Heusedtosaythatitgrievedhimtofindthatforthefriendsofhislaterlifehehadnotthewarmaffectionofhisyouth。CertainlyinhisearlylettersfromCambridgehegivesproofsofverystrongfriendshipforHerbertandFox;butnooneexcepthimselfwouldhavesaidthathisaffectionforhisfriendswasnot,throughoutlife,ofthewarmestpossiblekind。Inservingafriendhewouldnotsparehimself,andprecioustimeandstrengthwerewillinglygiven。Heundoubtedlyhad,toanunusualdegree,thepowerofattachinghisfriendstohim。Hehadmanywarmfriendships,buttoSirJosephHookerhewasboundbytiesofaffectionstrongerthanweoftenseeamongmen。Hewroteinhis’Recollections,’"I
haveknownhardlyanymanmorelovablethanHooker。"
Hisrelationshiptothevillagepeoplewasapleasantone;hetreatedthem,oneandall,withcourtesy,whenhecameincontactwiththem,andtookaninterestinallrelatingtotheirwelfare。SometimeafterhecametoliveatDownhehelpedtofoundaFriendlyClub,andservedastreasurerforthirtyyears。Hetookmuchtroubleabouttheclub,keepingitsaccountswithminuteandscrupulousexactness,andtakingpleasureinitsprosperouscondition。EveryWhit—Mondaytheclubusedtomarchroundwithbandandbanner,andparadedonthelawninfrontofthehouse。Therehemetthem,andexplainedtothemtheirfinancialpositioninalittlespeechseasonedwithafewwellwornjokes。Hewasoftenunwellenoughtomakeeventhislittleceremonyanexertion,butIthinkheneverfailedtomeetthem。
HewasalsotreasureroftheCoalClub,whichgavehimsomework,andheactedforsomeyearsasaCountyMagistrate。
Withregardtomyfather’sinterestintheaffairsofthevillage,Mr。
BrodieInneshasbeensogoodastogivemehisrecollections:——
"OnmybecomingVicarofDownin1846,webecamefriends,andsocontinuedtillhisdeath。Hisconducttowardsmeandmyfamilywasoneofunvaryingkindness,andwerepaiditbywarmaffection。
"Inallparishmattershewasanactiveassistant;inmattersconnectedwiththeschools,charities,andotherbusiness,hisliberalcontributionwaseverready,andinthedifferenceswhichattimesoccurredinthat,asinotherparishes,Iwasalwayssureofhissupport。Heheldthatwheretherewasreallynoimportantobjection,hisassistanceshouldbegiventotheclergyman,whooughttoknowthecircumstancesbest,andwaschieflyresponsible。"
Hisintercoursewithstrangerswasmarkedwithscrupulousandratherformalpoliteness,butinfacthehadfewopportunitiesofmeetingstrangers。
Dr。Lanehasdescribed(LecturebyDr。B。W。Richardson,inSt。George’sHall,October22,1882。)how,ontherareoccasionofmyfatherattendingalecture(Dr。Sanderson’s)attheRoyalInstitution,"thewholeassembly……rosetotheirfeettowelcomehim,"whileheseemed"scarcelyconsciousthatsuchanoutburstofapplausecouldpossiblybeintendedforhimself。"ThequietlifeheledatDownmadehimfeelconfusedinalargesociety;forinstance,attheRoyalSociety’ssoireeshefeltoppressedbythenumbers。Thefeelingthatheoughttoknowpeople,andthedifficultyhehadinrememberingfacesinhislatteryears,alsoaddedtohisdiscomfortonsuchoccasions。Hedidnotrealisethathewouldberecognisedfromhisphotographs,andIrememberhisbeinguneasyatbeingobviouslyrecognisedbyastrangerattheCrystalPalaceAquarium。
Imustsaysomethingofhismannerofworking:onecharacteristicofitwashisrespectfortime;heneverforgothowpreciousitwas。Thiswasshown,forinstance,inthewayinwhichhetriedtocurtailhisholidays;
also,andmoreclearly,withrespecttoshorterperiods。Hewouldoftensay,thatsavingtheminuteswasthewaytogetworkdone;heshowedhisloveofsavingtheminutesinthedifferencehefeltbetweenaquarterofanhourandtenminutes’work;heneverwastedafewspareminutesfromthinkingthatitwasnotworthwhiletosettowork。Iwasoftenstruckbyhiswayofworkinguptotheverylimitofhisstrength,sothathesuddenlystoppedindictating,withthewords,"IbelieveImustn’tdoanymore。"Thesameeagerdesirenottolosetimewasseeninhisquickmovementswhenatwork。Iparticularlyremembernoticingthiswhenhewasmakinganexperimentontherootsofbeans,whichrequiredsomecareinmanipulation;fasteningthelittlebitsofcardupontherootswasdonecarefullyandnecessarilyslowly,buttheintermediatemovementswereallquick;takingafreshbean,seeingthattherootwashealthy,impalingitonapin,fixingitonacork,andseeingthatitwasvertical,etc;alltheseprocesseswereperformedwithakindofrestrainedeagerness。Healwaysgaveonetheimpressionofworkingwithpleasure,andnotwithanydrag。Ihaveanimage,too,ofhimasherecordedtheresultofsomeexperiment,lookingeagerlyateachroot,etc。,andthenwritingwithequaleagerness。Irememberthequickmovementofhisheadupanddownashelookedfromtheobjecttothenotes。
Hesavedagreatdealoftimethroughnothavingtodothingstwice。
Althoughhewouldpatientlygoonrepeatingexperimentswheretherewasanygoodtobegained,hecouldnotendurehavingtorepeatanexperimentwhichought,ifcompletecarehadbeentaken,tohavesucceededthefirsttime——
andthisgavehimacontinualanxietythattheexperimentshouldnotbewasted;hefelttheexperimenttobesacred,howeverslightaoneitwas。
Hewishedtolearnasmuchaspossiblefromanexperiment,sothathedidnotconfinehimselftoobservingthesinglepointtowhichtheexperimentwasdirected,andhispowerofseeinganumberofotherthingswaswonderful。Idonotthinkhecaredforpreliminaryorroughobservationintendedtoserveasguidesandtoberepeated。Anyexperimentdonewastobeofsomeuse,andinthisconnectionIrememberhowstronglyheurgedthenecessityofkeepingthenotesofexperimentswhichfailed,andtothisrulehealwaysadhered。
Intheliterarypartofhisworkhehadthesamehorroroflosingtime,andthesamezealinwhathewasdoingatthemoment,andthismadehimcarefulnottobeobligedunnecessarilytoreadanythingasecondtime。
Hisnaturaltendencywastousesimplemethodsandfewinstruments。Theuseofthecompoundmicroscopehasmuchincreasedsincehisyouth,andthisattheexpenseofthesimpleone。Itstrikesusnowadaysasextraordinarythatheshouldhavehadnocompoundmicroscopewhenhewenthis"Beagle"
voyage;butinthishefollowedtheadviceofRobt。Brown,whowasanauthorityinsuchmatters。Healwayshadagreatlikingforthesimplemicroscope,andmaintainedthatnowadaysitwastoomuchneglected,andthatoneoughtalwaystoseeasmuchaspossiblewiththesimplebeforetakingtothecompoundmicroscope。Inoneofhislettershespeaksonthispoint,andremarksthathealwayssuspectstheworkofamanwhoneverusesthesimplemicroscope。
Hisdissectingtablewasathickboard,letintoawindowofthestudy;itwaslowerthananordinarytable,sothathecouldnothaveworkedatitstanding;butthis,fromwishingtosavehisstrength,hewouldnothavedoneinanycase。Hesatathisdissecting—tableonacuriouslowstoolwhichhadbelongedtohisfather,withaseatrevolvingonaverticalspindle,andmountedonlargecastors,sothathecouldturneasilyfromsidetoside。Hisordinarytools,etc。,werelyingaboutonthetable,butbesidestheseanumberofoddsandendswerekeptinaroundtablefullofradiatingdrawers,andturningonaverticalaxis,whichstoodclosebyhisleftside,ashesatathismicroscope—table。Thedrawerswerelabelled,"besttools,""roughtools,""specimens,""preparationsforspecimens,"
etc。Themostmarkedpeculiarityofthecontentsofthesedrawerswasthecarewithwhichlittlescrapsandalmostuselessthingswerepreserved;heheldthewell—knownbelief,thatifyouthrewathingawayyouweresuretowantitdirectly——andsothingsaccumulated。
Ifanyonehadlookedathistools,etc。,lyingonthetable,hewouldhavebeenstruckbyanairofsimpleness,make—shift,andoddness。
Athisrighthandwereshelves,withanumberofotheroddsandends,glasses,saucers,tinbiscuitboxesforgerminatingseeds,zinclabels,saucersfullofsand,etc。,etc。Consideringhowtidyandmethodicalhewasinessentialthings,itiscuriousthatheborewithsomanymake—
shifts:forinstance,insteadofhavingaboxmadeofadesiredshape,andstainedblackinside,hewouldhuntupsomethinglikewhathewantedandgetitdarkenedinsidewithshoe—blacking;hedidnotcaretohaveglasscoversmadefortumblersinwhichhegerminatedseeds,butusedbrokenbitsofirregularshape,withperhapsanarrowanglestickinguselesslyoutononeside。Butsomuchofhisexperimentingwasofasimplekind,thathehadnoneedforanyelaboration,andIthinkhishabitinthisrespectwasingreatmeasureduetohisdesiretohusbandhisstrength,andnotwasteitoninessentialthings。
Hiswayofmarkingobjectsmayherebementioned。Ifhehadanumberofthingstodistinguish,suchasleaves,flowers,etc。,hetiedthreadsofdifferentcoloursroundthem。Inparticularheusedthismethodwhenhehadonlytwoclassesofobjectstodistinguish;thusinthecaseofcrossedandself—fertilisedflowers,onesetwouldbemarkedwithblackandonewithwhitethread,tiedroundthestalkoftheflower。Irememberwellthelookoftwosetsofcapsules,gatheredandwaitingtobeweighed,counted,etc。,withpiecesofblackandofwhitethreadtodistinguishthetraysinwhichtheylay。Whenhehadtocomparetwosetsofseedlings,sowedinthesamepot,heseparatedthembyapartitionofzinc—plate;andthezinclabel,whichgavethenecessarydetailsabouttheexperiment,wasalwaysplacedonacertainside,sothatitbecameinstinctivewithhimtoknowwithoutreadingthelabelwhichwerethe"crossed"andwhichwerethe"self—fertilised。"
Hisloveofeachparticularexperiment,andhiseagerzealnottolosethefruitofit,cameoutmarkedlyinthesecrossingexperiments——intheelaboratecarehetooknottomakeanyconfusioninputtingcapsulesintowrongtrays,etc。,etc。Icanrecallhisappearanceashecountedseedsunderthesimplemicroscopewithanalertnessnotusuallycharacterisingsuchmechanicalworkascounting。Ithinkhepersonifiedeachseedasasmalldemontryingtoeludehimbygettingintothewrongheap,orjumpingawayaltogether;andthisgavetotheworktheexcitementofagame。Hehadgreatfaithininstruments,andIdonotthinkitnaturallyoccurredtohimtodoubttheaccuracyofascaleormeasuringglass,etc。Hewasastonishedwhenwefoundthatoneofhismicrometersdifferedfromtheother。Hedidnotrequireanygreataccuracyinmostofhismeasurements,andhadnotgoodscales;hehadanoldthree—footrule,whichwasthecommonpropertyofthehousehold,andwasconstantlybeingborrowed,becauseitwastheonlyonewhichwascertaintobeinitsplace——unless,indeed,thelastborrowerhadforgottentoputitback。Formeasuringtheheightofplantshehadaseven—footdealrod,graduatedbythevillagecarpenter。Latterlyhetooktousingpaperscalesgraduatedtomillimeters。Forsmallobjectsheusedapairofcompassesandanivoryprotractor。Itwascharacteristicofhimthathetookscrupulouspainsinmakingmeasurementswithhissomewhatroughscales。Atriflingexampleofhisfaithinauthorityisthathetookhis"inchintermsofmillimeters"
fromanoldbook,inwhichitturnedouttobeinaccuratelygiven。HehadachemicalbalancewhichdatedfromthedayswhenheworkedatchemistrywithhisbrotherErasmus。Measurementsofcapacityweremadewithanapothecary’smeasuringglass:Irememberwellitsroughlookandbadgraduation。Withthis,too,Irememberthegreatcarehetookingettingthefluid—lineontothegraduation。Idonotmeanbythisaccountofhisinstrumentsthatanyofhisexperimentssufferedfromwantofaccuracyinmeasurement,Igivethemasexamplesofhissimplemethodsandfaithinothers——faithatleastininstrument—makers,whosewholetradewasamysterytohim。
Afewofhismentalcharacteristics,bearingespeciallyonhismodeofworking,occurtome。Therewasonequalityofmindwhichseemedtobeofspecialandextremeadvantageinleadinghimtomakediscoveries。Itwasthepowerofneverlettingexceptionspassunnoticed。Everybodynoticesafactasanexceptionwhenitisstrikingorfrequent,buthehadaspecialinstinctforarrestinganexception。Apointapparentlyslightandunconnectedwithhispresentworkispassedoverbymanyamanalmostunconsciouslywithsomehalf—consideredexplanation,whichisinfactnoexplanation。Itwasjustthesethingsthatheseizedontomakeastartfrom。Inacertainsensethereisnothingspecialinthisprocedure,manydiscoveriesbeingmadebymeansofit。Ionlymentionitbecause,asI
watchedhimatwork,thevalueofthispowertoanexperimenterwassostronglyimpresseduponme。
Anotherqualitywhichwasshowninhisexperimentalworkswashispowerofstickingtoasubject;heusedalmosttoapologiseforhispatience,sayingthathecouldnotbeartobebeaten,asifthiswereratherasignofweaknessonhispart。Heoftenquotedthesaying,"It’sdoggedasdoesit;"andIthinkdoggednessexpresseshisframeofmindalmostbetterthanperseverance。Perseveranceseemshardlytoexpresshisalmostfiercedesiretoforcethetruthtorevealitself。Heoftensaidthatitwasimportantthatamanshouldknowtherightpointatwhichtogiveupaninquiry。AndIthinkitwashistendencytopassthispointthatinclinedhimtoapologiseforhisperseverance,andgavetheairofdoggednesstohiswork。
Heoftensaidthatnoonecouldbeagoodobserverunlesshewasanactivetheoriser。ThisbringsmebacktowhatIsaidabouthisinstinctforarrestingexceptions:itwasasthoughhewerechargedwiththeorisingpowerreadytoflowintoanychannelontheslightestdisturbance,sothatnofact,howeversmall,couldavoidreleasingastreamoftheory,andthusthefactbecamemagnifiedintoimportance。Inthiswayitnaturallyhappenedthatmanyuntenabletheoriesoccurredtohim;butfortunatelyhisrichnessofimaginationwasequalledbyhispowerofjudgingandcondemningthethoughtsthatoccurredtohim。Hewasjusttohistheories,anddidnotcondemnthemunheard;andsoithappenedthathewaswillingtotestwhatwouldseemtomostpeoplenotatallworthtesting。Theseratherwildtrialshecalled"fool’sexperiments,"andenjoyedextremely。AsanexampleImaymentionthatfindingthecotyledonsofBiophytumtobehighlysensitivetovibrationsofthetable,hefanciedthattheymightperceivethevibrationsofsound,andthereforemademeplaymybassoonclosetoaplant。(Thisisnotsomuchanexampleofsuperabundanttheorisingfromasmallcause,butonlyofhiswishtotestthemostimprobableideas。)
Theloveofexperimentwasverystronginhim,andIcanrememberthewayhewouldsay,"Ishan’tbeeasytillIhavetriedit,"asifanoutsideforceweredrivinghim。Heenjoyedexperimentingmuchmorethanworkwhichonlyentailedreasoning,andwhenhewasengagedononeofhisbookswhichrequiredargumentandthemarshallingoffacts,hefeltexperimentalworktobearestorholiday。Thus,whileworkinguponthe’VariationsofAnimalsandPlants,’in1860—61,hemadeoutthefertilisationofOrchids,andthoughthimselfidleforgivingsomuchtimetothem。Itisinterestingtothinkthatsoimportantapieceofresearchshouldhavebeenundertakenandlargelyworkedoutasapastimeinplaceofmoreseriouswork。TheletterstoHookerofthisperiodcontainexpressionssuchas,"Godforgivemeforbeingsoidle;Iamquitesillilyinterestedinthiswork。"Theintensepleasurehetookinunderstandingtheadaptationsforfertilisationisstronglyshownintheseletters。HespeaksinoneofhislettersofhisintentionofworkingatDroseraasarestfromthe’DescentofMan。’Hehasdescribedinhis’Recollections’thestrongsatisfactionhefeltinsolvingtheproblemofheterostylism。AndIhaveheardhimmentionthattheGeologyofSouthAmericagavehimalmostmorepleasurethananythingelse。Itwasperhapsthisdelightinworkrequiringkeenobservationthatmadehimvaluepraisegiventohisobservingpowersalmostmorethanappreciationofhisotherqualities。
Forbookshehadnorespect,butmerelyconsideredthemastoolstobeworkedwith。Thushedidnotbindthem,andevenwhenapaperbookfelltopiecesfromuse,ashappenedtoMuller’s’Befruchtung,’hepreserveditfromcompletedissolutionbyputtingametalclipoveritsback。Inthesamewayhewouldcutaheavybookinhalf,tomakeitmoreconvenienttohold。HeusedtoboastthathemadeLyellpublishthesecondeditionofoneofhisbooksintwovolumesinsteadofone,bytellinghimhowhehadbeenobligedtocutitinhalf。Pamphletswereoftentreatedevenmoreseverelythanbooks,forhewouldtearout,forthesakeofsavingroom,allthepagesexcepttheonethatinterestedhim。Theconsequenceofallthiswas,thathislibrarywasnotornamental,butwasstrikingfrombeingsoevidentlyaworkingcollectionofbooks。
Hewasmethodicalinhismannerofreadingbooksandpamphletsbearingonhisownwork。Hehadoneshelfonwhichwerepiledupthebookshehadnotyetread,andanothertowhichtheyweretransferredafterhavingbeenread,andbeforebeingcatalogued。Hewouldoftengroanoverhisunreadbooks,becausethereweresomanywhichheknewheshouldneverread。Manyabookwasatoncetransferredtotheotherheap,eithermarkedwithacypherattheend,toshowthatitcontainednomarkedpassages,orinscribed,perhaps,"notread,"or"onlyskimmed。"Thebooksaccumulatedinthe"read"heapuntiltheshelvesoverflowed,andthen,withmuchlamenting,adaywasgivenuptothecataloguing。Hedislikedthiswork,andasthenecessityofundertakingtheworkbecameimperative,wouldoftensay,inavoiceofdespair,"Wereallymustdothesebookssoon。"
Ineachbook,ashereadit,hemarkedpassagesbearingonhiswork。Inreadingabookorpamphlet,etc。,hemadepencil—linesatthesideofthepage,oftenaddingshortremarks,andattheendmadealistofthepagesmarked。Whenitwastobecataloguedandputaway,themarkedpageswerelookedat,andsoaroughabstractofthebookwasmade。Thisabstractwouldperhapsbewrittenunderthreeorfourheadingsondifferentsheets,thefactsbeingsortedoutandaddedtothepreviouslycollectedfactsindifferentsubjects。Hehadothersetsofabstractsarranged,notaccordingtosubject,butaccordingtoperiodical。Whencollectingfactsonalargescale,inearlieryears,heusedtoreadthrough,andmakeabstracts,inthisway,ofwholeseriesofperiodicals。
Insomeofhisearlylettershespeaksoffillingseveralnote—bookswithfactsforhisbookonspecies;butitwascertainlyearlythatheadoptedhisplanofusingportfoliosasdescribedinthe’Recollections。’(Theracksonwhichtheportfolioswereplacedareshownintheillustration,"TheStudyatDown,"intherecessattheright—handsideofthefire—
place。)MyfatherandM。deCandolleweremutuallypleasedtodiscoverthattheyhadadoptedthesameplanofclassifyingfacts。DeCandolledescribesthemethodinhis’Phytologie,’andinhissketchofmyfathermentionsthesatisfactionhefeltinseeingitinactionatDown。
Besidestheseportfolios,ofwhichtherearesomedozensfullofnotes,therearelargebundlesofMS。marked"used"andputaway。Hefeltthevalueofhisnotes,andhadahorroroftheirdestructionbyfire。I
remember,whensomealarmoffirehadhappened,hisbeggingmetobeespeciallycareful,addingveryearnestly,thattherestofhislifewouldbemiserableifhisnotesandbooksweretobedestroyed。
Heshowsthesamefeelinginwritingaboutthelossofamanuscript,thepurportofhiswordsbeing,"Ihaveacopy,orthelosswouldhavekilledme。"Inwritingabookhewouldspendmuchtimeandlabourinmakingaskeletonorplanofthewhole,andinenlargingandsub—classingeachheading,asdescribedinhis’Recollections。’Ithinkthiscarefularrangementoftheplanwasnotatallessentialtothebuildingupofhisargument,butforitspresentment,andforthearrangementofhisfacts。
Inhis’LifeofErasmusDarwin,’asitwasfirstprintedinslips,thegrowthofthebookfromaskeletonwasplainlyvisible。Thearrangementwasalteredafterwards,becauseitwastooformalandcategorical,andseemedtogivethecharacterofhisgrandfatherratherbymeansofalistofqualitiesthanasacompletepicture。
Itwasonlywithinthelastfewyearsthatheadoptedaplanofwritingwhichhewasconvincedsuitedhimbest,andwhichisdescribedinthe’Recollections;’namely,writingaroughcopystraightoffwithouttheslightestattentiontostyle。Itwascharacteristicofhimthathefeltunabletowritewithsufficientwantofcareifheusedhisbestpaper,andthusitwasthathewroteonthebacksofoldproofsormanuscript。Theroughcopywasthenreconsidered,andafaircopywasmade。Forthispurposehehadfoolscappaperruledatwideintervals,thelinesbeingneededtopreventhimwritingsocloselythatcorrectionbecamedifficult。
Thefaircopywasthencorrected,andwasrecopiedbeforebeingsenttotheprinters。ThecopyingwasdonebyMr。E。Norman,whobeganthisworkmanyyearsagowhenvillageschoolmasteratDown。MyfatherbecamesousedtoMr。Norman’shand—writing,thathecouldnotcorrectmanuscript,evenwhenclearlywrittenoutbyoneofhischildren,untilithadbeenrecopiedbyMr。Norman。TheMS。,onreturningfromMr。Normanwasoncemorecorrected,andthensentofftotheprinters。Thencametheworkofrevisingandcorrectingtheproofs,whichmyfatherfoundespeciallywearisome。
Itwasatthisstagethathefirstseriouslyconsideredthestyleofwhathehadwritten。Whenthiswasgoingonheusuallystartedsomeotherpieceofworkasarelief。Thecorrectionofslipsconsistedinfactoftwoprocesses,forthecorrectionswerefirstwritteninpencil,andthenre—
consideredandwritteninink。
Whenthebookwaspassingthroughthe"slip"stagehewasgladtohavecorrectionsandsuggestionsfromothers。Thusmymotherlookedovertheproofsofthe’Origin。’Insomeofthelaterworksmysister,Mrs。
Litchfield,didmuchofthecorrection。Aftermysister’smarriageperhapsmostoftheworkfelltomyshare。
Mysister,Mrs。Litchfield,writes:——
"Thisworkwasveryinterestinginitself,anditwasinexpressiblyexhilaratingtoworkforhim。Hewasalwayssoreadytobeconvincedthatanysuggestedalterationwasanimprovement,andsofullofgratitudeforthetroubletaken。IdonotthinkthatheeverusedtoforgettotellmewhatimprovementhethoughtthatIhadmade,andheusedalmosttoexcusehimselfifhedidnotagreewithanycorrection。IthinkIfeltthesingularmodestyandgraciousnessofhisnaturethroughthusworkingforhiminawayInevershouldotherwisehavedone。
"Hedidnotwritewithease,andwasapttoinverthissentencesbothinwritingandspeaking,puttingthequalifyingclausebeforeitwasclearwhatitwastoqualify。Hecorrectedagreatdeal,andwaseagertoexpresshimselfaswellashepossiblycould。"
Perhapsthecommonestcorrectionsneededwereofobscuritiesduetotheomissionofanecessarylinkinthereasoning,somethingwhichhehadevidentlyomittedthroughfamiliaritywiththesubject。Notthattherewasanyfaultinthesequenceofthethoughts,butthatfromfamiliaritywithhisargumenthedidnotnoticewhenthewordsfailedtoreproducehisthought。Healsofrequentlyputtoomuchmatterintoonesentence,sothatithadtobecutupintotwo。
Onthewhole,Ithinkthepainswhichmyfathertookovertheliterarypartoftheworkwasveryremarkable。HeoftenlaughedorgrumbledathimselfforthedifficultywhichhefoundinwritingEnglish,saying,forinstance,thatifabadarrangementofasentencewaspossible,heshouldbesuretoadoptit。Heoncegotmuchamusementandsatisfactionoutofthedifficultywhichoneofthefamilyfoundinwritingashortcircular。Hehadthepleasureofcorrectingandlaughingatobscurities,involvedsentences,andotherdefects,andthustookhisrevengeforallthecriticismhehadhimselftobearwith。HeusedtoquotewithastonishmentMissMartineau’sadvicetoyoungauthors,towritestraightoffandsendtheMS。totheprinterwithoutcorrection。Butinsomecasesheactedinasomewhatsimilarmanner。Whenasentencegothopelesslyinvolved,hewouldaskhimself,"nowwhatDOyouwanttosay?"andhisanswerwrittendown,wouldoftendisentangletheconfusion。
Hisstylehasbeenmuchpraised;ontheotherhand,atleastonegoodjudgehasremarkedtomethatitisnotagoodstyle。Itis,aboveallthings,directandclear;anditischaracteristicofhimselfinitssimplicity,borderingonnaivete,andinitsabsenceofpretence。HehadthestrongestdisbeliefinthecommonideathataclassicalscholarmustwritegoodEnglish;indeed,hethoughtthatthecontrarywasthecase。Inwriting,hesometimesshowedthesametendencytostrongexpressionsashedidinconversation。Thusinthe’Origin,’page440,thereisadescriptionofalarvalcirripede,"withsixpairsofbeautifullyconstructednatatorylegs,apairofmagnificentcompoundeyes,andextremelycomplexantennae。"Weusedtolaughathimforthissentence,whichwecomparedtoanadvertisement。Thistendencytogivehimselfuptotheenthusiasticturnofhisthought,withoutfearofbeingludicrous,appearselsewhereinhiswritings。
Hiscourteousandconciliatorytonetowardshisreaderisremarkable,anditmustbepartlythisqualitywhichrevealedhispersonalsweetnessofcharactertosomanywhohadneverseenhim。Ihavealwaysfeltittobeacuriousfact,thathewhohadalteredthefaceofBiologicalScience,andisinthisrespectthechiefofthemoderns,shouldhavewrittenandworkedinsoessentiallyanon—modernspiritandmanner。Inreadinghisbooksoneisremindedoftheoldernaturalistsratherthanofthemodernschoolofwriters。HewasaNaturalistintheoldsenseoftheword,thatis,amanwhoworksatmanybranchesofthescience,notmerelyaspecialistinone。
Thusitis,that,thoughhefoundedwholenewdivisionsofspecialsubjects——suchasthefertilisationofflowers,insectivorousplants,dimorphism,etc。——yetevenintreatingtheseverysubjectshedoesnotstrikethereaderasaspecialist。Thereaderfeelslikeafriendwhoisbeingtalkedtobyacourteousgentleman,notlikeapupilbeinglecturedbyaprofessor。Thetoneofsuchabookasthe’Origin’ischarming,andalmostpathetic;itisthetoneofamanwho,convincedofthetruthofhisownviews,hardlyexpectstoconvinceothers;itisjustthereverseofthestyleofafanatic,whowantstoforcepeopletobelieve。Thereaderisneverscornedforanyamountofdoubtwhichhemaybeimaginedtofeel,andhisscepticismistreatedwithpatientrespect。Ascepticalreader,orperhapsevenanunreasonablereader,seemstohavebeengenerallypresenttohisthoughts。Itwasinconsequenceofthisfeeling,perhaps,thathetookmuchtroubleoverpointswhichheimaginedwouldstrikethereader,orsavehimtrouble,andsotempthimtoread。
Forthesamereasonhetookmuchinterestintheillustrationsofhisbooks,andIthinkratedrathertoohighlytheirvalue。Theillustrationsforhisearlierbooksweredrawnbyprofessionalartists。Thiswasthecasein’AnimalsandPlants,’the’DescentofMan,’andthe’ExpressionoftheEmotions。’Ontheotherhand,’ClimbingPlants,’’InsectivorousPlants,’the’MovementsofPlants,’and’FormsofFlowers,’were,toalargeextent,illustratedbysomeofhischildren——mybrotherGeorgehavingdrawnbyfarthemost。Itwasdelightfultodrawforhim,ashewasenthusiasticinhispraiseofverymoderateperformances。Irememberwellhischarmingmannerofreceivingthedrawingsofoneofhisdaughters—in—
law,andhowhewouldfinishhiswordsofpraisebysaying,"TellA——,MichaelAngeloisnothingtoit。"Thoughhepraisedsogenerously,healwayslookedcloselyatthedrawing,andeasilydetectedmistakesorcarelessness。
Hehadahorrorofbeinglengthy,andseemstohavebeenreallymuchannoyedanddistressedwhenhefoundhowthe’VariationsofAnimalsandPlants’wasgrowingunderhishands。Irememberhiscordiallyagreeingwith’TristramShandy’s’words,"Letnomansay,’Come,I’llwriteaduodecimo。’"
Hisconsiderationforotherauthorswasasmarkedacharacteristicashistonetowardshisreader。Hespeaksofallotherauthorsaspersonsdeservingofrespect。Incaseswhere,asinthecaseof——’sexperimentsonDrosera,hethoughtlightlyoftheauthor,hespeaksofhiminsuchawaythatnoonewouldsuspectit。Inothercaseshetreatstheconfusedwritingsofignorantpersonsasthoughthefaultlaywithhimselffornotappreciatingorunderstandingthem。Besidesthisgeneraltoneofrespect,hehadapleasantwayofexpressinghisopiniononthevalueofaquotedwork,orhisobligationforapieceofprivateinformation。
Hisrespectfulfeelingwasnotonlymorallybeautiful,butwasIthinkofpracticaluseinmakinghimreadytoconsidertheideasandobservationsofallmannerofpeople。Heusedalmosttoapologiseforthis,andwouldsaythathewasatfirstinclinedtorateeverythingtoohighly。
Itwasagreatmeritinhismindthat,inspiteofhavingsostrongarespectfulfeelingtowardswhatheread,hehadthekeenestofinstinctsastowhetheramanwastrustworthyornot。Heseemedtoformaverydefiniteopinionastotheaccuracyofthemenwhosebooksheread;andmadeuseofthisjudgmentinhischoiceoffactsforuseinargumentorasillustrations。Igainedtheimpressionthathefeltthispowerofjudgingofaman’strustworthinesstobeofmuchvalue。
Hehadakeenfeelingofthesenseofhonourthatoughttoreignamongauthors,andhadahorrorofanykindoflaxnessinquoting。Hehadacontemptfortheloveofhonourandglory,andinhislettersoftenblameshimselfforthepleasurehetookinthesuccessofhisbooks,asthoughheweredepartingfromhisideal——aloveoftruthandcarelessnessaboutfame。
Often,whenwritingtoSirJ。Hookerwhathecallsaboastingletter,helaughsathimselfforhisconceitandwantofmodesty。Thereisawonderfullyinterestingletterwhichhewrotetomymotherbequeathingtoher,incaseofhisdeath,thecareofpublishingthemanuscriptofhisfirstessayonevolution。Thisletterseemstomefulloftheintensedesirethathistheoryshouldsucceedasacontributiontoknowledge,andapartfromanydesireforpersonalfame。Hecertainlyhadthehealthydesireforsuccesswhichamanofstrongfeelingsoughttohave。Butatthetimeofthepublicationofthe’Origin’itisevidentthathewasoverwhelminglysatisfiedwiththeadherenceofsuchmenasLyell,Hooker,Huxley,andAsaGray,anddidnotdreamofordesireanysuchwideandgeneralfameasheattainedto。
Connectedwithhiscontemptfortheundueloveoffame,wasanequallystrongdislikeofallquestionsofpriority。TheletterstoLyell,atthetimeofthe’Origin,’showtheangerhefeltwithhimselffornotbeingabletorepressafeelingofdisappointmentatwhathethoughtwasMr。
Wallace’sforestallingofallhisyearsofwork。Hissenseofliteraryhonourcomesoutstronglyintheseletters;andhisfeelingaboutpriorityisagainshownintheadmirationexpressedinhis’Recollections’ofMr。
Wallace’sself—annihilation。
Hisfeelingaboutreclamations,includinganswerstoattacksandallkindsofdiscussions,wasstrong。ItissimplyexpressedinalettertoFalconer(1863?),"IfIeverfeltangrytowardsyou,forwhomIhaveasincerefriendship,IshouldbegintosuspectthatIwasalittlemad。Iwasverysorryaboutyourreclamation,asIthinkitisineverycaseamistakeandshouldbelefttoothers。WhetherIshouldsoactmyselfunderprovocationisadifferentquestion。"Itwasafeelingpartlydictatedbyinstinctivedelicacy,andpartlybyastrongsenseofthewasteoftime,energy,andtemperthuscaused。Hesaidthatheowedhisdeterminationnottogetintodiscussions(Hedepartedfromhisruleinhis"NoteontheHabitsofthePampasWoodpecker,Colaptescampestris,"’Proc。Zool。Soc。,’1870,page705:alsoinaletterpublishedinthe’Athenaeum’(1863,page554),inwhichcaseheafterwardsregrettedthathehadnotremainedsilent。Hisrepliestocriticisms,inthelatereditionsofthe’Origin,’canhardlybeclassedasinfractionsofhisrule。)totheadviceofLyell,——advicewhichhetransmittedtothoseamonghisfriendswhoweregiventopaperwarfare。
Ifthecharacterofmyfather’sworkinglifeistobeunderstood,theconditionsofill—health,underwhichheworked,mustbeconstantlyborneinmind。Heborehisillnesswithsuchuncomplainingpatience,thatevenhischildrencanhardly,Ibelieve,realisetheextentofhishabitualsuffering。Intheircasethedifficultyisheightenedbythefactthat,fromthedaysoftheirearliestrecollections,theysawhiminconstantill—health,——andsawhim,inspiteofit,fullofpleasureinwhatpleasedthem。Thus,inlaterlife,theirperceptionofwhatheenduredhadtobedisentangledfromtheimpressionproducedinchildhoodbyconstantgenialkindnessunderconditionsofunrecogniseddifficulty。Nooneindeed,exceptmymother,knowsthefullamountofsufferingheendured,orthefullamountofhiswonderfulpatience。Forallthelatteryearsofhislifesheneverlefthimforanight;andherdaysweresoplannedthatallhisrestinghoursmightbesharedwithher。Sheshieldedhimfromeveryavoidableannoyance,andomittednothingthatmightsavehimtrouble,orpreventhimbecomingovertired,orthatmightalleviatethemanydiscomfortsofhisill—health。Ihesitatetospeakthusfreelyofathingsosacredasthelife—longdevotionwhichpromptedallthisconstantandtendercare。Butitis,Irepeat,aprincipalfeatureofhislife,thatfornearlyfortyyearsheneverknewonedayofthehealthofordinarymen,andthatthushislifewasonelongstruggleagainstthewearinessandstrainofsickness。Andthiscannotbetoldwithoutspeakingoftheoneconditionwhichenabledhimtobearthestrainandfightoutthestruggletotheend。
LETTERS。
TheearliestletterstowhichIhaveaccessarethosewrittenbymyfatherwhenanundergraduateatCambridge。
Thehistoryofhislife,astoldinhiscorrespondence,mustthereforebeginwiththisperiod。
CHAPTER1。IV。
CAMBRIDGELIFE。
[Myfather’sCambridgelifecomprisesthetimebetweentheLentTerm,1828,whenhecameupasaFreshman,andtheendoftheMayTerm,1831,whenhetookhisdegreeandlefttheUniversity。
ItappearsfromtheCollegebooks,thatmyfather"admissusestpensionariusminorsubMagistroShaw"onOctober15,1827。HedidnotcomeintoresidencetilltheLentTerm,1828,sothat,althoughhepassedhisexaminationindueseason,hewasunabletotakehisdegreeattheusualtime,——thebeginningoftheLentTerm,1831。InsuchacaseamanusuallytookhisdegreebeforeAsh—Wednesday,whenhewascalled"BaccalaureusadDiemCinerum,"andrankedwiththeB。A。’softheyear。Myfather’sname,however,occursinthelistofBachelors"adBaptistam,"orthoseadmittedbetweenAsh—WednesdayandSt。JohnBaptist’sDay(June24th);("OnTuesdaylastCharlesDarwin,ofChrist’sCollege,wasadmittedB。A。"——"CambridgeChronicle",Friday,April29,1831。)hethereforetookrankamongtheBachelorsof1832。
He"kept"foratermortwoinlodgings,overBaconthetobacconist’s;not,however,overtheshopintheMarketPlace,nowsowellknowntoCambridgemen,butinSidneyStreet。FortherestofhistimehehadpleasantroomsonthesouthsideofthefirstcourtofChrist’s。(Theroomsareonthefirstfloor,onthewestsideofthemiddlestaircase。Amedallion(givenbymybrother)hasrecentlybeenletintothewallofthesitting—room。)