My dear George

I have read your essay & I deliberately think it clever, interesting & clear: but remember that I am not a good critic (nor indeed on any subject) as I have not read much on such subjects.² The preliminary sketch is so far true, that I am sure it applies to myself, but whether new enough or important enough to be worth giving is doubtful.— You expose well the fallacy in what Arnold says about prayer.—³ What you say about the moral sense still seems to me the newest & cleverest part; & that about future rewards & punishments perhaps least so.

But for several reasons I w^d. urge you not to publish it for some months, at the soonest, & then consider whether you think it new & important enough to counterbalance the evils; remembering the cart-loads which have been published on the subject.— The evils are giving pain to others, & injuring your own power & usefulness. Last night Dicey & Litchfield were talking about J. Stuart Mill, never expressing his religious convictions, as he was urged never to do by his Father.⁴ Both agreed strongly that if he had done so, he w^d. never have influenced the present age in the manner in which he has done. His books w^d. not have been text-books at Oxford.— To take a weaker instance Lyell is most firmly convinced that he has shaken the faith in the Deluge &c far more efficiently by never having said a word against the Bible, than if he had acted otherwise.—⁵ It is an old doctrine of mine that it is of paramount importance for a young author to publish (if with his name) only what is very good & new; so that the public may have faith in him, & read what he writes.— It is also an old & golden rule to keep every M.S. until such time that you can look at it with fresh eyes.— I am rather alarmed at you getting into the habit of desiring an early harvest or result & frittering away your time on many small subjects or by writing short essays (& therefore temporary) on important subjects; & this, I think, would be beneath your powers.—⁶ I wish that you were tied to some study on which you could not hope to publish anything for some years.

I have marked one or two passages in which you give your own conviction: remember that an enemy might ask who is this man, & what is his age & what have been his special studies, that he sh^d. give to the world his opinions on the deepest subjects?— This sneer might easily be avoided, & yet you could say your say. But my advice is to pause, pause, pause.—

Your affectionate Father | Ch Darwin

P.S. Oct 22^d. Hen. has taken your M.S. to London, & will write.—⁷ I have lately read Morley’s Life of Voltaire & he insists strongly that direct attacks on Christianity (even when written with the wonderful force & vigour of Voltaire) produce little permanent effect: real good seems only to follow from slow & silent side attacks.—⁸ I have been talking on this head with Litchfield, & he strongly concurs, & insists how easily a man may for ever destroy his own influence.

I repeat that your essay seems to me clever & interesting, but I urge you to pause long, & if you do, I do not think that you will publish it.

Remember that every author worth a fig writes far more than he ever publishes. On the whole after deliberating to the best of my power I advise you not to publish; but in such cases every man must judge for himself. | C.D.