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BISHOP WILBERFORCE AND
PROFESSOR HUXLEY.
In a lecture delivered at Owens College
by Professor Boyd Dawkins on the late
John Richard Green, Mr. Dawkins said
that in 1860 Mr. Green attended the
British Association at Oxford, and in a
letter he described the passage of arms
which occurred between Professor Hux-
ley, the champion of the new mode of ,
knowledge, and Professor Owen, repre-
sented by Dr. Samuel Wilberforce, Bishop
of Oxford, who stood up for the old
obstructive dogmatism. The following
is an extract from the letter, which is
dated July 3,1860 :- "I was introduced
to Robert Chambers (the supposed author
of the 'Vestiges') the other day, and
heard him chuckle over the episcopal
defeat. I haven't told you that story
have I? On Saturday morning I met
J. going to the museum, and he proposed
going to the section D - the Zoology, &c
- to hear the Bishop of Oxford 'smash
Darwin.'' 'Smash Darwin! Smash the
pyramids!' said I, in great wrath, and
muttering something about impertin-
ences, which caused J. to explain that
'the Bishop was a first class in mathe-
matics, you know, and so has a right to
treat on scientific matters,' which, of
course, silenced my cavils. Well, when
Professor D - had ceased his hour and a
half of nasal Yankeeism, up rose 'Sam-
mivel,' and proceeded to act the smasher.
The white chokers, who were abundant,
cheered lustily - a sort of 'Pitch it into
him' cheer, and the smasher got so
uproarious as to pitch into Darwin's
friends, Darwin being smashed, and
especially Professor Huxley. Still the
white chokers cheered as Samuel rattled
on. 'He had been told that Professor
Huxley had said that he didn't see that it
mattered much to a man whether his
grandfather were an ape or an ass! Let
the learned professor speak for himself,'
and the like; which being ended - and
let me say that such 'rot ' never fell from
episcopal lips before - arose Professor
Huxley. Young, cool, quiet, sarcastic,
scientific in facts and in treatment, 'he
gave his lordship such a smashing as he
may meditate on with profit over his port
at Cuddlesden. This was the exordium :
- 'I asserted, and I repeat, that a man
has no reason to be ashamed of having
had an ape for his grandfather. If there
were an ancestor whom I should feel
shame in recalling it would rather be a
man - a man of restless and versatile
intellect - who, not content with an
equivocal success in his own sphere of
activity, plunges into scientific questions
with which he has no real acquaintance,
only to obscure them by an aimless
rhetoric, and distract the attention of his
hearers from the real point at issue by
eloquent digressions and skilled appeals
to religious prejudice." Professor Daw-
kins added that he sent a copy of the
letter a short time ago to Professor
Huxley, who said it represented very
accurately the sentiments he intended to
convey.
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