Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1893-05-03
THE HOME OF A NATURALIST
BY THE Urv. o. J. vreNoIEs, NJ. A.

THE HOME OF A NATURALIST
BY THE IJy. o. J. yTGNoLEs, NJ. A.
at is not evaryone's lot to get To
CJrinth, so the Roman poet tells us,
and no wonder, for the Journey from
Brandusium to Greece was encom.
passed with many difficulties to the
ancient voyager. Horace had proved
the perils of "Adria," and there are
uumberless allusions in the great writ
er's poems to its unexpected mutations
Of temper, and the frequency of its
dark skies, its angry biIlows, and its
ruthless winds.
In visiting the home of the great ma
mraiist OF this century there are NO
such perils of the deep, and vet it is
by no means easy to get at that Sc
questered spot on the back bone of the
escarpment of Mid Kent, which has
now become classic ground, as the
scene OF those mcditatious and expert
ments and profound congratulations
which have bullt mp the imperlshabIe
fame OF Charles Darwin. 1t is close g
upon four miles from Orpingtou on
the South Eastern Railway, and the
visitor must walk the whole way, unless
he is so fortunate as to find a carriage
waiting at the station 20 carry its
owner to Down, and to be courte.
ously invited to tax the only spare
seat; but this was a piece of unexpected
good luck which fell to the writers
lot, as the home OF the gentleman to
whom refer was close to Mrs.
Mr.. Darwin residence. For a stran-
ger the only other way of reaching
Down is from Hayes, where a carriage
may be ordered beforehand; or, if the
visitor Is equal to it, there lies glori-
GUS walk of five miles before him,
over the "Bmck kheath pebble beds
which form the tertiary outlier OF
Hayes aud keston Commons; and then
on through the delightful park OF
HOLLYWOOD, now belonging to the Earl OF
Derby, but which "A century ago was
the property OF the great statesman
William Pitt, and was his favorite re-
treat from the strife of controversy and
the cares of State.
As is wellknOwn, Charles Darwin
could not endure a town life, for which
his tastes, his habits, and, above all,
his health untitled him. Social meet
lngs he tells us) always at the time
gave a flip to his spirit, but the ex-
element was Invariably followed 6y
painful physical and mental prostra-
ton. Thus 1T happened that he was
driven into the country, and ito use
his own wOrdsl latter a long and
fruItless search in Surrey and else.
where, at last found this house (at
Down and purchased it, pleased with
the extreme quietness and rusticitv OF
the place. This was in September,
1912, and here the great philosopher
was permitted to live and labor for
nearly forty years; or, as he modestly
puts 1t, ''my chief enjoyment and sole
employment through life has been
scientific work"
1t was In the pursuit of scientific
relaxation that a party of eeologists
found their way 10y road and rail, by
carriage or on foot, to this remote but
pleasing retreat on the 18th June, 1892;
sn appropriate day, for we know "peace
hath her victories no less renowned
than war. and beyond controversy
Charles Darwin has climbed to as Sc
cure footing on the platform of fame
by his scientific achievements as did
the Immortal Duke" by his skill,
daring and patient endurance on the
deld of battle. Oar leaders on the oc-
casIon were Messrs. Whitaker and
Leighton, together with an amateur
geolORist and explorer, whose contri-
buttons to our acquaintance with pre-
historic man by his discovery of palae-
Oltths on the chalk bills of Mid Kent
have been gratefully acknowledged
by the leaders of geological inquiry. :"
By the peculiarities of the South
eastern train service, and by the uneX-
pected kindness of the resident already
referred to, found myself at Down
fully two hours earlier than the other
members of our little congress; and
here was a delightfGl opportunity of
quiet hero worship, "far from the mad
ding crowd" IN the silent solitary
shrine cOnse Grated by the genius. and
still (as it were) haunted by the spirit
Of one of the nOblest and yet humblest
OF the high priests of inductlve science.
No member of the Darwin family was
In the house, but | was hidden kind
welcome by the courteous lady who had
long been a member of the household,
and had often read to Mr.. Darwin from
some favorite novel in the half hours of
intermissiOn of his daily toll. My
guide took me into the garden, and we
held brief converse on the character
IstiCs of the great man, from whom she
chad received, as she said more truly
religious lessons than (glancing at my
white tie) from any minister of the
Church of England" l quite assented,
and assured her of my admiration for
those qualities which in him were so
conspicuous, but in most of us-lay or
clerlcal-so rare: sound Judgment. I'M
wearied industry, absence of prejudice,
a passionate love of truth, and withal
Rboundng charity, all different aspects
of real religion; to which the lady sim
ply answered, eyes, and humility. !"
Her words made me think of parts of
his autobiography where it is evident
that Darwin then retained reverence
Tor revealed religion, c. q. in hls notes
on visiting some of the Pacific isles on
his voyage in the Beagle. "lt is ad-
mlrable to behold what the missionaries
have effected both here, and in New
Zealand. firmly believe they are good
men, working for good cause." And
in letter he remarks: "The impossl-
bility of conceiving that this grand and
vondrous universe, with our conscious
selves, arose through chance, seems to
me the chief argument for the existence
OF God. l have always considered
that the theory of evolution is quite
compatible with that belief" l made
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