New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1877-03-23
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
CHARLES KINGSLEY.

Armstrong x 60.
Charles Kingsley presented remarkable example
Of the influence of hereditary tendencies on indi-
vidual character. The peculiar traits which were
broueht into such signal prominence in his versatile
career were foreshadowed in each of his parents
His father was a keen sportsman, devoted to the
study of natural history, fond of literature, ana a
man of cultivated tastes aud habits. lie was
educated at Oxford and brought up with good
expectations a country gentleman, Dut Il re'e1Se
of fortune left him at the age OF thirty almost
without a penny and obliged him, for the hist
time to think of profession. lie was 700 old
for the army, and decided on the Church' sou
his hunters and land and with young "ne'
went for second time to college, entering ms
name at Cambridge TO read for Holy orders Inc
mother of Mr.. Kingsley was West Indian by birth'
hut of English family. and q woman OF highly
noetic and imaginative nature. Before the birth OF
her SON she had strong faith that the impressions
made on her own mind by the romantic surround
ings of her Devonshire home would be TRANSMITTED
to her offspring, and with keen sense Oh the
charms Of scenery she luxuriatcd in the beautiful
landscape which was seen from the little parsonage
and gave herself up the enjoyment of every SIGHT
and sound which she hoped would be dear TO her
child in after life. Her hopes were not dlsap-
pointed. Though her little son left DevonshTe
when he was six weeks old and never again saw
his BIRTHPLACE till he was man of thirty the mys-
terious charm of the place remained with nm
through life From his fathers side he inherited
his love of art his taste for rural and athletic sports
and his hot and passionate blood. which furnished
the material for good soldier His ancestors had
been fighting men for several generations, some OF
them having led troops to battle at Naseby, MN
den aud elsewhere. Through his mother, he de-
rived his love of travel, science, and literature, as
well as the romance of his nature, the turn for
,nola+ viii pl ~ ILL.,
puished the women of her family of an early day.
Charles was precocious child, and his poems and
sermons date from his fourth year. He delighted to
make little pulpit in his nursery, arranging the
chairs for an imaginary congregation, and putting
on his pinafore a surpce gave little addresses OF
rather severe tone of theology. His earliest sport
ing recollectons were with his father, who though
an excellent parish priest, a rival 10 Nimrod as
"amighty hunter before the Lord" AS soon as the
boy was old enough, he was mounted on ms fathers
horse in front of the keeper on shooting days tObring
back the game bag. Wild duck, and even bltteIn
and bustard and butterflies Of species now extinct,
at that time, were not uncommon, and used to de-
light the eyes of the young naturalist His school
boy DAYS were remarkable for the development OF
muscle as well as mind. He had great bodily
activity was high-spirited, earnest, AMI ener-
getic though not close student VI TINS
time one of his school-fellows writes =" For
all his good qualities, Charles was not popular
as schoolboy. He knew too much, and his mind
was generally on a higher level than ours. lie did
not consciously snub those who knew less, but q
good deal of unconscious snubbnS went on; all the
more resented perhaps because il was unconscious
Then, too, though strong and active, Charles was
not expert at games. He never made a score at
cricket In mere ftats Of agility and adventure be
was among the foremost and on one of the very
last times ever saw him he was recalling an Old
exploit in which he had only two competitors. Our
PLAYGROUND was separated by lane, not very mar
row. and very deep from Geld on the opposite side
To Jump from the play ground wall to the wall oppo
site and to jump back, was considerable ira! OF
nerve and muscle. TIE walls, which were not quite
on level were rounded at the top. and fail into
the deep lane must have involved broken bones
This Jump was one of Charlcss tavOrtc perform
ances His chef taste was for physical science.
He was fond of studying all objects of the natural
world but for botany and geology lie had an abso-
lutte enthusiasm. Whatever time he could spare
from less cOnVcnal studies, and from ordinary play
ground games, which never specially attracted him.
he gave to these. He liked nothing better than to
sally out, hammer in hand and his botanical TN
slung round his neck on some long expedition III
quest of new plants, and to investigate the ellis
within few miles OF HelstOn, dear to every geolo
gst."
greatly disturbed by religious doubts. His face had
nm unsatsfeN hunCcrng look, bearing witness to his
troubled state of mind. About this time he became
acquainted with the lady who afterward became
his wife. This gave q new impulse TO his whole
e being and awoke his emotional nature which never
slept again. lie was Just like his own LanceIot In
Yeast, in that Summer of 1884 bold thinker, a
bold rider, a most chivalTous geHtleman-sad, shy,
and serious habitually; in conversation at one
moment brilliant ard impassioned; the next reserved
and unapproachabc; by turns attracting and repel-
ling but pouring forth TO the friend whom he could
trust stores of thought and feeling ard information
on every sort of unexpected subject which seemed
bonndIess Ii was feast to the imagination and
intellect TO hold communion with Charles Kingsley
even at the age of twenty the originality with
which he treated subject startling and his
genius illuminated every object it approached,
whether he spoke of the delicious SILVER of these
aspen leaves on the nearest tree, OF the deepest
laws of humanity and the controversies Of the day.
OF that intercourse truly might these friends each
saw with Goethe For the first time, may wei say,
carried on a conversation; for the first time, was
the inInost sense of my words returned to de,
more rich, more full, comprehensive
from anothers mouth What ] had been
CROPPING for, was rendered clear to me- what had
been thinking, l was taught TO see ;
Al this time his physical strength great. He
walked one day from Cambridge 10 LOIdon, fifty
two miles starting early and arriving in London at
9p H. with ease and for many years afterward a
walk of twenty or twenty-five miles III d fresh
country was a real TcireshmcGt TO him." At the age
Of tweuty-tlTcc, he settled as curate OF the quiet
country parish of Eyersicy, which was to be his home
for the remainder of his life. The population which
was scattered in three hamlets was sort Of