Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
Down Beckenham
Kent
August 29th 1872
Dear Sir
I am very sorry that you have become involved in a troublesome controversy on my part.
The sentence given by Mr Lyon in inverted commas is an invention, and it is a most
unjustifiable proceeding on his part. He might of course have given any interpretation
which he pleased of my words, but he had no right to put the words in inverted commas. I
may add that I have given in the later and more especially in the 6th Ed. Of the Origin
many cases showing how common generated forms (that is forms partaking of the char-
acters of existing defined groups) are in all the same ancient formations. I have always
been curious to hear who wrote Homo Vs. Darwin. Mr Lyon can hardly have the dis-
position of a gentleman, for in one place he states that I speak the truth solely because I
should be found out if I lied. I hope that you will soon be able to bring your controversy to
an end and I remain in haste.
Dear Sir
Yours faithfully
Ch. Darwin
It is believed that this letter is in reply to one written to Darwin by Harmer who
apparently had entered into a newspaper controversy with W.P. Lyon, author of
the publication 'Homo versus Darwin' published in 1872, in which Lyon (an
Independent Minister from Tunbridge Wells) ascribed to Darwin the saying:
'natural selection is a kind of god that never slumbers or sleeps'.
Harmer did not believe that Darwin had made this statement and had written to
Darwin to this effect.
In the letter housed in the Ipswich Museum Darwin is interested to learn that
Lyon is the author of 'Homo versus Darwin' which was subtitled 'A judicial
examination of statements recently published by Mr Darwin regarding the Descent
of Man'. This was originally published anonymously in the style of a court case
transcript but was apparently based on actual correspondence between Lyon and
Harmer.
In a reply to Darwin's letter of 31 August, Harmer explains that he was sucked
into the controversy when he wrote a letter to the Daily Press (possibly a Norwich
paper) replying to a published letter by a Dr Bateman of Norwich, who claimed to
have proved the 'fallacy of Darwinism'.
Bateman called in Lyon to support him and at first Harmer wanted nothing
more to do with Lyon. This was seen by Lyon as a collapse of Harmer's case and
Harmer could then not help being drawn into the controversy.
Again in his letter of 31 August, Harmer, himself a religious man, apologises for
the attacks Darwin had received and continued to receive in the name of religion by
its 'self constituted champions' (Friends of the Ipswich museums
2013
).
This incident illustrates how well informed Harmer was about scientific matters
of his day and his active response in dealing with any ill-judged comments.
