DARWIN AND HUMBOLDT. 



[307] 3 



successful observers in the whole histo - 

 ry of biological science, we feel that 

 no less great, or even greater than the 

 wonderful intellect was the character 

 of the man. Therefore it is in his 

 -case particularly and pre-eminently 

 true that the first duty of biographers 

 will be to render some idea, not of 

 what he did, but of what he was. And 

 this, unfortunately, is just the point 

 where all his biographers must nec- 

 essarily fail. For while to those 

 favored few who were on terms of 

 intimate friendship with him, any 

 language by which it is sought to 

 portray his character must seem 

 inadequate, to every one else the same 

 language must appear the result of 

 enthusiastic admiration, finding vent 

 in extravagant panegyric. Whatever 

 is great and whatever is beautiful in 

 human nature found in him so lux- 

 uriant a development, that no place or 

 chance was left for any other growth, 

 and in the result we beheld a magnifi- 

 cence which, unless actually realized, 

 we should scarcely have been able to 

 imagine. Any attempt, therefore, to 

 describe such a character must be 

 much like an attempt to describe a 

 splendid piece of natural scenery or a 

 marvelous work of art; the thing 

 must itself have been seen, if any de- 

 scription of it is to be understood. 



But without attempting to describe 

 Mr. Darwin's character, if we were 

 asked to indicate the features which 

 stood out with most marked prom- 

 inence, we should first mention those 

 which, from being conspicuous in 

 his writings, are already more or less 

 known to all the world. Thus, the 

 absorbing desire to seek out truth for 

 truth's sake, combined with a char- 

 acteristic disregard of self, led not 

 only to the caution, patience, and 

 candor of his own work — which are 

 proverbial — and to the generous sat- 

 isfaction which he felt on finding 

 any of his thoughts or results inde- 

 pendently attained by the work of 

 others ; but also to a keen and vivid 

 freshness of interest in every detail 

 of a new research, such as we have 

 sometimes seen approached by much 



younger men when the research 

 happens to have been their own. And 

 indeed what we may call this fervid 

 youthfulness of feeling extended 

 through all Mr. Darwin's mind, giv- 

 ing, in combination with his immense 

 knowledge and massive sagacity, an 

 indescribable charm to his manner 

 and conversation. Animated and 

 fond of humor, his wit was of a 

 singularly fascinating kind, not only 

 because it was always brilliant and 

 amusing, but still more because it 

 was always hearty and good-natured. 

 Indeed, he was so exquisitely refined 

 in his own feelings, and so almost 

 painfully sensitive to any display of 

 questionable taste in others, that he 

 could not help showing in his humor, 

 as in the warp and woof of his whole 

 nature, that in him the man of science 

 and the philosopher were subordinate 

 to the gentleman. His courteous con- 

 sideration of others, also, which went 

 far beyond anything that the ordinary 

 usages of society require, was simi- 

 larly prompted by his mere spontane- 

 ous instinct of benevolence. 



For who can always act ? but he, 

 To whom a thousand memories call 

 Not being less but more than all 



The gentleness he seemed to be, 



Best seem'd the thing he was, and join'd 

 Each office of the social hour 

 To noble manners, as the flower 



And native growth of noble mind ; 



Nor ever narrowness or spite, 

 Or villain fancy fleeting by, 

 Drew in the expression of an eye. 



Where God and nature met in light. 



And this leads us to speak of his 

 kindness, which, whether we look to 

 its depth or to its width, must certain- 

 ly be regarded as perhaps the most 

 remarkable feature of his remarkable 

 disposition. The genuine delight 

 that he took in helping every one in 

 their work — often at the cost of much 

 personal trouble to himself — in throw- 

 ing out numberless suggestions for 

 others to profit by, and in kindling 

 the enthusiasm of the humblest tyro 

 in science ; this was the outcome of 

 a great and generous heart, quite as 



