My life : a record of events and opinions - Wallace-online.org

SPENCER, HUXLEY, AND OTHERS 249Lyell, Darwin, and even Spencer, and, so far as Icanjudge, in all the cases in which I have so differed, theweight of scientific opinion is gradually turning inmy direction. In reasoning power upon the generalphenomena of nature or of society, I feel able to holdmy own with them ; my inferiority consists in mylimited knowledge, and perhaps also in my smallerpower of concentration for long periods of time.With Huxley also I felt quite on an equality whendealing with problems arising out of facts equallywell known to both of us ;but wherever the structureor functions of animals were concerned, he had thecommand of a body of facts so extensive and socomplex that no one who had not devoted years totheir practical study could safely attempt to makeuse of them. I therefore never ventured to infringein any way on his special departments of study,though I occasionally make use of some of the resultswhich he so lucidly explained.Among the more prominent naturalists, one ofmy chief friends, and the one whose society I mostenjoyed, was Professor St. George Mivart, who forsome years lived not far from us in London. Hewas a rather singular compound mentally, inasmuchas he was a sincere but thoroughly liberal Catholic,and an anti-Darwinian evolutionist. But his friendlygeniality, his refined manners, his interestingconversationand fund of anecdote of the most varied kind,rendered him a charming companion. His mostintimate friends seemed to be priests, one or two ofwhom were almost always among the guests, andoften the only ones, when I dined with him. Andthey, too, were excellent company, full of humourand anecdote of the most varied kind, though alsoready for serious talk or discussion ; but in either