The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1952-11-14
A Book
"CHARLES DARWIN AND The VOYAGE OF the BEAGLE"

Ia ~ AOk VI III DkA ~ -
lie the facts and conclusions at which
he had arrived. AS | recall, the first
edition of ORIGIN OF SPECIES was
published in 1859.
The above entitled book does not
shed any new light on evolution. 1t
does shed light on the man, the times,
the hardships endured and the fire.
quent dangers met in this master eX-
ploration trip. 1t consists of SO let
tiers written to members of his family,
a few samples of notes kept and some
fill in descriptions taken from the
files in the British Admiralty, which
sponsored the trip. These tell re-
markedly absorbing human interest
story.
Charles Darwin was an upper mid
die class Englishman. His father was
a doctor with fair practice and some
inherited wealth. The family lived up
to all conservative conventions of
it's time and class. Young Darwin had
completed a college course, in which
he took little interest, and at age 20
was toying with an idea of entering
the ministry, which was his fathers
wish. His greater inclination, to be
out among the flowers, trees, bugs,
birds and animals, acted as brake
on his ministerial aspirations. For a
year or two he waddled around and
did little to fit himself as a church
leader.
Then an unexpected opening ap-
peared on the horizon of marching
events. The British navy proposed
to renew some exploration work in the
way of charting unsurveyed coast
lines, making exact location of har-
bors and gathering information on
lands of which little, or nothing, was
then known. The Beagle, ten-gun
sailing vessel, and it's master, Cap
tain Robert FitzRoy, were assigned
to the task. The combination had
made previous voyage of two years
On such work. 1t was thought the
new assignment could be completed
n three years.
Partially because nobody in his
crew could qualify; partially because
Captain FitzRoy wanted an agreeable
companion, of his own social strata,
was made to add a ma
,uralist to the roster. Darwin's school
was for the ministry but he
lad studied books on geology, botany
md zoology, collected some specimens
md made some short field trips in
pursuit of these lines. He was an ex-
.eptionally keen observer, a good con-
or rugged and pleas
ng appearance and apparently not
afraid of either hard work or hard
ship. Of even greater Importance, his
ather could afford to put up the
hree or four thousand dollars of
Extra expense money which was re-
Iuired.
Captain FitzRoy decided that Oar
vim was the man and offered him |
he position. Darwin himself was I'M
certain whether he wanted to go and
is father had to be convinced that |
t was good training for a minister.
! far sighted uncle brought his in
luence to bear and Darwin's i'm
1ediate future was thus arranged.
After years and 2 days of travel
Darwin returned. home, having cir
the globe. He had seen
nost of the shore lines of South
america and long stretches of New
Zealand, Australia, and Southern At
lea, beside many island groups that
IL OH JlllS IOuGG anu IIe uOICu anu
outh routes to England Outlying
laces like the Falkland Islands and |
Patagonia (Southern South America) |
we're skifted two or three times and
ong trips to the interior were made.
n such regions five or six months
Without seeing another vessel or |
White man, was common experience.
IN the wild coast of Patagonia the
'eagle was beached, had it's keel
epaired and was relaunched by the
id of high tides. This was some eX-
lott for couple of dozen men and
ery little equipment.
The young naturalist seems to have
ourne up well under intensive heat,
igorous cold, scourges of insects,
ometimes bad food and worse water,
xcessive physical strain and hard
hips and even malaria. He could not
5and rough water and was sick for
avs at a stretch while high waves
altered the vessel. The expedition
,metimes had to battle native tribes
ut there is no mention that Darwin
in this, although always
lily armed. On interior trips he al
avs managed to talk or buy his way
1T of threatened trouble. Only casual I
ention of it appears in his letters.
By every homeward bound vessel
ley contacted, note books, diagrams
nd specimens bv the hundred were |