Mr. Darwin's return from South
America, his health was very bad--much more than later. He had a stomach
disease which resulted from sea-sickness while on the voyage around the
world. Mr. Parslow learned the watercure treatment and treated Mr.
Darwin in that system, for a long time, giving much relief.
"Mr. Darwin used to do his own writing but had copyists to get his work
ready for the printer. He was always an early man. He used to get up at
half past six. He used to bathe and then go out for a walk all around
the place. Then Parslow used to get breakfast for him before the rest of
the family came down. He used to eat rapidly, then went to his study and
wrote till after the rest had breakfast. Then Mrs. Darwin came in and he
used to lie half an hour on the sofa, while she or someone else read to
him. Then he wrote till noon, then went out for an hour to walk. He used
to walk all around the place. Later in life, he had a cab, and used to
ride on horseback. Then after lunch at one, he used to write awhile.
Afterwards he and Mrs. Darwin used to go to the bedroom, where he lay
on a sofa and often smoked a cigarette while she read to him. After this
he used to walk till dinner-time at five. Before the family grew up,
they used to dine early, at half-past one, and had a meat-tea at
half-past six.
"Sometimes there were eighteen or twenty young Darwins of different
families in the house. Four-in-hand coaches of young Darwins used
sometimes to come down from London. Mr. Darwin liked children. They
didn't disturb him in the least. There were sometimes twenty or thirty
pairs of little shoes to be cleaned of a morning, but there were always
plenty of servants to do this.
"The gardener used to bring plants into his room often of a morning, and
he used to tie bits of cotton on them, and try to make them do things.
He used to try all sorts of seeds. He would sow them in pots in his
study.
"There were a quantity of people in Westminster Abbey when he was
buried. Mr. Parslow and the cook were among the chief mourners and sat
in the Jerusalem chamber. The whole church was as full of people as they
could stand. There was great disappointment in Down that he was not
buried there. He loved the place, and we think that he would rather have
rested there had he been consulted."
* * * * *
MISCELLANEOUS.
To Our Readers.
THE PRAIRIE FARMER is the OLDEST, MOST RELIABLE, and the LEADING
AGRICULTU
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