My life : a record of events and opinions - Wallace-online.org
My life : a record of events and opinions - Wallace-online.org My life : a record of events and opinions - Wallace-online.org
298 MY LIFEthirty feet higher, there being on the east a highbank, with oak trees and pines, producing a verypretty effect. This bank, as well as the lower partof the garden, was peat or peaty sand, and as I knewthis was good for rhododendrons and heaths, I wasmuch pleased to be able to grow these plants. I didnot then know, however, that this peaty soil was quiteunsuited to a great many other plants, and only learntthis by the long experience which every gardener hasto go through.It was in the early part of my residence at Parkstonethat I received a visit from the great FrenchGeographer, Elisee Reclus, who had, I think, come toEngland to receive the gold medal of the RoyalGeographical Society. He was a rather small andvery delicate-looking man, highly intellectual, but veryquiet in speech and manner. I really did not knowthat it was he with whose name I had been familiarfor twenty years as the greatest of geographers, thinkingit must have been his father or elder brother; and Iwas surprised when, on asking him, he said that it washimself. However, we did not talk of geography duringthe afternoon we spent together, but of Anarchism, ofwhich he was one of the most convinced advocates, andI was very anxious to ascertain his exact views, whichI found were really not very different from my own.We agreed that almost all social evils—all poverty,misery, and crime—were the creation of governmentsand of bad social systems ;and that under a law ofabsolute justice, involving equality of opportunity andthe best training for all, each local community wouldorganize itself for mutual aid, and no great centralgovernments would be needed, except as they grewup from the voluntary association of their parts forgeneral and national purposes.
FRIENDS AND OCCUPATIONS 299During the first half of my residence at Parkstone(1889-96), I did not write any new books, having, asI thought, said all that I had to say on the greatsubjects that chiefly interested me ;but I contributeda number of articles to reviews, wrote many notices ofbooks, with letters to Nature on various matters ofscientific interest. A short account of the moreimportant of these will show that I was not altogetherinactive as regards literary work.In the spring of 1890 Ilectured at Sheffield andat Liverpool, and have since declined all invitationsto lecture, partly from disinclination and considerationsof health, but also because I believed that I could domore good with my pen than with my voice. Duringthe year I prepared a new edition of my " MalayArchipelago," bringing the parts dealing with naturalhistory up to date.In the same year I contributed to the FortnightlyReview an article on " Human Selection," which is, Iconsider, though very short, the most important contributionI have made to the science of sociology andthe cause of human progress. The article v/as writtenwith two objects in view. The first and most importantwas to show that the various proposals ofGrant Allen, Mr. Francis Galton, and some Americanwriters, to attempt the direct improvement of thehuman race by forms of artificial elimination andselection, are both unscientific and unnecessary ; Ialso wished to show that the great bugbear of theopponents of social reform—too rapid increase ofpopulation— is entirely imaginary, and that the verysame agencies which, under improved social conditions,will bring about a real and effective selectionof the physically, mentally, and morally best, will alsotend towards a diminution of the rate of increase of
- Page 310 and 311: 256 MY LIFEas I could not stand the
- Page 312 and 313: 258 MY LIFEAt Glasgow, in 1876, I w
- Page 314: CHAPTER XVIIHOME LIFE AND WORK(187O
- Page 318 and 319: 262 MY LIFEbottom of the well with
- Page 320: 264 MY LIFEsystematic groundwork, a
- Page 324 and 325: 266 MY LIFEdependent on, that of pl
- Page 326: 268 MY LIFEthe occurrence of northe
- Page 330 and 331: 2/0 MY LIFEfound here some very ple
- Page 332 and 333: CHAPTER XVIIIA LECTURE TOUR IN AMER
- Page 334 and 335: 274 MY LIFEthough we were a little
- Page 336 and 337: '276MY LIFEdiagonal avenues interse
- Page 339 and 340: A LECTURE-TOUR IN AMERICA 277embedd
- Page 341 and 342: A LECTURE-TOUR IN AMERICA 279Bridal
- Page 343 and 344: A LECTURE-TOUR IN AMERICA 281But of
- Page 345 and 346: A LECTURE-TOUR IN AMERICA 283walls,
- Page 347 and 348: ;A LECTURE-TOUR IN AMERICA 285beaut
- Page 349 and 350: A LECTURE-TOUR IN AMERICA 287over a
- Page 351 and 352: A LECTURE-TOUR IN AMERICA 289become
- Page 353 and 354: A LECTURE-TOUR IN AMERICA 291the be
- Page 355 and 356: A LECTURE-TOUR IN AMERICA 293and wi
- Page 357 and 358: FRIENDS AND OCCUPATIONS 295I gave s
- Page 359: FRIENDS AND OCCUPATIONS 297and the
- Page 363 and 364: FRIENDS AND OCCUPATIONS 301chiefly
- Page 365 and 366: FRIENDS AND OCCUPATIONS 303week, ea
- Page 367 and 368: FRIENDS AND OCCUPATIONS 305From thi
- Page 370 and 371: 5 ^o -gQ ^J —O
- Page 372 and 373: —308 MY LIFEundertake three separ
- Page 374 and 375: 310 MY LIFEDr. Salisbury, however,
- Page 376 and 377: 312 MY LIFEand even novel and attra
- Page 378 and 379: 314 MY LIFEknow that spiritual bein
- Page 380 and 381: 3i6MY LIFEmight be adopted for the
- Page 382 and 383: 3i8MY LIFEEnglish or American perio
- Page 384 and 385: 320 MY LIFEfuture " unearned increm
- Page 386 and 387: 322 MY LIFEto the land by the owner
- Page 388 and 389: 324 MY LIFEvarious parts of England
- Page 390 and 391: 326 MY LIFELongridge Road, South Ke
- Page 392 and 393: 328 MY LIFEphilosophy and the const
- Page 394 and 395: 330 MY LIFESome of these I was able
- Page 396 and 397: "anything ! 332 MY LIFEhe recurred
- Page 398 and 399: ;CHAPTER XXIMESMERISM TO SPIRITUALI
- Page 400 and 401: —336 MY LIFEhad many opportunitie
- Page 402 and 403: 338 MY LIFEthen editor of the Fortn
- Page 404 and 405: ;340 MY LIFEthat occurred in his pr
- Page 406 and 407: 342 MY LIFEhimself to be searched s
- Page 408 and 409: 344 MY LIFEhow, under similar condi
FRIENDS AND OCCUPATIONS 299During the first half <strong>of</strong> my residence at Parkstone(1889-96), I did not write any new books, having, asI thought, said all that I had to say on the greatsubjects that chiefly interested me ;but I contributeda number <strong>of</strong> articles to reviews, wrote many notices <strong>of</strong>books, with letters to Nature on various matters <strong>of</strong>scientific interest. A short account <strong>of</strong> the moreimportant <strong>of</strong> these will show that I was not altogetherinactive as regards literary work.In the spring <strong>of</strong> 1890 Ilectured at Sheffield <strong>and</strong>at Liverpool, <strong>and</strong> have since declined all invitationsto lecture, partly from disinclination <strong>and</strong> considerations<strong>of</strong> health, but also because I believed that I could domore good with my pen than with my voice. Duringthe year I prepared a new edition <strong>of</strong> my " MalayArchipelago," bringing the parts dealing with naturalhistory up to date.In the same year I contributed to the FortnightlyReview an article on " Human Selection," which is, Iconsider, though very short, the most important contributionI have made to the science <strong>of</strong> sociology <strong>and</strong>the cause <strong>of</strong> human progress. The article v/as writtenwith two objects in view. The first <strong>and</strong> most importantwas to show that the various proposals <strong>of</strong>Grant Allen, Mr. Francis Galton, <strong>and</strong> some Americanwriters, to attempt the direct improvement <strong>of</strong> thehuman race by forms <strong>of</strong> artificial elimination <strong>and</strong>selection, are both unscientific <strong>and</strong> unnecessary ; Ialso wished to show that the great bugbear <strong>of</strong> theopponents <strong>of</strong> social reform—too rapid increase <strong>of</strong>population— is entirely imaginary, <strong>and</strong> that the verysame agencies which, under improved social conditions,will bring about a real <strong>and</strong> effective selection<strong>of</strong> the physically, mentally, <strong>and</strong> morally best, will alsotend towards a diminution <strong>of</strong> the rate <strong>of</strong> increase <strong>of</strong>