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” 
