xxiv HIS LOVE OF KNOWLEDGE 



433 



an intense love of knowledge, the desire to attain true 

 knowledge of facts, and to organise them in their true rela- 

 tions. His contributions to pure science never fail to illus- 

 trate both these tendencies. His earlier researches brought 

 to light new facts in animal life, and new ideas as to the 

 affinities of the creatures he studied ; his later investigations 

 were coloured by Darwin's views, and in return contributed 

 no little direct evidence in favour of evolution. But while 

 the progress of the evolution theory in England owed more 

 to his clear and unwearied exposition than to any other 

 cause, while from the first he had indicated the points, such 

 as the causes of sterility and variation, which must be cleared 

 up by further investigation in order to complete the Dar- 

 winian theory, he did not add another to the many specu- 

 lations since put forward. 



On the other hand, intense as was his love of pure 

 knowledge, it was balanced by his unceasing desire to apply 

 that knowledge in the guidance of life. Always feeling 

 that science was not solely for the men of science, but for 

 the people, his constant object was to help the struggling 

 world to ideas which should help them to think truly and 

 so to live rightly. It is still true, he declared, that the people 

 perish for want of knowledge. " If I am to be remem- 

 bered at all," he writes (see Vol. I. p. 510), " I should 

 like to be remembered as one who did his best to help 

 the people." And again, he says in his Autobiographi- 

 cal Sketch, that other marks of success were as nothing 

 if he could hope that he " had somewhat helped that 

 movement of opinion which has been called the New 

 Reformation." 



This kind of aim in his work, of taking up the most 

 fruitful idea of his time and bringing it home to all, is 

 typified by his remark as he entered New York harbour 

 on his visit to America in 1876, and watched the tugs hard 

 at work as they traversed the bay. " If I were not a man," 

 he said, " I think I should like to be a tug." 



Two incidents may be cited to show that he did not 

 entirely fail of appreciation among those whom he tried to 

 help. Speaking of the year 1874, Professor Mivart writes 

 64 



