From S. T. Preston 24 October 1880
25 Reedworth Street | Kennington Road SE. | London.
October 24th. 1880
Dear Sir
In perusing my letter of August 5th again, it strikes me that there is an appearance of pretentiousness in the mode of my allusion to Mr Herbert Spencer’s “Data of Ethics” in relation to the Essay on “Natural Science & Morality” by myself and friend.1 I can only say that this was not my intention, and my object was to express a certain amount of gratification at the apparent agreement of principles as far as they went in the comparatively very brief Essay by self and friend. As however one cannot in correspondence have the great advantage of knowing the impression one has created and of ascertaining whether the intended meaning has been conveyed (which is possible only in an oral communication): and as I should be sorry that the wording of my letter should convey an impression of the above kind (which I think it legitimately might do)—I am therefore induced to write these few lines, and as no correspondence is called for, I hope I shall not be thought to be unduly troubling you in alluding briefly to this matter.
Your’s truly | S Tolver Preston
Charles Darwin Esqr FRS &c—
Footnotes
Bibliography
Preston, Samuel Tolver. 1880a. Natural science and morality. Journal of science 3d ser. 2: 443–62.
[Seaton, William Sharpey.] 1879. Physics and ethics: the conservation of energy and free will: scientific imagination and the origin of knowledge: the ascent of man and the basis of right and wrong. London: Harrison and Sons.
Spencer, Herbert. 1879. The data of ethics. London: Williams and Norgate.
Summary
Regrets the pretentious tone of his 5 Aug letter [12678].
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-12773
- From
- Samuel Tolver Preston
- To
- Charles Robert Darwin
- Sent from
- London, Kennington Rd
- Source of text
- DAR 174: 64
- Physical description
- ALS 2pp
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 12773,” accessed on 19 March 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-12773.xml