CHARLES DARWIN. 117 



Charles Darwin, when no more than ten years old, was 

 already an eager, and intent, and constant observer of all 

 that moved around him ; but even six years later, this 

 same Charles Darwin was considered by his masters and 

 not less by his own father " as a very ordinary boy, 

 rather below the common standard in intellect." Further, 

 notwithstanding the sort of occasional conquests due to 

 his conscientiousness and tenacity, it is certain that, even 

 in his own opinion, so far as their business proper was 

 concerned, both school and college were for him failures. 

 " The school as a means of education to me was simply a 

 blank ; " " during the three years which I spent at Cam- 

 bridge my time was wasted, as far as the academical 

 studies were concerned, as completely as at Edinburgh 

 and at school : " these are his own words, and they admit 

 not of dispute (i. 46). 



And here we may moralise a moment on the two classes 

 of men, the indoors and the outdoors men (as they may be. 

 called), even when it is an interest of the intellect that 

 animates both an interest in both, too, that is at least 

 to end in emulation. Intellectual curiosity, intellectual 

 emulation, alike characterises the one and the other. Any 

 such emulation may be denied for Darwin ; but it lay deep 

 in his nature, aad was a power that moved him. He says 

 himself (i. 63): "I was ambitious to take a fair place among 

 scientific men ; " and (p. 1 03) :" My love of natural science 

 has been much aided by the ambition to be esteemed by 

 my fellow naturalists." It was only ambition, likewise, at 



in every line, " I was often interested," he says, "by watching the 

 clouds," or, "sitting down on a block of granite, it was delightful to 

 watch the various insects and birds as they flew past" He seems 

 ever all eyes for earth and air and light, and all that in them stirs, 

 were it but colours. On the whole, however, he is unceasingly on 

 the watch for his dear beetles. " I never returned empty-handed," 

 he cried ; " in one day I caught sixty-eight species ! " 



