394 CHARLES ROBERT DARWIN. 



as it could have been in the observation and col- 

 lection of facts. What is far more important, my 

 love of natural science has been steady and ardent. 



"This pure love has, however, been much aided 

 by the ambition to be esteemed by my fellow-nat- 

 uralists. From my early youth I have had the 

 strongest desire to understand or explain whatever 

 I observed ; that is, to group all facts under some 

 general laws. . . . My habits are methodical, and 

 this has been of not a little use for my particular 

 line of work. Lastly, I have had ample leisure 

 from not having to earn my own bread. Even ill- 

 health, though it has annihilated several years of 

 my life, has saved me from the distractions of 

 society and amusement." 



Mr. Darwin was never egotistical, or elated by 

 his great success. He always felt and spoke mod- 

 estly of his work. In the village people of Down 

 he took a cordial interest, helping to found a 

 Friendly Club, which he served as treasurer for 

 thirty years. He also acted for some years as a 

 county magistrate. The Vicar of Down, Rev. J. 

 Brodie Innes, and Mr. Darwin were firm friends 

 for thirty years, yet, says Darwin, "we never 

 thoroughly agreed on any subject but once, and 

 then we stared hard at each other, and thought one 

 of us must be very ill." 



In the hall of the great Natural History Museum 

 in London, a statue of Darwin was placed June 9, 

 1885, with appropriate addresses. 



Darwin's life is a most interesting study. That 



