The article mainly discusses the much controversial and discussed episode of the life of the famous scientist Charles Darwin who propounded the Theory of Evolution. The controversy mainly arose when a woman named “Lady of Hope” claimed that she was at the deathbed of Darwin where the scientist refuted his own theory of evolution and accepted Jesus. By referring to different books and quotes of eminent men the article has tried to find the truth behind the controversy.
Many writers and critics have scrutinized the evidences and it is worthy of note how they had to retreat gradually. To prove the
episode which took place in Darwin’s life to be wrong it was initially claimed that Lady of Hope was an imaginary character. When it was ascertained that she did exist it was said that she have had never met Darwin. When it was confirmed that she was in the Downe area where Darwin lived and she did visit him , it was said that she fabricated the whole story. As the earlier evidences were not strong enough some creationists suggested that the story should not be used anywhere, mainly to support the strong refutation by the Darwin family and the lack of testimonial in Darwin’s writings to a return to Christian faith.Let us now see why the creationist group wanted to prove that the episode is a fabrication and what actually is the truth. Surprisingly Darwin’s daughter condemned the American Christians for building up such story. Henrietta stated “I was present at his deathbed; Lady Hope was not present during his last illness, or any illness. I believe he never even saw her, but in any case she had no influence over him in any department of thought or belief. My father never recanted any of his scientific views, either then or earlier. I am upset that the U.S. Christians have fabricated this conversion nonsense. The whole story has no foundation whatever.” There are also details of the spread of the story and succeeding confutation in the book The Survival of Charles Darwin: a Biography of a Man and an Idea by Ronald W. Clark, published by Weidenfeld & Nicholson, 1985 (p. 199). Henrietta's rebuttal is referenced more fully as: Mrs. R B Litchfield, "Charles Darwin's Death-Bed: Story of Conversion Denied," The Christian, February 23, 1922, (p. 12.). A few more denial of the story can be found in books like The Survival of Charles Darwin: a Biography of a Man and an Idea by Ronald W. Clark, published by Weidenfeld & Nicholson, 1985 (p. 199)
Soon after the death Of Darwin, Lady of Hope Spoke at an educational establishment. She upheld her views and said that she did meet Darwin on his deathbed while he was reading the Epistle to the Hebrews, requested the local Sunday school to sing in a summerhouse on the grounds and acknowledged: "How I wish I had not expressed my theory of evolution as I have done." He went on, she said, to say that he would like her to gather a congregation since he "would like to speak to them of Christ Jesus and His salvation, being in a state where he was eagerly savoring the heavenly anticipation of bliss.”. With Moody’s support the Lady Hope story was published in the Boston Watchman Examiner. The story spread, and the claims were republished as late as October 1955 in the Reformation Review and in the Monthly Record of the Free Church of Scotland in February 1957.
In his book The Darwin Legend J.Moore presents the facts which he found after proper investigation. The details he provides based on evidences which establish the fact that Lady Hope did visit Darwin in his upstairs bedroom. Her details about Darwin’s dressing gown, his trembling fingers, vivacious facial expression while speaking, the view from his room through the window, the existence of the “summer house”, all recognized to be perfect explanation. Her later recollection of the account of Darwin lying on the sofa and not the bed was also confirmed by Darwin’s son. Critics say that she was late in reporting her meeting with Darwin and hence take it to be a fabricated story but evidences say that the story of Darwin ‘recantation’(if we can call it so) was circulated soon after his death . Lady Hope said that she saw Darwin was reading the Hebrews, his favorite book in the Bible, when she entered his room. It is interesting to find that the Darwin family Bible preserved in the Darwin Museum has no portion marked except for the pencil tick opposite the first few verses of Hebrews 6. It may have been the same Bible which Lady Hope had seen him reading. It is to be noted that Darwin intrinsically knew that his theory of evolution was an attack upon Christianity and that he had “fallen away” and his celebrated work has yielded only “briers and thorns”. Was the marked portion in the Hebrew by him conceding that the passages were a perfect portrayal of his situation? We will never come to know all these but if the Lady of Hope episode can be accepted as a truth then it would obviously point out that at the end Darwin may have realized the true basis of the Christian faith.
