New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-05-08

flo. 10 his extraordinary industry ana persistence
and while compilation necessarily entered i''o
his system Of book -maliing-sihce "i'"o"o '''
rowing common facts his work coma hoO naNc
been done-no writer on his specla su'o' ND'
NIT more Of himself and oil hls Piso"'' VNp,'
snce and information into his wf'iheS' Nv
tod 20 the class of which Selwyn, Jesse, bHcK-
land Tborcau and Richard JeHfles 'I' "'ou"
r,isbcd examples men endowed win a peculiar
love of nature and equipped IN speciHi WAY
;,l ,ao,,I,es for the observation of all kinds OF
aniuol Efc Thus we find close analoges be-
,,roon tho bovhood of Wood and Buckland Both
., = very early age developed an abnormal iohu-
moss for all kinds Of small creatures both while
o,oI opd collcoe surrounded themselves with
ouecr and Objectionable pets; both were dis''n-
,risbcd bv a Gift of familiarity with all ANIMALS.
so that these allowed themselves 10 he handled
freely without fearing resentlnG the treatment.
Woods career appears to have been Determined
bv his early frailty lie was thought 100 uPHc'"
70 90 TO school, and for several years was en-
ronrarrd 10 lead an outdoor HE IN 'he county,
Tho rcsult was the building up OF strong con
stitution and the evolution OF me sieNIN o"'"
into an all-round athlete oil phehoh'"'l e"""'
ancc. rvmnastic capacity and muscular VIgor'
Tho lads love of natural history grew stead
IN, and he trained and disciplined and gave !.
broad foundation hy going through I's""'
courses of anatomical study and learning s'''i'-
,iGc precision From the first beginnings OF ""-
,ho,sbin no took the wise resolve always 10 write
~ that he could be undcIstanded ny Tue PoP"'
uc remembered how Wateron's WandernGs
had plagued and perpcNcd him because "' ""-
thor would give the native names To me ''u"'
ond fora of the countries visited by him. ana
ho determined that he would avoid techni'al
,erminoloov IN everything ne wrote. Inns WAS
tho one way to populari7c natural history. on'
il rcouircd TO he joined with that personal i"ui''-
iaritv with animal and insect life when lie hau
achieved and with that genuine ionun'SS '"' ''i
living creatures which charactcriz"s the porn ha,-
rails, II WAS perfectly in consonancc with
this trait that Nhcn lie began 10 lecture one "i
Lis first discouSes was upon napprecl'F" III
sec,s"-in which he vndicatcd the GAINS ol 'hc
oockroach and other insects usually rcShd'u ~
puisanccs 20 the place of useful ifch0S 10 man,
uo was ALWAYS defending animals. indeed. ana
irving 10 improve the condition OF those Ill MAJ"
.crvicc. lbs labors on behalf of the horse are
,oo we'll known TO call for particular h"i'''
Those who think such reforms ought 10 ne easter
would do we'll 10 recall the case of the slaughter
&c birds for thc decoration of womca. IN Pr'n-
inle ,lis * a much backcr case iian 'h''
If tho horses for there j. abSol"'N j"
defepcc 10 fhc indictment which does NOT III
volvc n confession Of deliberate hh"m""iN
Rut everybody knows that appeals ana r'Pr"''''S
have proved alike fTt6. and that women eP""IN
70 the discrcdi Of their tenderness ana 'heF III
+oIhocncc have continued TO encourage the mas
sarrc Of birds 10 This day, and apparently Will
always do 50 if fashion gives The word.
In his books on natural history MI. ""o"S
aim was 70 be perfectly ntclli-ibc 10 the average
reodcr and he succeeded thus in interesting ana
OF
have Gained nothing from technical Sc!ch'lhc
,rcatiscs His natural love of observation ana
wide practice of it stood him in good stead: aho
for his lectures which were very p"phiar' h'
acquired or rather. developed. knack "i raPiH
frcc-hand drawing which had the appearance al
most Of n clever coniurug trick when dls2lANrd
ON ,bc Plat form. His son however. Is car"tni 10
state that the wonderful dcftncss ana precision
with which his father used 10 draw and color -
the lie in few moments tie various n'lr'> "'
insects. birds fishes. etc. which he showed on
his blackboard were the result "t long ana clf"-
ful rehearsal and hc gives an interesting account
- the ,ronhlc 10 which the lecturer went 10 at
tain the skill which 50 surprised and delighted his
audiences In the first place hc had I" invent
a speclai blackboard for travelling with Inc
surface upon which ne made his sketches was oi
paintcd canvas. The pastel chaikS ua'd Us hiHi
were made on purpose. The drawing l1seh was
pracii-ed beforehand until every line ana curve
was familiar. When be went on the platform ne
was able 10 put on The board. IN Jew b'I"
strokes which had all the appearance" OF lmpI'-
visation a perfectly accurate and iielNe hsnTc'
and this be proceeded to color With equal rapdiiy
and fidelity. These sketch lectures. - he
called them. took strong hold upon Inc pubic
and proved as successful ia this country as 1hcy
had in the United Kingdom.
Mr. Woods TWO visits 10 the nltcd STATES ana
not. unfortunately for him, add much :" his
hark occount HIS SON attributes his com
narrative financial failure 10 his own business IN
apti,udc and T. The lack OF prc>clcnce when sem
him over the Atlantic the second tame during
the heat Of a Presidential campaign. Ills dafN.
kept during the first visit, when he cane undoi
encaocu,cnt II deliver a course Of lectures before
the Lowell Institute. al Boston, Indicates mat ne
had an uncommonlv severe experience Of winter
weather and his account of the storms OF Boston
Is full of pcrpcNcd establishment. His comments
upon American manners and customs are frc-
oucntlv amusing. not Joss frequently erroneous
but usually characterized by gcniaIitN. and Tree
from the air of insular superiority which has
made so many similar criticisms cN3Spentin@ 10
the American public No one Will find FAINT with
him for falling foul Of that bancful institution
the "train-boy and many will ind0rsc what he
saws concerning the manners and general attrac-
tions Of the kind Of children commonly en-
countercd in hotel life The conclusions reached
by him with respect 10 the negro walters, how
ever. are not little surprising. lie seems 10
have discovered nervousness among these
worthy folks never before perceived suspected
He CONVEYS the impression that they are all sub
ect 10 a kind Of racial ~. Vituss dance. and
that they find il quite impossible 10 keep their
arms and legs quiet for minute while in the
pursuit Of their avOcatious The man who
waited at his table once had bad COLT and Mr.
Wood gave him a hot punch made after special
Oxford recipe. The effect of this stmuant was
10 make the grateful wafer cludc the caglc-cye
of the head waiter. retire into an obscure corner,
and dance We wonder if all the cOloIcd