To T. H. Huxley 2 June [1859]1
Down.
June 2d
My dear Huxley
I meant to have added one other word. You speak of finding a flaw in my hypothesis,2 & this shows you do not understand its nature. It is a mere rag of an hypothesis with as many flaws & holes as sound parts.— My question is whether the rag is worth anything? I think by careful treatment I can carry in it my fruit to market for a short distance over a gentle road; but I fear that you will give the poor rag such a devil of a shake that it will fall all to atoms; & a poor rag is better than nothing to carry one’s fruit to market in— So do not be too ferocious.—3
Ever yours | Most truly | C. Darwin
Footnotes
Bibliography
LL: The life and letters of Charles Darwin, including an autobiographical chapter. Edited by Francis Darwin. 3 vols. London: John Murray. 1887–8.
Origin: On the origin of species by means of natural selection, or the preservation of favoured races in the struggle for life. By Charles Darwin. London: John Murray. 1859.
Summary
THH should understand that CD’s hypothesis [natural selection] has as many flaws and holes as sound parts. The question is whether CD’s rag of a hypothesis is worth anything. A poor rag is better than nothing to carry one’s fruit to market.
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-2466
- From
- Charles Robert Darwin
- To
- Thomas Henry Huxley
- Sent from
- Down
- Source of text
- Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine Archives (Huxley 5: 65)
- Physical description
- ALS 3pp
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 2466,” accessed on 26 September 2022, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-2466.xml
Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 7