just posted their proof of it, with corrections. It will be used in the next publication of the Eugenic Office, whenever that may occur, for which Schuster is now busily collecting materials. I wish I could get information about the principal Eugenic centres or districts in England. I mean those that are reputed to turn out the best sort of people, however the phrase "best sort" may be interpreted. The finest men come from Ballater in Scotland or thereabouts. I am trying to get an inquiry into this made. I suppose the "best sort" of persons are those who have so much energy that they are fresh after finishing their regular day's work to get their living, and who employ their after hours in some creditable way. The sun is at length out in fitful gleams. It has been foggy and rainy most days. The day before yesterday there was a marvellous sea and turmoil of waters at the Barre (the mouth of the Adour). I will add a scrap about the Tollemaches. Ever affectionately, FRANCIS GALTON. Tollemache recollects well all about you and reminded me that I had suggested the book to be given to you. HOTEL D'ANGLETERRE, BIARRITZ. December 11, 1905. DEAR SCgusTER, You have indeed your hands full with Miss Elderton's batch of extracts. It is a big job and will be very interesting at the end. About my "Extension of the Nomenclature," you will see a letter of mine (I presume) in this week's Nature. But I heartily wish I had waited a bit and got the thing clearer in my head before writing it. Please-in the letter-imagine the F1, to be replaced everywhere by F,, and that this sentence had been inserted-"The foot-figure to every male, whether he appear under the title of fa, bro or son, refers to his rank among his fraternity; so the same person, who happens to be aa third son, may appear as fa3, bro3 or son,,. Similarly as regards females, in respect to their sisterhoods; the same second daughter may appear, according to circumstances, as me,, sit or da,." Of course, other things might be conveyed by foot-letters, but it would not be wise to encumber overmuch. Still, the phrase "only son" or "only daughter" seems to deserve a special sign, u (for unity) might do, as ' /a,,," but z might do better-not s, which means son. This can stand over. Of course footnotes would often be wanted. wi (1), wi (2) must stand for 1st or 2nd wifethen wit (1) or tai, (2) would be easily understood. I am sorry that the "Advisory Meeting" does not seem useful. If experience confirms this, have them less frequently and for special occasions only, or drop them altogether. You do not mention whether any replies are coming in to the circular issued by the Sociological; when you next write, I should be interested to bear. I am afraid that Branford is overworking himself dangerously. When the corrections to Miss_Elderton's papers come in, you will probably attack first some particular class of noteworthies and get them as far as may be off hand before beginning another. However you will soon discover the lines of least resistance. I find this place suits me much better than Pau did. It is rather too foggy and rainy, but this month in the Republican Calendar is called "Brumaire," the month of fogs. I hear the Riviera weather is far from good, so I am well where I am. The waves are sometimes magnificent. Very faithfully yours, FRANCIS GALTON.
|