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Darwin and the Church

Summary

The story of Charles Darwin’s involvement with the church is one that is told far too rarely. It shows another side of the man who is more often remembered for his personal struggles with faith, or for his role in large-scale controversies over the…

Matches: 16 hits

  • … & I can see it even through a grove of Palms.—’ (letter to Caroline Darwin, 256 April [1832] …
  • wrote to the contrary: ‘I am sorry to see in your last letter that you still look forward to the
  • near the British Museum or some other learned place’ (letter from E. A. Darwin, 18 August [1832] …
  • it is a sort of scene I never ought to think about—’ (letter to W. D. Fox, [912 August] 1835 ). …
  • Non-conformist preachers in the village. John Brodie Innes Many of the letters
  • long-standing relationship with the Reverend John Brodie Innes (181794). Innes was named perpetual
  • However, what remains is cordial; in the first extant letter of the correspondence, Darwin wrote to
  • … (a local charity), which he administered from 1848 to 1869 (letter to J. B. Innes, [8 May 1848] …
  • make an excellent Guardian [of the Poor Fund]’ (letter to J. W. Lubbock, 28 March [1854] ). …
  • use of his own lawn for its meetings (Moore 1985letter to J. S. Henslow, 17 January [1850] and
  • dog, Quiz, when he moved away from Down (letter to J. B. Innes, 15 December [1861] ). Darwin and
  • to be a cross between a cow and a red deer (letter from J. B. Innes, 7 December 1868 ). Innes had
  • Please think of my request favourably—’ (letter from J. B. Innes, 26 May 1871 ). Indeed Innes had
  • Moses to take care of himself. Letter from J. B. Innes, 1 December 1878 This
  • supported Fegans work in the village, writing in 1880 or 1881: ‘your services have done more for
  • … (letter to J. W. C. Fegan, [December 1880February 1881] ). Indeed, the Darwin family even

Darwin in letters, 1871: An emptying nest

Summary

The year 1871 was an extremely busy and productive one for Darwin, with the publication in February of his long-awaited book on human evolution, Descent of man. The other main preoccupation of the year was the preparation of his manuscript on expression.…

Matches: 20 hits

  • … do to talk about it, which no doubt promotes the sale’ ( letter from J. D. Hooker, 26 March 1871 ) …
  • … to her liking, ‘to keep in memory of the book’ ( letter to H. E. Darwin, 20 March 1871 ). …
  • … and had forsaken his lunch and dinner in order to read it ( letter from James Crichton-Browne, 19 …
  • … they believe to be the truth, whether pleasant or not’ (letter from W. W. Reade, 21 February 1871). …
  • … and Oldham … They club together to buy them’ ( letter from W. B. Dawkins, 23 February 1871 ). …
  • … one’s n th . ancestor lived between tide-marks!’ ( letter from T. H. Huxley, 20 February 1871 ). …
  • … habits, furnished with a tail and pointed ears”  (letter from Asa Gray, 14 April 1871) …
  • … ‘will-power’ and the heavy use of their arms and legs ( letter from C. L. Bernays, 25 February 1871 …
  • … in order to make it darker than the hair on his head ( letter from W. B. Tegetmeier, [before 25 …
  • … together with an image of an orang-utan foetus ( letter from Hinrich Nitsche, 18 April 1871 ). …
  • … of himself, adding that it made a ‘very poor return’ ( letter to Hinrich Nitsche, 25 April [1871] …
  • … each night, returning to its allotted space each morning ( letter from Arthur Nicols, 7 March 1871 …
  • … without having a high aesthetic appreciation of beauty ( letter from E. J. Pfeiffer, [before 26 …
  • … endowment of spiritual life’ at some time in the past ( letter from Roland Trimen, 17 and 18 April …
  • … Darwin’s old friend, the former vicar of Down John Brodie Innes. Darwin and Innes had remained on …
  • … on politics, religion, and science. Darwin had written to Innes on 18 January , ‘you are one of …
  • … , these differences were raised to a high pitch, as Innes wrote on 26 May 1871 about the darker …
  • … to the white’. Darwin thanked Innes for his ‘pleasant letter’, but asserted his antipathy to human …
  • … myself a good way ahead of you, as far as this goes’ ( letter to J. B. Innes, 29 May [1871] ). …
  • … only the ‘most guarded expressions’ ( letter to St G. J. Mivart, 23 January [1871] ). …

Religion

Summary

Design|Personal Belief|Beauty|The Church Perhaps the most notorious realm of controversy over evolution in Darwin's day was religion. The same can be said of the evolution controversy today; however the nature of the disputes and the manner in…

Matches: 20 hits

  • … of departure reviews of Origin . The second is a single letter from naturalist A. R. Wallace to …
  • … everything is the result of “brute force”. Letter 2855 — Darwin, C. R. to Gray, Asa, 3 …
  • … nature, as he is in a “muddle” on this issue. Letter 3256 — Darwin, C. R. to Gray, Asa, …
  • … shares a witty thought experiment about an angel. Letter 3342 — Darwin, C. R. to Gray, …
  • … He asks Gray some questions about design. Letter 6167 — Darwin, C. R. to Gray, Asa, 8 …
  • … of my precipice”. Darwin and Wallace Letter 5140 — Wallace, A. R. to Darwin, …
  • … of variations. Darwin and Graham Letter 13230 — Darwin, C. R. to Graham, …
  • … of people, including members of his own family. Letter 441 — Wedgwood, Emma to Darwin, …
  • … about his “honest & conscientious doubts”. Letter 471 — Darwin, Emma to Darwin, C. …
  • … there is a danger in giving up revelation”. Letter 2534 — Kingsley, Charles to Darwin, …
  • … need of an act of intervention to bring change. Letter 2548 — Sedgwick, Adam to Darwin, …
  • … with that knowledge which only He can give me.” Letter 5303 — Boole, M. E. to Darwin, C …
  • … that his theory be compatible with her faith. Letter 5307 — Darwin, C. R. to Boole, M. …
  • … and science should each run its own course. Letter 8070 — Darwin, C. R. to Abbot, F. E. …
  • … “with qualifications”, if he wishes. Letter 8837 — Darwin, C. R. to Doedes, N. D., 2 …
  • … man’s intellect, “but man can do his duty”. Letter 12041 — Darwin, C. R. to Fordyce, …
  • Letter 12757 — Darwin, C. R. to Aveling, E. B., 13 Oct 1880 In this letter marked “private”, …
  • Letter 1536 — Darwin, C. R. to Lubbock, J. W. (b), 11 Oct [1853] Darwin gives his opinion to …
  • Letter 12879 — Darwin, C. R. to Fegan, J. W. C., [Dec 1880 – Feb 1881] Darwin writes to J. W. …
  • … he will resign curacy of Down. Letter 6241 — Innes, J. B. to Darwin, C. R., 13 June …

Darwin in letters, 1874: A turbulent year

Summary

The year 1874 was one of consolidation, reflection, and turmoil for Darwin. He spent the early months working on second editions of Coral reefs and Descent of man; the rest of the year was mostly devoted to further research on insectivorous plants. A…

Matches: 21 hits

  • … be done by observation during prolonged intervals’ ( letter to D. T. Gardner, [ c . 27 August …
  • … pleasures of shooting and collecting beetles ( letter from W. D. Fox, 8 May [1874] ).  Such …
  • … And … one looks backwards much more than forwards’ ( letter to W. D. Fox, 11 May [1874] ). …
  • … was an illusory hope.— I feel very old & helpless’  ( letter to B. J. Sulivan, 6 January [1874] …
  • … inferred that he was well from his silence on the matter ( letter from Ernst Haeckel, 26 October …
  • … in such rubbish’, he confided to Joseph Dalton Hooker ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 18 January [1874] …
  • … that Mr Williams was ‘a cheat and an imposter’ ( letter from T. H. Huxley, 27 January 1874 ). …
  • … his, ‘& that he was thus free to perform his antics’ ( letter to T. H. Huxley, 29 January [1874 …
  • … Darwin had allowed ‘a spirit séance’ at his home ( letter from T. G. Appleton, 2 April 1874 ). …
  • … edition, published in 1842 ( Correspondence  vol. 21, letter to Smith, Elder & Co., 17 …
  • … Hooker, and finally borrowed one from Charles Lyell ( letter to Smith, Elder & Co., 8 January …
  • … for misinterpreting Darwin on this point ( letter from J. D. Dana, 21 July 1874 ); however, he did …
  • … Mivart (see  Correspondence  vol. 20, letter to St G. J. Mivart, 11 January [1872] ). To Darwin …
  • … whether he was the author of the review ( see letter to J. D. Hooker, 14 December 1874 ). Huxley …
  • … Mivart had written the article ( enclosure to letter from J. D. Hooker, 21 December 1874 ). Huxley …
  • … 15 th  he published that shabby rejoinder’ ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 24 December [1874] ).  On …
  • … removed as secretary of the Linnean Society  ( letter From J. D. Hooker, 29 December 1874 ). …
  • … almost total failure of observations in New Zealand (see G. B. Airy ed. 1881). Darwin’s third …
  • … in prettiness & snugness’ ( letter from Emma Darwin to J. B. Innes, 12 October [1874] ).   …
  • … position of vicar of Deptford ( letter from Emma Darwin to J. B. Innes, 12 October [1874] ), but …
  • … children shedding tears as tiny babies ( letter from F. S. B. François de Chaumont, 29 April 1874 …

Women as a scientific audience

Summary

Target audience? | Female readership | Reading Variation Darwin's letters, in particular those exchanged with his editors and publisher, reveal a lot about his intended audience. Regardless of whether or not women were deliberately targeted as a…

Matches: 20 hits

  • … Were women a target audience? Letter 2447 - Darwin to Murray, J., [5 April 1859] …
  • … Tollet for proofreading and criticisms of style. Letter 2461 - Darwin to Hooker, J. …
  • … her to read to check that she can understand it. Letter 7312 - Darwin to Darwin, F. …
  • … from all but educated, typically-male readers. Letter 7124 - Darwin to Darwin, H. E …
  • … he seeks her help with tone and style. Letter 7329 - Murray , J. to Darwin, [28 …
  • … in order to minimise impeding general perusal. Letter 7331 - Darwin to Murray, …
  • … he uses to avoid ownership of indelicate content. Letter 8335 - Reade, W. W. to …
  • … so as not to lose the interest of women. Letter 8341 - Reade, W. W. to Darwin, …
  • … which will make it more appealing to women. Letter 8611 - Cupples, A. J. to …
  • … Darwin’s female readership Letter 5391 - Becker, L. E. to Darwin, [6 February …
  • … of the Manchester Ladies Literary Society . Letter 6551 - Becker, L. E . to …
  • … the chapter on pangenesis, which is a revelation. Letter 6976 - Darwin to Blackwell, A. …
  • … him to the psychology of Herbert Spencer. Letter 7624 - Bathoe, M . B. to Darwin …
  • … with her father. Letter 7651 - Wedgwood, F. J. to Darwin, H. E., [1 April 1871] …
  • … be suitable. Letter 7411 - Pfeiffer, E. J. to Darwin, [before 26 April 1871] …
  • Letter 10390 - Herrick, S. M. B. to Darwin, [12 February 1876] Sophia Herrick …
  • Letter 10415 - Darwin to Herrick, S. M. B., [6 March 1876] Darwin responds to a …
  • … 13547 - Tanner, M. H. to Darwin, [12 December 1881] Mary Tanner tells Darwin that …
  • … patience and care. Letter 6110 - Samuelson, J. to Darwin, [10 April 1868] …
  • … should it be required. Letter 6335 - Innes, J. B. to Darwin, [31 August 1868] …