The Leavenworth echo. [volume] (Leavenworth, Wash.) 1904-current, 1905-03-10
A Genial Philosopher.

The birthday Of Abraham Lincoln
is also the birthday Of Charles II. Oar
win. The emancipation and the author
of the modern theory of evolution were
born, strange to say, on the same day,
Feb. II, 1909. The beauty and sim
plicity of Darwin's character We're al
most as unique as his intellectual
achievements. He was a man of
means, with leisure at his command,
who was more absorbed in constant
men who must earn their bread. He
detested cowardice and evasion. He
wrote with perfect clearness and sim
certify, furnishing "the most remark
able example of persuasive style in the
English language" He had a keen
sense of humor and enjoyed a joke
with boyish heartiness. Lancaster re-
calls him in his later years sitting at
his home in Down in his high seated
armchair and while laughing at some
joke or story slapping his thigh with
his right hand and eXclaiming hearth
ly: "Oh, by Jove, that's very good!
That's capitalr His success he greet
ed with open delight. He had none Of
the solemnity of the inflated reformer.
HE chuckled gayly," says Lancaster,
cover the spread of his views, almost
as a sportsman may rejoice in the tri-
umphs of his racer. His delight in his
work and its success was of the perfect
and natural kind, which he could COM
municate to his wife and daughters
and might have been shared by a
child" The key to his character was
genuineness. He made no pretensions.
He declared that he had no taste for
literature, but liked a story, especially
about pretty girl, and he would only
read those in which all ended well.
Authors of stories ending in death or
failure ought, he declared, to be hung!
He attributed his success as scientific
man to 1.-THE love of science, unbounded
patience in long rejecting over any
subject, industry in observing and col
lecting facts and a fair share of in
vention as well as common sense"
OF his tenderness let this private
memorandum of his own, written few
days after the death of his little daugh-
ter Annie, speak:
Our poor child Annie was born in Cover
street on March 2, 1871, and expired at
Malvern at midday on the 23d of April,
1851
I write these few pages, as I think in
after years. if we live, the Impressions
now put down will recall more wildly
her chief characteristics. From whatever
point / look back at her. the main feature
in her disposition which at once rises be-
fore me is her buoyant joyousness tenn
pered by two other characteristics-name
ly, her sensitiveners, which might easily
have been overlooked by a stranger, and
her strong affection. Her joyousness and
animal spirits radatcd from her whole
countenance and rendered every move
ment elastic and full of life and vigor.
1t was delightful and cheerful to behold
her. Her dear face now rises before me
as she used sometimes to come running
downstairs with a stolen pinch of snuff
for me, her whole form radiant with the
pleasure of giving pleasure. Even when
playing with her cousins when her joy
BUSINESS almost passed into boisterousness.
single glance of my eye, not of displeas-
ure-for 1 thank God l hardly ever cast
one on her-but of want of sympathy.
would for some minutes alter her whole
countenance.
The other point in her character which
made her joyousness and spirits SO de-
lightful was her strong affection, which
was of a most clinging, fondling nature.
When quite a baby this showed itself in
never being easy without touching her
mother when in bed with her, and quite
lately she would, when poorly fondle for
any length of time one of her mothers
arms. When very unwell, her mother
lying down beside her seemed to soothe
her in a manner quite different from what
it would have done to any of our other
children. So again she would at almost
any time spend half an hour in arrang-
ing my hair, making it." as she called it,
beautiful" or in smoothing (the poor
dear darlingD my collar or cuffs-in short
in fondling me.
Besides her joyousnesS thus tempered
she was in her manners remarkably cor
dial, frank, open, straightforward, nat
ural and without any shade of reserve
Her whole mind was pure and transpar-
ent. One felt one knew her thoroughly
and could trust her. l always thought
that come what might. we should have
had in our old age at least one loving
soul which nothing could have changed.
All her movements were vigorous active
and usually graceful When going round
the sand walk with me, although 1 walk
ed fast, yet she often used to so before,
pirouetting in the most elegant way. her
dear face bright all the time with the
sweetest smiles Occasionally she had
pretty, coquettish manner toward me- the
memory of which is charming. She often
used exaggerated language, and, when
quzzed her by eXaggerating what she
had said, how clearly can ] now see the
little toss OF the head and exclamation of
"Oh. papa, what a shame of you'' In
the last short illness her conduct in SIM
Pile truth, was angelic. She never once
complained, never became fretful, was
ever considerate of others and was thank
full in the most gentle, pathetic manner
for everything done for her. When so
exhausted that she could hardly speak.
she praised everything that was given
her and said some tea was beautifully
good" When gave her some water she
said, II quite thank you" and these, 1