The Life and Letters of Thomas Henry Huxley, vol 1 | Page 7

quoted
hereafter, that he had thus early begun to teach himself German, an
undertaking more momentous in its consequences than the boy

dreamed of. The knowledge of German thus early acquired was soon of
the utmost service in making him acquainted with the advance of
biological investigation on the continent at a time when few indeed
among English men of science were able to follow it at first hand, and
turn the light of the newest theories upon their own researches.
It is therefore peculiarly interesting to note the cause which determined
the young Huxley to take up the study of so little read a language. I
have more than once heard him say that this was one half of the debt he
owed to Carlyle, the other half being an intense hatred of shams of
every sort and kind. The translations from the German, the constant
references to German literature and philosophy, fired him to try the vast
original from which these specimens were quarried, for the sake partly
of the literature, but still more of the philosophy. The translation of
"Wilhelm Meister," and some of the "Miscellaneous Essays" together,
with "The French Revolution," were certainly among works of Carlyle
with which he first made acquaintance, to be followed later by "Sartor
Resartus," which for many years afterwards was his Enchiridion, as he
puts it in an unpublished autobiographical fragment.
By great good fortune, a singularly interesting glimpse of my father's
life from the age of fifteen onwards has been preserved in the shape of
a fragmentary journal which he entitled, German fashion, "Thoughts
and Doings." Begun on September 29, 1840, it is continued for a
couple of years, and concludes with some vigorous annotations in 1845,
when the little booklet emerged from a three years' oblivion at the
bottom of an old desk. Early as this journal is, in it the boy displays
three habits afterwards characteristic of the man: the habit of noting
down any striking thought or saying he came across in the course of his
reading; of speculating on the causes of things and discussing the right
and wrong of existing institutions; and of making scientific
experiments, using them to correct his theories.
The first entry, the heading, as it were, and keynote of all the rest, is a
quotation from Novalis;--"Philosophy can bake no bread; but it can
prove for us God, freedom, and immortality. Which, now, is more
practical, Philosophy or Economy?" The reference here given is to a
German edition of Novalis, so that it seems highly probable that the
boy had learnt enough of the language to translate a bit for himself,
though, as appears from entries in 1841, he had still to master the

grammar completely.
In science, he was much interested in electricity; he makes a galvanic
battery] "in view of experiment to get crystallized carbon. Got it
deposited, but not crystallized." [Other experiments and theorising
upon them are recorded in the following year. Another entry showing
the courage of youth, deserves mention:--]
October 5 (1840).--Began speculating on the cause of colours at sunset.
Has any explanation of them ever been attempted? [which is
supplemented by an extract] from old book.
[We may also remark the early note of Radicalism and resistance to
anything savouring of injustice or oppression, together with the naive
honesty of the admission that his opinions may change with years.]
October 25 (at Hinckley).--Read Dr. S. Smith on the Divine
Government.--Agree with him partly.--I should say that a general belief
in his doctrines would have a very injurious effect on morals.
November 22.--...Had a long talk with my mother and father about the
right to make Dissenters pay church rates--and whether there ought to
be any Establishment. I maintain that there ought not in both cases--I
wonder what will be my opinion ten years hence? I think now that it is
against all laws of justice to force men to support a church with whose
opinions they cannot conscientiously agree. The argument that the rate
is so small is very fallacious. It is as much a sacrifice of principle to do
a little wrong as to do a great one.
November 22 (Hinckley).--Had a long argument with Mr. May on the
nature of the soul and the difference between it and matter. I
maintained that it could not be proved that matter is
ESSENTIALLY--as to its base--different from soul. Mr. M. wittily said,
soul was the perspiration of matter.
We cannot find the absolute basis of matter: we only know it by its
properties; neither know we the soul in any other way. Cogito ergo sum
is the only thing that we CERTAINLY know.
Why may not soul and matter be of the same substance (i.e. basis
whereon to fix qualities, for we cannot suppose a quality