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DARWIN, CHAKLES R. 



Geological Society in 1837, just a year after Ms 

 return, on the subject of the "Formation of 

 Vegetable Mold," in which he broached a 

 theory that illustrates his singular genius for 

 understanding the processes of nature. The 

 observations ou which the theory was founded 

 were begun some time before. He arranged 

 then for experiments which took forty years to 

 mature. The results of these experiments, and 

 the final elaboration of his theory of vegetable 

 mold, were given in the latest work of his 

 life, the volume on "Earthworms," the im- 

 port of which was given in the " Annual Cy- 

 clopaedia " for 1881. The discovery of the im- 

 portant relation of the habits of the earth- 

 worm to the sustenance of all terrestrial life, 

 like that of the geological significance of the 

 coral zoophyte, exemplifies the originality of 

 Darwin's mind. He was a solitary worker, 

 with his mind bent singly upon the book of 

 nature. No scientific discoverer has owed less 

 to his book-learning, to the premonitions and 

 suggestions of other workers in the same field. 

 His character, too, was elevated above the am- 

 bitions, jealousies, and controversial propensi- 

 ties of the ordinary man of science. He struck 

 out new paths of investigation, and the truths 

 which he came upon made less stir than if he 

 had discovered the key to problems for which 

 many were searching. He had so little of the 

 hackneyed ways of the professional scientist 

 that the mass of good work which he had ac- 

 complished before his doctrine of evolution di- 

 vided the scientific world into opposite parties 

 procured him very inadequate recognition. In 

 1870, when his name was presented for election 

 to the French Academy of Sciences, Emile 

 Blanchard spoke of him as an "intelligent 

 amateur," and Elie de Beaumont of his work 

 as the " froth of science." The younger scien- 

 tific thinkers of England and Germany had at 

 that time accepted his doctrine of the origin of 

 species, but in France he had few adherents. 

 In 1872 he was defeated a second time, but in 

 1878 he was triumphantly elected a correspond- 

 ing member of the French Academy. 



Darwin's work oh board the Beagle won him 

 nothing but credit. The scientists of England 

 recognized him as an accurate, watchful, and 

 sagacious observer. Some, particularly Sir 

 Charles Lyell, in the fertile suggestions strewn 

 through his journal, adumbrations of the great 

 doctrines which he set forth in his riper years, 

 saw the reflections of thoughts which were 

 forming in their own minds, and perceived the 

 marks of an original mind of the highest order. 

 The ingenious and highly important inductions 

 presented in the work on the coral reefs found 

 general acceptance, and have remained the cur- 

 rent doctrine until the present day, although 

 essential modifications, suggested by Murray, 

 seem likely now to supplant the original theory. 

 The simple, yet intensely interesting, " Natu- 

 ralist's Voyage round the World," the first 

 edition of which was published in 1845, made 

 him known to the reading public. 



Charles Darwin never recovered from the 

 physiological disturbances produced by sea- 

 sickness, from which he was almost a constant 

 sufferer during the five years' cruise. It was 

 only by the quietest mode of living, and the 

 carefullest regimen, that he was able to keep 

 himself in moderate health and working order. 

 The periods of reconvalescence from the trou- 

 blesome fits of indisposition with which he was 

 afflicted he turned to account in pursuing his 

 patient observations and ingenious experiments 

 with nature. In the beginning of 1839, three 

 years after his return, he married his cousin, 

 Emma Wedgwood. In 1842 they took up their 

 residence at Down, Beckanham, in the county 

 of Kent, where he was a magistrate. His 

 pecuniary circumstances were such as to place 

 him above the material cares of life, and to re- 

 lieve him of the necessity of devoting his ener- 

 gies to supplying the daily wants of his family. 

 About a year before he died he fell heir to the 

 fortune of his elder brother, the faithful friend 

 of Mrs. Carlyle. His tastes were almost purely 

 scientific. In art, music, amusements, litera- 

 ture, politics, or society, he took but slight in- 

 terest. Charles Darwin's manners and feelings 

 were simple and child-like. In his bearing he 

 was altogether amiable and kind. His modesty 

 and unconsciousness of his own greatness were 

 remarkable. In sending a communication to a 

 journal, he would ask for its insertion with 

 doubting hesitancy. The influence of his kindly 

 attention and sympathy upon young scientific 

 men was incalculable. He was ever ready to 

 listen, suggest, and assist. The influence of 

 his writings, also, was powerful in promoting 

 the modest, conscientious, and generous tone 

 which distinguishes modern scientific discus- 

 sion in England. His sons, George and Francis 

 Darwin, aided him in the multitudinous re- 

 searches which he continued without remis- 

 sion to the close of his life. 



From the time when he went to reside at 

 Down, Darwin devoted himself to elaborating 

 and testing the theories of the evolution of 

 species, of which hints had been thrown out 

 in his journal of the voyage and other earlier 

 writings. In 1851 and 1853 the Ray Society 

 published a valuable and thoroughly systematic 

 monograph on the family Cirripedia, the group 

 of singular crustaceans known as barnacles and 

 sea-acorns. In another monograph, published 

 by the Philosophical Society, he described the 

 fossil species of the same family. In the year 

 1859 was given to the world the memorable 

 work in which the Darwinian theory was pro- 

 pounded and elucidated, with its full title, " The 

 Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selec- 

 tion ; or, the Preservation of Favored Races in 

 the Struggle for Life." 



The doctrine of Darwin is, in general terms, 

 that of the evolution of organic types through 

 the operation of the law of natural selection, 

 or the adaptation of the type to its environ- 

 ment through the survival of the fittest indi- 

 viduals. The elements of this evolution are de- 



