CHAPTER II. 



COLLEGE DAYS. 



College Life — Thoughts of Entering the Church — A Poor Mathema- 

 tician — Beetle Collecting — First Appearance in Print — Associa- 

 tions with Eminent Men — Scientific Reading — Favourite Authors 

 — Interest iu Geology. 



HE college life of Darwin 

 constitutes one of the 

 epochs of his career, as 

 during these days, so 

 happy in their memory, 

 occurred rfiany of the in- 

 cidents that shaped his 

 future. He entered col- 

 lege in 1828, this move- 

 ment being the result of 

 a decision on the part of 

 his family, that as he had 

 failed as a doctor, he might possibly be induced to 

 enter the Church. This proposition was made to 

 the young man, who asked time in which to con- 

 sider, during which deliberation he read attentively 

 several religious works, including " Pearson on the 

 Creed," and questioned himself thoroughly as to his 



