Darwin

In manners and general appearance Mr. Darwin looked like the typical English country gentleman, and so daported himself that the neighborhood farmers, as well as country gentlemen, always spoke of Mm in the highest terms. His home was a fine old house in Kent, an hour and a half by rail and drive trom London, the pretty village feeing called Down, near Beckenham. Here he lived very many years, having f or an intimate neighbor Sir John Lubbock, known for his enthusiasm on the subiect of ants. Ihe residence was of the old Englisk country sWe, with wild vines and ivy covering% to the second story. The drawing-room was elegantly furnished, and up to this point no visitor would suspect that he was in the home of the greatest naturalist oí the time, the surroundings diff ering in no way from those of other Englishmen. Glass doors opened out on a rose-clad veranda, and here Darwin very often took his meáis, so fond he was of the spot, for its beautiful view of his extensive park, the scène of many an investigation into and experimenta with Dlants. From the parlor another door led to the laboratory, where his werking hours - probably an average of twelve a day- were passed. Tiers of pigeon-holes,which he fllled withscraps of newspapers, etc, treating on any subjects in natural history, showed by their f ullness his patiënt toil, and he was a truly omniverous reader, more especial ly of Germán periodicals. He was not at all jealous of the origin of an idea that he could assimilate, but gladly gave credit. HOSPITABLE YET RETIBING. Darwin was a retired, almost shy man. and thoujrh receiving with diality and even warmth of hospitality and welcome all who came - and bis callera were legión- he seldom or never returned the compliment of a visit. He was too busy, first, and .secondly, shrank innately f rom society. He never talked on nis hobbies, as one migiit say, unless broached to him, and then he sometimes, for a fact, got very long-winded, the pitch of his voice growing with his interest, but one could never tire of his clear periods in wliich the sincérese convicción was evidently blended with curious fact and original philosophy. He died worth probably a quarter of a million, a good deal of it in nis generous estáte at Down. His widow, the daughter of Wedgwood, the great porcelain-uiaker, is a lady of charming social qualities, entertaining her gue3ts in a bewitching manner. One of his daughters - flve children survive Mm - was the most f aithful of secretarles to him, and gratef ui and indeed indispensable was the service, his letters averaging twenty a day, from all parts of the world and on all manner of scien tifie and literary subjects, not a few of, the writers of course being those friends, autograph seekera. A place of great recreation f or him was his conservatory, with an outlying series of hot houses. In most of them there were no flowers, but everything was of the inoss order. At my last visit he was absorbingly interested in the experiment of planting a shrub with the top down and rootsup, tofurther illustrate his theory of 'reverse growth.' Long before he had the branch of a peculiar tree put with its leaf end into the ground and top root rising as the highest bough, and curious enough he succeeded in perpetuating life, showing as he philosophized that light and heat and warmth are essential conditions of growth.