Huxley

Abstract

IT is a wise thing to accept and continue the long-established custom of recalling at special intervals the life-stories and noble deeds of men who in the past have done great service to our race. The memory of them-unless so refreshed-readily passes from the thought of the many. Though treasured by a few it must be continually set forth anew by the observance of festivals or “holy days,” in order that the knowledge of what those great men were and did may not fade but reach the present generation as a guiding light and a source of courage and heroic action. For this reason I am glad to be able to contribute a few lines to the present number of NATURE. We are celebrating the centenary of the birth of the great naturalist, philosopher, and teacher Huxley-the apostle of Darwin, the victorious opponent of traditional ignorance and superstition, the unflinching champion of veracity.