On the Reception of the 'Origin of Species'

· 1895

To the present generation, that is to say, the people a few years on the hither and thither side of thirty, the name of Charles Darwin stands alongside of those of Isaac Newton and Michael Faraday; and, like them, calls up the grand ideal of a searcher after truth and interpreter of Nature. They think of him who bore it as a rare combination of genius, industry, and unswerving veracity, who earned his place among the most famous men of the age by sheer native power, in the teeth of a gale of popular prejudice, and uncheered by a sign of favour or appreciation from the official fountains of honour; as one who in spite of an acute sensitiveness to praise and blame, and notwithstanding provocat…

Read free

Your support pays for translating these classics into more languages.

Support for $12/month DonateSubscribers read with instant translation, without waiting for the free daily limit.

Lindy Books — 78,696 public-domain classics, free forever. No ads, no accounts, no tracking. Browse the library