My dear Willy

I am very glad indeed to hear that you are in the sixth;² & I do not care how difficult you find the work: am I not a kind Father? I am even almost as glad to hear of the Debating Society, for it will stir you up to read.— Do send me as soon as you can the subjects; & I will do my very best to give you hints; & mamma will try also.— But I fear, as the subjects will generally be historical or political, that I shall not be of much use.— By thinking at odds & ends of times on any subject, especially if you read a little about it, you will form some opinion & find something to say; & in truth the habit of speaking will be of greatest importance to you. Uncle Harry was here this morning,³ & we were telling him that we had settled for you to be a Barrister (he was one) & his first question was, “has he the gift of the gab”? But then he added, he has got industry, & that is by far the most important of all.— Mamma desires that you will read the Chapters very well ;⁴ & the dear old Mammy must be obeyed. Her lip is plaistered up, so we cannot tell yet how she will look.—⁵

Parslow⁶ has looked for the guard of the Razor, & it is not in your room; & he remembers putting it in paper, & he thinks it was probably thrown on one side with the paper, so you had better enquire.—

Lenny, Franky & Co^y. were rather awe-struck to hear that you had bought a cane to whip the Boys.—⁷

Be sure tell me about the Optics—& how you get on with the Reading in Chapel. Read slow & read the chapter two or three times over to yourself first; that will make a great difference. When I was Secretary to the Geolog. Soc, I had to read aloud to Meeting M.S. papers; but I always read them over carefully first; yet I was so nervous at first, I somehow could see nothing all around me, but the paper, & I felt as if my body was gone, & only my head left.—⁸

Snow came here today, in the carriage which took Harry back, & this, between ourselves, is rather a bore.⁹ On Saturday all the Josselinas come.—¹⁰

When you write tell me how long the Boys make their speeches, & whether many get up & answer.—

Good night, my dear old fellow & future Lord Chancellor of all England.—

Your’s’ most affectionately | Ch. Darwin