Morning Thoughts: December 17, 2017

Writing ability does not always follow genius like a boxcar follows a locomotive engine. It is refreshing when it does occur, as in Charles Darwin’s case. I had avoided reading The Voyage of the Beagle for decades, fearing that the observations might be too scientifically described for me. Welcome to another surprise.

Long an admirer of Darwin for his monumental contribution to our understanding of the Universe, I’m now addicted to his ability as a writer as well. I had previously found On The Origin Of Species and The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex both quite readable. Now I can add “Beagle” to the list. I’ve been listening to an audio version while driving, and even in that format it permits ease of understanding. I can always review particularly interesting passages in free on-line versions.

One passage in particular caught my ear this past week in light of comments made by the candidate of our president’s political party in a U.S. Senate race a week ago. It seems the candidate thought America was “great” during the slavery era.

Yes. You heard right.

Contrast this with a passage from Voyage of the Beagle. Darwin was on the five-year voyage as a companion to Captain Robert FitzRoy, not as the ship’s naturalist as is often, and erroneously, maintained. It seems that captains on British warships were not permitted to interact with the crew on a personal level and often paid someone to accompany them as a companion to counteract the long periods of tedium while at sea. Darwin did engage in almost constant study of the natural world on the cruise, however, and we are all the better for it.

Back to the passage: during a stopover in Rio de Janeiro, Darwin accepted an invitation to travel to an inland estate of a man who had befriended him. Following is a passage from his description of that trip.

"As the moon rose early, we determined to start the same evening for our sleeping-place at the Lagoa Marica. As it was growing dark we passed under one of the massive, bare, and steep hills of granite which are so common in this country. This spot is notorious from having been, for a long time, the residence of some runaway slaves, who, by cultivating a little ground near the top, contrived to eke out a subsistence. At length they were discovered, and a party of soldiers being sent, the whole were seized with the exception of one old woman, who, sooner than again be led into slavery, dashed herself to pieces from the summit of the mountain. In a Roman matron this would have been called the noble love of freedom: in a poor negress it is mere brutal obstinacy."

Perhaps it might enlighten Roy Moore to read Darwin.

Probably not, but we can always hope for redemption.

No, Mr. Moore, no country was truly
great when it practiced slavery.