I hope your appetite for the breakfast was none the worse for last night’s doings—­mine was rather improved, but I am dog-tired.

Ever yours very faithfully,

T.H.  Huxley.

I return Miss —­’s note. she evidently thinks my cage is labelled
“These animals bite.”

[Later in the year, the following letters show him continuing the campaign.  But an attack of pleurisy, which began the very day of the Jubilee, prevented him from coming to speak at a meeting upon Technical Education.  In the autumn, however, he spoke on the subject at Manchester, and had the satisfaction of seeing the city “go solid,” as he expressed it, for technical education.  The circumstances of this visit are given later.]

4 Marlborough Place, May 1, 1887.

My dear Roscoe,

I met Lord Hartington at the Academy Dinner last night and took the opportunity of urging upon him the importance of following up his technical education speech.  He told me he had been in communication with you about the matter, and he seemed to me to be very well disposed to your plans.

I may go on crying in the wilderness until I am hoarse, with no result, but if he and you and Mundella will take it up, something may be done.

Ever yours very faithfully,

T.H.  Huxley.

4 Marlborough Place, June 28, 1887.

My dear Roscoe,

Donnelly was here on Sunday and was quite right up to date.  I felt I ought to be better, and could not make out why the deuce I was not.  Yesterday the mischief came out.  There is a touch of pleurisy—­which has been covered by the muscular rheumatism.

So I am relegated to bed and told to stop there—­with the company of cataplasms to keep me lively.

I do not think the attack in any way serious—­but M. Pl. is a gentleman not to be trifled with, when you are over sixty, and there is nothing for it but to obey my doctor’s orders.

Pray do not suppose I would be stopped by a trifle, if my coming to the meeting [Of July 1, on Technical Education.] would really have been of use.  I hope you will say how grieved I am to be absent.

Ever yours very faithfully,

T.H.  Huxley.

4 Marlborough Place, June 29, 1887.

My dear Roscoe,

I have scrawled a variety of comments on the paper you sent me.  Deal with them as you think fit.

Ever since I was on the London School Board I have seen that the key of the position is in the Sectarian Training Colleges and that wretched imposture, the pupil teacher system.  As to the former Delendae sunt no truce or pact to be made with them, either Church or Dissenting.  Half the time of their students is occupied with grinding into their minds their tweedle-dum and tweedle-dee theological idiocies, and the other half in cramming them with boluses of other things to be duly spat out on examination day.  Whatever is done do not let us be deluded by any promises of theirs to hook on science or technical teaching to their present work.