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Darwin Correspondence Project

From W. W. Reade   16 February 1872

11 St. Mary Abbot’s | Terrace | Kensington

Feb. 16.—72

My dear Sir

I must in the first place enter my humble protest against the Descent of Man being disparaged by any one, even by its author who may be said to have a right to do what he likes with his own—1 I can only say that your chapters on Man (of the Zoological parts I am of course incompetent to judge) are endorsed by my experience of savages and as you will see when I publish I follow you in toto;2 and I have read those chapters again & again finding always something new. The depreciation to which the book has been subjected is chiefly owing to Anthropology being a new science: you write on a subject not understood: & then of course you labour under the disadvantage of having produced a masterpiece the Origin of species— The parts relating to the moral sense which have chiefly been attacked seem to me the strongest parts of the book.3 But what does it matter about reviews? Where is Mivart’s article now?4 Will any human being ever read it or try to read it from this time henceforth? I guess not. But the book remains.

There was a paragraph in the Athenæum saying I was writing a book in which I would “endeavour to apply Mr. Darwin’s principles in their full extent to history & religion”. I dont know who wrote it. It was very well put—5

I need not say that I shall be very glad to have the opportunity of seeing you again. I have been leading the life of a hermit since I had the pleasure of seeing you last; so any afternoon will find me disengaged: but you have many old friends whose turn comes before mine—6 Thanks for the new edition.7

What you say about unpopularity does not frighten me— I have always expected the worst. Your approbation makes me hope the book will at all events be read; though I have always found men like yourself more quickly appreciate any sign of merit than ordinary readers. The opening of the chapter ought to be good (ie the first sheet): I wrote it six times at least, making it smaller every time. I got one or two ideas from Tylor—(the dream—& phrases of poetry on facts of ordinary life)—but chiefly Mill on Comte—8 I shall give my authorities in an introduction. I wanted to give a clean page—doubting also whether the work was of sufficient importance to load it with references: as I shd. have to if I gave any— My obligations to your works are very great— I am afraid (this I write with a grin) that you will come in for some of the abuse poured on me—

Of course do not answer this—till you come to town.9 | I remain | My dear Sir | Yours very truly | Winwood Reade

I dont know whether you noticed my page is modelled on yours in the Origin of species. I wish there were other resemblances—

Footnotes

CD’s letter to Reade has not been found, but see letter to Anton Dohrn, 3 February 1872, in which CD wrote that he felt it was a mistake to have published Descent since it had met with the approval of hardly any naturalists.
Reade refers to his book The martyrdom of man (Reade 1872; see letter from W. W. Reade, 13 February 1872).
For more on objections to CD’s theory of the development of moral sense, see Correspondence vol. 19.
Reade refers to St George Jackson Mivart’s anonymous review of Descent, published in the Quarterly Review ([Mivart] 1871c; see also Correspondence vol. 19, letter from W. W. Reade, 20 September 1871).
See letter from W. W. Reade, 13 February 1872 and n. 1. The author of the paragraph was the editor of the Athenæum, Norman MacColl.
Reade visited CD on 19 March 1872 (see letter from W. W. Reade, 18 March [1872]). Reade’s first known visit to CD was in January 1871 (see Emma Darwin’s diary (DAR 242)).
Reade refers to Origin 6th ed.
In Primitive culture (E. B. Tylor 1871), Edward Burnett Tylor argued that primitive humans had developed animistic beliefs to explain sleep and dreams. In Reade 1872, p. 168, Reade maintained that savages had been led to a belief in God by their interpretation of dreams. For John Stuart Mill’s critique of Auguste Comte’s positivist philosophy, see Mill 1865.
CD stayed in London from 13 February until 21 March 1872 (see ‘Journal’ (Appendix II)).

Bibliography

Correspondence: The correspondence of Charles Darwin. Edited by Frederick Burkhardt et al. 29 vols to date. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 1985–.

Descent: The descent of man, and selection in relation to sex. By Charles Darwin. 2 vols. London: John Murray. 1871.

Mill, John Stuart. 1865. Auguste Comte and positivism. London: Trübner.

Origin 6th ed.: The origin of species by means of natural selection, or the preservation of favoured races in the struggle for life. 6th edition, with additions and corrections. By Charles Darwin. London: John Murray. 1872.

Reade, William Winwood. 1872. The martyrdom of man. London: Trübner & Co.

Tylor, Edward Burnett. 1871. Primitive culture: researches into the development of mythology, philosophy, religion, art, and custom. 2 vols. London: John Murray.

Summary

Defends Descent against CD’s self-disparagement. The parts on the moral sense seem to him the finest in the book.

Letter details

Letter no.
DCP-LETT-8215
From
William Winwood Reade
To
Charles Robert Darwin
Sent from
Kensington
Source of text
DAR 176: 53
Physical description
ALS 4pp

Please cite as

Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 8215,” accessed on 28 March 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-8215.xml

Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 20

letter