

Darwin-Wallace Celebration. 61 



intellect ; he was also which is after all even more a lovable 

 and a good man, genuine, simple, generous and sympathetic. 

 Of few of our other greatest men can this be said. 



Newton was a gigantic intellect. Of Shakespeare we know 

 too little ; of Bacon perhaps too much. Cromwell lived in 

 times too disturbed. 



But Darwin's life is all before us. I suppose he had his 

 faults, but what were they ? I knew him well, but I do not 

 know. He was modesty itself ; a true friend, a devoted son, 

 husband, and father. Few men have been more violently 

 attacked, more bitterly criticised, than Darwin and Wallace. 

 That they felt all this keenly we know, but they were never 

 goaded into anger or recrimination. They bore it with 

 patience and dignity. They answered none of the attacks, 

 they lived them down. 



Mr. Darwin's reply to critics is contained in the memorable 

 words with which he closes his great work : 



" There is a grandeur in this view of life, with its several 

 powers, having been originally breathed by the Creator into 

 a few forms or into one ; and that whilst this planet has gone 

 cycling on, according to the fixed laws of gravity, from so 

 simple a beginning, endless forms most beautiful and most 

 wonderful have been, and are being evolved." 



All over the world to-day Naturalists, and many who are 

 not Naturalists, are with us in spirit, united in doing honour 

 to our illustrious countrymen Charles Darwin and to Alfred 

 Russel Wallace, whom we have still the pleasure to see 

 amongst us. 



THE PRESIDENT : My final duty this afternoon is the very 

 pleasant one of asking you to return a warm vote of thanks 

 to Lord Avebury for the Address, all too short, that he has 

 just given us. It was felt that we could not let an occasion 

 like this pass by without hearing something from him, 

 because we all know that after Sir Joseph Hooker it is 

 Lord Avebury especially, of all men now living, who was most 

 closely associated with Darwin, and whose work was not 

 only directly inspired by Darwin but was also carried on 



