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

FRIENDS AND OCCUPATIONS 313The success of this volume, and the entirely newcircle of readers itbrought me, caused my publishersto urge me to write my autobiography, which I shouldotherwise have not written at all, or only on a verymuch smaller scale for the information of my familyas to my early life.It seems to me a very suggestive fact that myliterary work during the last ten years should havebeen so completely determined by two circumstanceswhich must be considered, in the ordinary sense of theterm, and in relation to my own volition, matters ofchance. If Dr. Lunn had not invited me to Davos,and if he had suggested " Darwinism " or any otherof my special subjects instead of the " Science of theNineteenth Century," I should not have written my" Wonderful Century ; " I should not have had myattention so specially directed to great astronomicalproblems ; I should not, when asked for an article,have chosen the subject of our sun's central position ;and I should certainly never have undertaken such apiece of work as my book on "Man's Place in theUniverse," or the present autobiography. Andfurther, without the accident of a perfect strangercalling upon me for reasons of his own, and thatstranger happening to be a man who had been somarvellously cured by Dr. Salisbury as to induce meto adopt the same treatment, with similar results, Ishould never have had the energy required to undertakethe two later and more important works. Ofcourse, it may be that these are only examples ofthose " happy chances " which are not uncommon inmen's lives ; but, on the other hand, it may be truethat, "there's a divinity that shapes our ends, roughhewthem as we will " ; and those who have reason to