The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1888-06-02

ana IneTe was no cnange IN CnlS 10 Ine
last. All but one of the children lived
to maturity, and no evil fortune ever
assailed him-so that in spite of i'll
health his life was calm and happy
throughout-flled to the brim with
love and reverence and kindliness. No
evil word was ever spoken of him-but
all who ever knew him dwell upon his
kindness and his tenderness. Many
anecdotes are told in these books of the
affectionateness of his nature, of his
gentleness and generosity which make
us love the man as much for what he
was, as we admire him for what he
did. His relationship to the village
people was always one Of paternal kind
ness, and he was much beloved by
them. He founded for them a Friend
ly Club when he first settled among
them, and remained connected with it
for thirty years, and he gave them
kindly advice and assistance whenever
it was possible to do so. To his chill
dren he was the kindest and most in
dulgent of friends, and lived in the
sweetest intimacy with them all.
In serving friend he gave generously
of his precious time and strength, and
he had the faculty of attaching these
friends very warmly to him. OF Mr..
Huxley he was especially fond, and
often employed the expression, "W hat
splendid fun Huxley isl in speak
ing of him. Of Sir Joseph Hooker he
writes, 81 have known hardly any man
more lovable than Hooker" He was
very fond of rallying his friends and
very charming when doing so-his
spirits rising to the greatest heights,
and he becoming really boyish in his
manner. He was also very delightful
in his intercourse with ladies', having so
much of gentleness and Difference in his
manner, and yet being so amusing and
jovial. AS he grew older it grieved
him that he could not feel quite the
enthusiasm of his youth for his friends,
but he retained all the old loyalty and
helpfullness, and never lost one from
the number of his real friends through
out life, unless by death. He was not
fond of meeting strangers, and his
manner toward them was rather formal,
though always polite.
He had no respect for books as such,
and would cut big volume in two, for
convenience in handling-Or tear out
the leaves he required for reference in
the most heartless manner, causing a
real lover of books shudder to behold.
His library from this cause presented a
very remarkable appearance. But he
had great respect for authors, and gener-
Gus praise for those who interested him.
In later life he entirely lost his taste
for poetry and said he could not read
page of Shakespeare it had grown so in
tolerable dull. He much regretted this
change in his mind, and said that his
taste for fine scenery was the only one of
the higher tastes which ne retained,
and even that had become dulled. He
was fond of music when young
had absolutely no ear for it. In later
life music set him to thinking too in
tently, and his struggle had come to be
to cease thinking long enough to pro-
cure the necessary sleep. He was ex-
ceedingly fond of novels and like
Macaulay, liked poor ones almost as
we'll as good. Walter Scott, Miss
Austin and Mrs. Gaskell, were great
favorites, and were read and reTead
with the greatest pleasure. He could
not read one with tragical end with
out great discomfort, and said that
writing a novel with bad ending
ought to be made a capital offense.
He took the keenest interest in the
plot of a novel, and would never allow
any one to give hint as to its ending.
He was also fond of books of travel,
and of essays, and other light literature.
When young he was fond of art, par
ticularly of engravings, but used in
later life to laugh at his own igno-
rance, and amuse himself much in tell
ing how Ruskin asked for his opinion
ON certain pictures. He claimed that
he could see absolutely nothing which
Ruskin saw, in his Turner's. His in
ability to draw, was a lifelong regret
to him, and was doubtless great him
derance in some of his scientific work.
OF nicely of touch he had great ad
miration, and grew very enthusiastic
over fine dissectiOns, always lamenting
his own clumsiness in this department,
which he doubtless exaggerated, as he
must have done some good work in this
line in earlier life. He bestowed great
praise upon the illustrations of his
books, which were done largely by his
children, sometimes eXclaiming over
clever bit, Michael Angelo is nothing
to it,
Much of Darwin's scientific reading
was done in German, which was a
great labor to him, as he never really
mastered the language. He was not
alone among his scientific friends in
this, for he remarks that when he told
Sir. Joseph Hooker that he had begun