Leaders in Science CHARLES DARWIN HIS LIFE AND WORK BY CHARLES FREDERICK HOLDER FELLOW OF THE N.Y. ACADEMY OF SCIENCES, correspONDING MEMBER OF THE 99 66 LINNEAN SOCIETY, ETC., AUTHOR OF ELEMENTS OF ZOOLOGY," LIVING 99.66 LIGHTS," THE IVORY KING,' A STRANGE COMPANY," ETC. 27 WEST TWENTY-THIRD st. 27 KING WILLIAM ST., STRAND The Knickerbocker Press Sm 1891 1891, Oct. 16. Bureum of Comp. Zool. COPYRIGHT, 1891 BY CHARLES FREDERICK HOLDER The Knickerbocker Press, New York G. P. Putnam's Sons PREFACE W HEN the publishers proposed to me the subject of the present volume, a life of Charles Darwin for American and English readers, I was particularly gratified with the suggestion that the work should be adapted .o young readers as well as old. It has always seemed to me that the life of Charles Darwin was one eminently fitted to be held up as an He stood as example to the youth of all lands. the central figure in the field of natural science in this century, and while it is yet too early to present his life with any approximation of its results upon the thought of the future, it is apparent to every one that his influence upon the intellectual growth of the country, and upon biological science in particular, has been marked and epoch making. In the preparation of the work I have not attempted an analytical dissertation upon Darwin's life-work, neither have I discussed his theories or their possible effect upon the scientific world, but have simply presented the story of his life, that of one of the greatest naturalists of the age; a life of singular purity; the life of a man who, in loftiness of purpose and the accomplishment of grand results, was the centre of observation in his time; revered and honored, yet maligned and attacked as few have been. I have asked my readers to follow with me the footsteps of the naturalist from school-days in England to foreign shores, seeking to interest them in the pursuits which he loved and to enable them to observe the things which he saw, believing that in this way the remarkable traits of the man as an observer and thinker can be best and most forcibly shown. I have had an object beyond that of simply telling his story, and one which I believe would commend itself to the great investigator were he living: it is, by tracing and following his work and investigations, to encourage young men and women to emulate his methods, become students in the great field of nature, and enjoy the delights of actual contact with the world of which he was an active worker. That such a career is ennobling I trust the following pages will demonstrate. In the preparation of this volume I am indebted to Francis Darwin, Esq., of Cambridge, England, whose life of his father is the only work extant giving fully the life and letters of the naturalist. My thanks are also due the Biological Society of Washington for the extracts from the Darwin Memorial, which I conceive to be of especial interest to English readers as an expression from the leading |