New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-11-14
UGLY ERAS.dUS DARWIN.
From Temple Bar.

From Temple Bar.
From the candid admissions Of his friends and
associates it may be gathered that il was the phil
osopher more than the man who was admired
and his manners were clownish in the extreme.
Anna Seward describes him as OF large and ath-
letic frame" but Edgeworth is more candid. Oar,
win struck him as being q large man. TAT, and
rather clumsy" He was much pltted with the
smallpox and in conversation stammered ex'
ceedingyn The portraits Of him which are extant
fully bear out this description, showing him TO
have possessed coarse and heavy race WIN Ie-
maIkably clumsy features, nose OF the thlck
Hebrew type and mouth Uf peculiarly bitter and
sarcastic expression. The mouth was indeed the
index to Darwins character. lie was sneering,
sarcastic and seeptical III no common degree. Anna
Seward especially remarks, in that inverted style
nj winch she was 80 fond extreme WAS his scrp-
tIcism to human TRUTH She is also somewhat en-
tnusiastic concerning his sarcastic Wit, but 1t can
not be SAID that the specimens OF his conversational
powers which his admirers have preserved are
likely to impress the modern reader very favorably
Thus, for example MS Hlehd Ma hSs, a H.
conversation with him thrown the bride
upon the neck OF his fancy. and Il was scampeIlng
over the churchyard and INTO the cnaheel 10Y
which we are to understand that he was talking
blasphemy) upon which Darwin exclaimed " TX
celent Mr. Robinson is not only clever Fellow,
but ID clever Fellow IN anVther c occasion .n,n
gum upon swearing Ironically dilatlng on ITS
power TO animate dulness and TO season WIT;
Darwins remark which appears 70 nave excited
great admiration among his friends, was
"Christ says swear not at all; 81 Paul tells us
we may swear occasionally Mr. Robinson advises
MS to swear necessarily. Let us compromise be
tween these counsellors and swear by Non-en-tl-
ties | will swear by my impotence and MI.
Robinson by MS Modest-y;" II these were the
terrific sarcasms at which the lteraGl OF Lltcn-
field trembled one is inclined to thluk that, Ike
the COMES they must have been q feeble folk"
Sometimes Darwin appears to have mistaken rude.
ness for wit, and to have labored under the not
uncommon deusiOn that when yOu have calico
man a fool yen have annnllated him With an
epgram. Thus on one occasion lady VINO was
visiting Ittchfeld waited upon him With letter
of introduction. Adapting her conversation to her
company as she imagined. she addressed MN III
the affected manner in favor with the Della Crus-
can school, Dvested of It's absurdIty OF form,
however, her question was simple enough. one
wished 20 know what there was of interest IN art
literature or science in LItchheld Darwin replied
in not less silted phrase with recommend tl0n 10
her to 20 to the bullrunning ut Jutbury Inc lady
was naturally somewhat disconcerted, out after
a moments pause she said was recommended
to a man of genius and find him insolent and
u-bred." with which she retired from Darwin
presence. Miss Seward is loud IN her applause OF
the doctors prompt ready wit on this occasion
bat il will probably be held that the lady had the
best Of the passage OF arms.
Besides being a w.t. Darwin was teetotallrr,
or almost one and as not intTequentlv the case
with those who abstain from wine. he was utterly
jntolerant Of its by other people On the other
hand he was "a great eater, especially OF animal
food and of fruit both raw and cooked. If he
drank wine at all which be did but rarely. he con-
fined himself to those pleasing compounds known as
AZ
what Mrs HOggarty OF Castle HOggarty, was accus-
TONED TO call RosOlio which he diluted with
water. It was perhaps as well that the ingenious
doctor should refrain from more intoxicating oeV,
era yes for he does not to have been gifted
with " hat is commonly described as strong head
story is told of an adventure OF MS which Is
hardly likely TO impress the present generation as
deeply as It impressed his own with reverence tor
his habitual wisdom and temperance. 1t would
seem that on a certain day in summer, while Oar
win was living at Ltchheld, party was made ~
bv some friends 20 sail down the Trent from
Burton to Nottingham. and thence TO Newark A
good luncheon was put on board; t'Se'her Win
an abundant supply of wine, and Darwin took his
fail share OF both. Just before the boat reached
Nottingham. he quietly dropped from 1t and swan
20 the shore. His friends hurried on to the town
where they found him IN the market place, max.
ing n speech to the CROWD the Importance OF
ventilation. The local apothecary urged nm TO 90
TO his house and provide himself with dry clothes ;
but 10 this invitation be turned deal ear assign
ing fol- his eecentrIcitles the highly philosophical
eason that the internal heat caused by the VINE
he mad taken would amply suffice to cOunteract
the cold caused by the external application or
water II is only fair to add. however. that this
story rests mainly upon the statement OF MISS
Seward, whose veracity Is anything out unInl-
pea,h liable Mr.. Charles Darwin says, on the
authority OF one Of his stepsons, that this half
tipsy freak was the result of trick played upon
him by some gentleman OF the party.
In his family relations Darwin appears TO have
been not wholly unamiablt though It was perhaps
hardly TO be expected that 50 emnenty philo-
sophcal a parsonage should lind much room LOT
commonplace affections IN that portion OF MS
anatomy which h. pleased to call his heart.
Ills children by his first wife had been educated
and launched upon the world. the high reputation
which he enjoyed serving As an excellent lhtrotuS-
lion to their professional career. Their fathers
affection for them seems to have been, however,
somewhat feeble. though not quite 50 wholly ex-
tinet rs Miss seward tried to maze out On the
strenuth OF a hearsay report she ventuTed on
most cruel charge of seltShneSs and heartlesSncss
on tine occasion OF his eldest sons death Inch she
was aterward compelled to retract unreseryedly.
According to her story, the suicide Of his uniortu
nate son produced other remark from Darn m
than the exclamation: Poor insane coward F"
after which ne never mentioned his name. and de-
voted himself 10 the task Of realizing his property.
But though this tale is utterly unlOundcd, Mr..
Charles Darwin is forced in his somewhat au1atory
sketch of his grandfather's life to admit that his
own father. Dr. Robert Darwin. ba been treated
bv hun somewhat harshly and imperously and
fItrf