256 OBITUARY X 



conceptions by the addition of which his grandson 

 metamorphosed the theory of evolution as applied 

 to living things and gave it a new foundation. 



Charles Darwin's childhood and youth afforded 

 no intimation that he would be, or do, anything 

 out of the common run. In fact, the prognosti- 

 cations of the educational authorities into whose 

 hands he first fell were most distinctly unfavour- 

 able ; and they counted the only boy of original 

 genius who is known to have come under their 

 hands as no better than a dunce. The history of 

 the educational experiments to which Darwin was 

 subjected is curious, and not without a moral for 

 the present generation. There were four of them, 

 and three were failures. Yet it cannot be said 

 that the materials on which the pedagogic powers 

 operated were other than good. In his boyhood 

 Darwin was strong, well-grown, and active, taking 

 the keen delight in field sports and in every 

 description of hard physical exercise which is 

 natural to an English country-bred lad ; and, in 

 respect of things of the mind, he was neither 

 apathetic, nor idle, nor one-sided. The "Auto- 

 biography " tells us that he " had much 

 zeal for whatever interested " him, and he was 

 interested in many and very diverse topics. 

 He could work hard, and liked a complex 

 subject better than an easy one. The " clear 

 geometrical proofs" of Euclid delighted him. 

 His interest in practical chemistry, carried out in 



