IN MEMORIAM : CHARLES DARWIN 



have lasted some time longer, for Mr. Darwin 

 did not wish to publish his conclusions until he 

 had given due attention to every fact and every 

 argument which might in any way bear upon 

 them ; and it is quite evident that when he 

 wrote the " Origin of Species " he did not real- 

 ize either the wonderful maturity which his 

 argument had attained, or the overwhelming co- 

 gency with which he was then actually present- 

 ing it to the world. It was very characteristic 

 of Mr. Darwin into the fibre of whose mind 

 there entered not the smallest shred of egotism 

 or of the pride of knowledge to make so many 

 allowances for the inevitable incompleteness of 

 his work, when judged by that standard of ideal 

 perfection which he alone among men was able 

 to apply to it, as to have rendered himself in- 

 capable for the time being of appreciating its 

 real magnitude. In writing the " Origin of 

 Species," he regarded the book as merely a pre- 

 liminary outline of his theory, which would serve 

 to prevent his being forestalled by any one else 

 in the announcement of it, and he made frequent 

 allusions to the larger and more elaborate treatise 

 in which he intended presently to follow up the 

 exposition and to reinforce the argument. When 

 I first met Mr. Darwin in London, in 1873, ^ e 

 told me that he was surprised at the great fame 

 which his book instantly won, and at the quick- 

 ness with which it carried conviction to the 

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