Dear Sir,

Your kind note I received long ago before I went to Ashland where I was some time working on the Wisconsin Central Railway.¹

Many thanks for it. I hope you are hale again or at any rate—if not quite strong much better on

As for me I am quite sick of the winter here and no work to do or if any—wood chopping in 2 ft of snow at $1.00 a cord.

The Wisconsin Central works ⁠⟨⁠wer⁠⟩⁠e stopped at the commencement ⁠⟨⁠of⁠⟩⁠ winter and that threw 500 men ⁠⟨⁠on⁠⟩⁠ the surrounding country and many with scarce a dollar in their pockets.

The City Council employed some at the stone quarries till their m⁠⟨⁠o⁠⟩⁠n⁠⟨⁠e⁠⟩⁠y was all gone since when cord wood chopping and hauling has been the only work done since—

I went to the Railway work but did not like the accomoda⁠⟨⁠tio⁠⟩⁠n so I came back to Duluth soon after the work was stopped when all came back—

In January and this month I cut nearly 40 cord of firewood but through the deep snow I used to slip about so and get so mad that I did not at all like going off in the morning two miles to work—get dinner in the snow and in the evening walk back 2 miles home—We used to boil the snow and make coffee to drink and take bread and meat with us for our dinner.

Yes I have almost made ⁠⟨⁠up⁠⟩⁠ my mind to clear out of here   ⁠⟨⁠I⁠⟩⁠ do not like a towns life or a bu⁠⟨⁠sines⁠⟩⁠s of any sort and the long winter ⁠⟨⁠is⁠⟩⁠ quite a caution—so that next Summer when I have sold my land and squared up for my winter board I intend to go to Fort Garry again and on up the Saskatchewan² and perhaps right through to Vancouver Island ⁠⟨⁠w⁠⟩⁠here I was 16 years ago, and where ⁠⟨⁠I⁠⟩⁠ should choose to live of all ⁠⟨⁠the⁠⟩⁠ places that I have seen for many reasons—but having been there before for I never like going back again to settle in a country that I left with the intention of not returning again to it.

As to Philosophy— I am almost become a Spiritualist—that is—I judge to be correct so far much of what the Spiritualists say—however they know it— That spirit is an entity and a material substance— that in fact our soul or mind or reason is a material substance and that it is quite possible to be preserved our individuality in a future state and our knowledge—that the extinct fauna and flora is the scaffolding by which the superintending surrounding intelligences have built the present life or organic edifice—and that man is the animal at which they arrived—that they have taken their time about it as they needs must—and that yet they still work on— That they have instructed man as he could understand it by means of the Astronomical Egyptio religion and the Vedas³ and Confucius and Zoroastes, but mostly by the Greeks for Christianity is an absurd blending of Grecian Phil. with Egypt. ceremony divested of symbols by the Jews or Hebrews— It contains some fine ideas great spiritual truths but the analysis of the whole is worse than bosh—Eternal punishment to wit. That there is a God, by us so named, a great supreme intelligence but that he makes or works through other intelligences and in fact is perfectly incomprehensible even to the highest mind on the happy hunting grounds or as the spiritualists name it The great Summerland. That departed Spirits are the angels and are free to come or go as they choose in fact that we all live there with the most of the ideas that we have here and do in fact what we like best and live with whom we like best likewise also minds from the other planets. That some are much better than others and more honored that those who live most for the good of their fellows the most that all distinction of rank is unknown or unrecognised, and that this country is an immense celestial or spiritual world in Space—Some where about the Milky way?—

You may laugh at my credulity but I had almost arrived at the same conclusions myself by direct reasoning— I know well that Science says—when we die we are dissolved are in fact no more nor can I contradict it—but I know that I am, and am also conscious of my consciousness, and though when I sleep I am not conscious yet I wake in the morning—and my great hope is to wake in the morning “Clad in light and deathless bloom”⁴—and why shall not my wish be fulfilled.—

How you have done a good work on the earth so far as to collect scientific facts bearing on the Great question— Who and what is Man?—which can only be answered scientifically by What is a Species?— your first book and originally by—What is life?—

How we know no more what life is than what electricity is or indeed than what oxegen or gold or lime is or sodium—but we know that a lion is a desert variety of the tree carnivora become a distinct Species—so we know what a species is— It is in fact a variety become specifically distinct as the Zebra and Ass or Whale and Cameleopard or Giraffe—

So that man is a built up animal as to his body with many defects as gaping, sneezing &c—and his mind too is built up as to inherited experience but there seems to be something more  so also with regard to the building of this organic world— The two laws of natural selection and sexual selection do not account for all   There must be a superintending council of great but not omnipotent powers that do the best possible under all the circumstances for this world taking it as a whole that often they may not agree but that mostly that they work together and make by law or of from what they find to hand the best way they can.—

So you see I have joined you with the Spiritualists over here— though they had before recognized your hypothesis as they say by direct communication from spiritland— and the union of the two that is— A natural building of this world and man for its inhabitant by great intelligensis through natural laws—and a hope of a most glorious hereafter which you may very much mar yourself here by your own Conduct—you or indeed I or any one being a built up Character of many conflicting circumstances—Some of which we can not help— as say for instance—Mother tongue—or first impressions or first or early training but such as we are; we find ourselves when we begin to think and then each one has a good deal of responsibility as to what they make of their character or spiritual individual nature.

(I marked a paragraph in a paper that I sent to you—of a hairy bird— I believe it to be a hoax but I am not sure. you can not depend on these papers much.)⁵

Perhaps if you are alive you may see me again in London, in a year or two—by way of India Ceylon⁶ and Egypt— I do not know but I want to come or rather go on round the world again and I have not given up my flying idea at all yet though now I can do nothing to it.

and yet what is the good of blundering about so (I have been three times round now) I do not know—nor yet what is the good of staying entirely in one place—I get cramped up like in mind—

So wishing you better health and a good few more years in comfort and well doing—and every success to your labors—also my best respects to your Son who was in California⁷ | I remain | yours very sincerely | Henry A. Head

Box 377 Duluth | Minnesota U.S.

To D^r C. Darwin | Down, Beckenham Kent