BR TO OTTOLINE MORRELL, [21 JUNE 1913]
BRACERS 17952. ALS. Morrell papers #813, Texas
Proofread by K. Blackwell et al.

Sat. mg.1^, 2

My Darling

I hope you are enjoying this delicious morning at Newington — so fresh and bright it seems — I long to get off, and am planning to bicycle to Camb. (perhaps taking the train just out of London). I wrote you a horrid letter last night, but I have made up in my mind what you might answer to it if you were more explicit, and it has comforted me. This morning I feel as gay as a bird. — I have finished the Nigger of the Narcissus, and will now begin Selena.3

I enclose a letter from Lucy Silcox, which partly concerns you. She is kind. Will you please return it to me and tell me what I am to say in reply?

I am thinking about how to write popular lectures on scientific method. It wants a lot of odd erudition to do properly. Here is the idea: I. In Mathematics, the Pythagoreans believed in the mystic properties of numbers — called some “perfect” numbers, invented such terms as “harmonic proportion”. Traces of their views survive in Plato, but the discovery of incommensurables, which was made just before his time, really upset their philosophy, and gradually people learnt in Greek timesa to do Arithmetic without attaching praise or blame to numbers. II. Physics: here the scientific attitude begins with Galileo — you know what I have to say about this. III. Biology: Darwin. Before him, every animal of a species was an imperfect copy of the Platonic type laid up in heaven: there was only one Platonic dog in heaven (or perhaps a bitch too), but whether mastiff, bull-dog, dachshund or pug no one knew — probably the last. Animals were excellent in proportion as they approximated to the sample in the heavenly Zoo — so Aristotle had taught, and Genesis seemed agreeable to the same view. Gosse’s father still held this theory — it was Darwin who swept it away. IV. Man: Malthus, economics, psychology; a “rational animal”? “Homo Sapiens”? What next? V. The Universe: groundlessness of teleology, of beliefs in systematic unity, etc. It won’t conform to this or that little scheme, a mousetrap for a giant,b that happens to suit our taste. VI. The world of logic. Here I shall let myself go. VII. Conclusions: (a) analysis; (b)c the scientific attitude consists in a certain reverence towards the fact, rather than in trying to dictate to it that it shall be what we like at the moment. The important thing is to keep interest without praise or blame.d

I want (1) a book on the Pythagoreans — do you know of any? (2) Plato’s Timaeus — perhaps you could lend it to me — or I can get it at Camb. if I can remember. (3) Aristotle’s Physics, which I have written for. (4) Father and Son — could you get it from the Library? (5) Darwin’s life. I believe I could make a fine piece of work out of this — it is a good framework for what I have to say. Tell me if you like it.

Goodbye Darling. My utmost depth of love is always with you — always always — involuntary indestructible love springing out of the abyss of mystery.

Your
B

• 1

  [document] Document 000813. Proofread against a colour scan of the original.

• 2

  [envelope] A circled “813”. The Lady Ottoline Morrell | Newington House | Wallingford | Berks. Pmk: LONDON. W.C. | 11 AM | 21 JU 13

• 3

  Selena Not likely to be Mary Tighe, Selena (1803), which existed only in manuscript until 2012.

Textual Notes

• a

  in Greek times inserted

• b

  , a mousetrap for a giant, inserted

• c

  (a) analysis; (b) inserted

• d

  The important thing is to keep interest without praise or blame. inserted