Flames and Endurance, or Gladiators and Enigmas (1894) a collection of essays, was made the subject of an enthusiastic review in which William James made an unflattering comparison between Huxley's attitude to Haeckel and a 'schoolboy who had been given to understand that he had taken more than his share of the cake' (James, vol. 7, p. 206). Another attack was to be occasioned by _The Interpretation of Radium_ (1898), which Huxley dedicated to William T. Sedgwick. Sedgwick was an older man whom Huxley had known for a long time, and he had asked for a copy of this book for publication in the Harvard _Bulletin_.
After he had read it, he wrote to Huxley on 1 January 1899:
You have given us one of the grandest scientific books that has ever been written. I envy you such a subject, and will make the best use of your opportunity. You are entirely in the right on many important points, and I am glad you have said so much in your preface on that subject. You have spoken nobly in defence of the present scheme of evolution. You also show clearly that we are 'unfit for human habitation', or rather we, the scientific men, are unfit. [He uses the word 'we' and not 'one of us']. The man who made that comparison should be able to say something about it; he should be able to show us how we can make for ourselves a better body than the one that fits us so poorly. Your work is too great for me, however, to answer on such a short notice. [He continues:] If you had chosen any other line than you did, your place would be now in a university or in a scientific society in this country, or some other scientific body. But your life and your time are yours. In your hands I gladly entrust this magnificent work. You have the fullest power of disposing of it in the right way, which is, as I said, to let the public know what is meant by it. Let me beg you to let me know how much I can do for you if you think me able to be of any service. I can do a great deal if you let me. I feel it my duty to express my great admiration of your style and scientific knowledge, and I trust you will be able to appreciate the honor in an old fellow like myself being so much attracted by you. Let me know that you are not offended. Yours truly, W. S. Sedgwick.
There was no reply from Huxley, and no subsequent communication from Sedgwick until 1905, when he wrote to say that he had become a convert to Huxley's new views.
_The Evolution of Sex_ was published on 7 October 1894. It was a sequel to _The Evolution of Man_ , but it did not receive so much attention.
## II
In October 1898 Huxley received a copy of a paper by C. J. Clay and F. W. Hirst entitled _Evidence for a New Form of Evolution_ , and he wrote a favourable review of it in the _Nineteenth Century_ in which he pointed out that the term 'evolution' had been much misused by the opponents of Darwinism, who had used it as a label to cover all manner of views. He went on to say that a writer who could find so much to praise in Lamarck could surely find merit in the theory of evolution, especially if he was a believer in organic evolution, for then, he suggested, 'evolution means growth towards perfection'. He added: 'A more useful or hopeful suggestion was never made.'
This paper aroused an article in the _Fortnightly Review_ which was highly critical, but Huxley replied to it at great length. He referred to the title as a deliberate slur upon evolution, and wrote: 'If the word "evolution" could have any precise signification in this connection it would seem to mean that the course of evolution is no more a process of continuous perfection and improvement than that of the history of agriculture is a process of continuous improvement.' He declared that he could not accept the view that the tendency to evolve is always checked and hampered by forces which prevent perfect development. He referred to the 'old fallacy' of believing that progress is an exception and not a rule, and pointed out that there are periods of history when progress is 'more rapid than it is in any other age or in any other part of the world'. The word 'evolution' was 'a convenient label' to be applied to any progressive idea whatsoever; therefore, he concluded, 'the attempt to define the process by which evolution works out its results in living things is really quite futile'.
On 16 April 1895, Huxley received a letter from Alfred Russel Wallace asking if he could communicate his remarks to a Mr A. W. Bennett, who was writing an article on the origin of man, and to be inserted in the _Fortnightly Review_. He enclosed some notes on natural selection which he had made in 1896, and referred to his belief that a more vigorous expression would be useful in regard to this subject. He also asked Huxley if he could suggest to him any naturalists who were prepared to do such a piece of work. Huxley told him he had no knowledge of anyone who was competent to undertake the necessary research in natural science. He replied:
It would be a most interesting publication, as well as one which would do good by bringing forward the view which we both hold. As you are aware I think Mr Darwin ought to be very thankful that the work was left for him to publish. Had he made a more complete review of the subject (which I have more than once urged) it is probable that the book would have had to wait another generation before it could have been issued. What a curious world it is!
On 25 August 1896, a meeting was held at University College to protest against certain statements made in _The Descent of Man_ by Bishop Wilberforce and the Bishop of London, and to protest against their attempts to prevent the circulation of such a blasphemous book. Huxley delivered the inaugural address, and he referred to the progress of the subject: 'The progress in scientific investigation which has taken place during the last three or four decades, which has been so marked that I am not sure whether in any other particular branch of human knowledge it can be compared, is nothing but an illustration of the fact that a certain measure of progression is possible in any condition of things.'
_Man's Place in Nature_ , published on 9 October 1863, and _Natural History of_ _Selborne_ , published on 7 April 1864, were his first two works, and both were in the same field of natural history. The first was a work of science, and so was the second. It would have been strange if Huxley had not used both science and poetry in his early writings.
It was not until after he had become a fellow of the Royal Society of London that he began to use science and poetry together, and _Lay Sermons_ was published in 1870, as a book of religion.
His first work of philosophy was _The Crayfish_ (1864), in which he describes all manner of crustaceans. The next year, he wrote a book on the classification of monkeys which appeared anonymously. In 1865, his poem _The Coming of Love_ was published and he published _Kants_ _Transcendentalism_ (1866), in which he argued that Kant's system was not a complete one and that it was 'a metaphysical superstructure on an incomplete scientific edifice'. _Lays of Ancient Rome_ was published in 1867, and in 1869, Huxley, by the advice of his friends, wrote the article on _Evolution, with special reference to Darwinism_ for the _Encyclopædia Britannica_. The article was revised in 1872, and a second edition appeared in 1875. The same year, _Evolution and Ethics_ , with replies by Huxley, was published, and _Man's Place in Nature_ appeared in 1896. These six books contain some of Huxley's best writing.
The essays _The Methods of Ethics_ (1879) and _Science and Culture_ (1889) were collected and published as _Lay Sermons_ in 1893. _The Life and Letters of Thomas Henry Huxley_ , in six volumes, was published in 1898. Huxley himself wrote of this book:
The six volumes constitute a portrait of an illustrious and memorable man in the best sense. He is made to speak for himself, and it will be seen that, with one or two conspicuous exceptions, there is nothing about him in them which was not told by those who knew him best and loved him best. All this we owe to Mr and Mrs Huxley.
Mrs Huxley was the sister of Thomas Henry Huxley. Huxley's two sons died early in life. The first, Noel, was born on 25 September 1886. The second, Anthony, was born on 20 August 1893. Both died in their fifth year. The loss of his sons affected Huxley more than he cared to admit, but it did not affect his work, and he produced in _Science and Culture_ (1889) one of his most interesting pieces of writing. This work began as a book review by Huxley of _What
