TSAWTB Section 6 - Interlude - A Miscellany of Items

260 Section 6 - Interlude
beautiful surroundings on that memorable day!
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This is the account that appeared on the 19th August 1915 in the Baptist
“Watchman-Examiner” in Washington D.C. (Q29/2:70). In 1922, friends in
Los Angeles who knew her wrote an affidavit (L.A. affidavit) (MooreJ:79).
In 1940, Prof. Bole released a letter he had received from her in the early
1920’s (Bole letter) (MooreJ:86). These repeated most of the above account
with some minor variations and additions, and we will refer to these later.
An initial overview
Several writers have examined the evidence, including this author
(Bow88:188). It has been interesting to see how critics of the story have had
to retreat step by step. Firstly it was claimed that Lady Hope did not even
exist. When she was identified, it was doubted if she ever had any connection
with Darwin. Past issues of the Watchman Examiner were scanned and her
account was not found in those available. It was later discovered and
reproduced in the CRSQ (29/2:70). Eventually, it was not only admitted that
she was in the area of Downe but that she did visit Darwin. She is then
accused of “embroidering” her account of what Darwin said.
In view of the early lack of evidence, some creationists have advised that the
story should not be used, mainly in view of the strong denial of the whole
Darwin family, and the absence of any reference in Darwin’s writings to a
return to Christian beliefs.
Gradually, the details of her life became clearer and her presence at Downe
at the time she claimed was fully established. She was an evangelical
Anglican, very well connected in Brethren circles, and had held evangelistic
home meetings in the Downe area about 1881. J.W.C. Fegan, an evangelist,
was holding “tent meetings” in Downe at that same time.
By far the most thorough investigation is by Moore who set his evidence
out in The Darwin Legend (MooreJ). He concludes that whilst she certainly
seems to have visited Darwin, her account is untrustworthy on a number of
points. On a brief examination, his evidence initially appeared reasonably
convincing, but a discussion with my friend Dr. David Rosevear, Chairman of
the Creation Science Movement, prompted a very careful re-reading of
Moore’s book. This re-examination of his evidence resulted in a much more
careful examination of his evidence.
Another very interesting book is The Life and Death of Charles Darwin by
L.R. Croft (Croft) in which he concludes that Lady Hope’s account is
accurate.
Lady Hope was a fervent evangelist, particularly involved in the Temperance
Movement against drunkenness. Born Elizabeth Reid Stapleton-Cotton in
1842, she married Admiral Sir James Hope in 1877 and after his death in June
1881 eventually married Mr. Thomas Denny in 1893 - 11 years after
Darwin’s death on the 19th April 1882. She would, therefore, have been
recently widowed when she said she met Darwin in the Autumn of 1881. She
emigrated to America in 1913 and died in 1922 in Australia on her way back
to England.
THE EVIDENCE SUPPORTING THE ACCOUNT
Moore provides a mass of detail, and the following is mainly based upon
evidence he provides, for he agrees that Lady Hope did visit Darwin.