第5章

Thereforeallsentimentwasobjectionable，forsentimentmeansneglectofrulesandcalculations。HeshrankfromshowingfeelingwithmorethantheusualEnglishreserve；andshowedhisdevotiontohischildrenbydrillingthemintoknowledgewithuncompromisingstrictness，Hehadnofeelingforthepoeticalorliterarysideofthings；andregardedlife，itwouldseem，asaseriesofarguments，inwhichpeopleweretobeconstrainedbylogic，notpersuadedbysympathy。HeseemstohavedespisedpoorMrs。Mill，andtohavebeenunsuccessfulinconcealinghiscontempt，thoughinhislettershereferstoherrespectfully。Millthereforewasamanlittlelikelytowintheheartsofhisfollowers，thoughhisremarkablevigourofminddominatedtheirunderstandings。

Theamiableandkindly，whosesympathiesarequicklymoved，gainanunfairshareofourregardbothinlifeandafterwards。Wearemorepleasedbyanineffectualattempttobekindly，thanbyrealkindnessbestowedungraciously。Mill’sgreatqualitiesshouldnotbeoverlookedbecausetheywerehiddenbyamannerwhichseemsalmostdeliberatelyrepellent。Hedevotedhimselfthroughlifetopromotethetruthashesawit；toincreasethescantyamountsofpleasuresenjoyedbymankind；andtodischargeallthedutieswhichheowedtohisneighbours。

Hesucceededbeyondalldisputeinforciblypresentingonesetofviewswhichprofoundlyinfluencedhiscountrymen；andtheverynarrownessofhisintellectenabledhimtoplanthisblowsmoreeffectively。

NOTES：

1。ThechiefauthorityforJamesMillisJamesMill：aBiography，byAlexanderBain，EmeritusProfessorofLogicintheUniversityofAberdeen，London，1882。Thebookcontainsveryfullmaterials，and，ifratherdry，dealswithadrysubject。

2。Wallas’sFrancisPlace，p。70n。

3。Bain’sJamesMill，p。166。

4。Gifford’srealnamewasJohnRichardsGreen。TheidentityofhisassumednamewiththatofthemorefamousWilliamGiffordhasledtocommonconfusionbetweenthetwoperiodicals。’PeterPindar’assaultedWilliamGiffordundertheerroneousimpressionththewaseditorofthesecond。

5。LetterinBain’sJamesMill，pp。136-40。

6。Autobiography，p。39。

7。Bain’sJamesMill，pp。97-106。Millappearstohavesaidsomething’extravagant’aboutBenthaminanarticleuponMirandaintheEdinburghReviewforJanuary，1809。HealsogotsomepraisesofBenthamintotheAnnualReviewof1809(Bain，92-96)。

8。SeetheveryinterestingLifeofFrancisPlace，byMrGrahamWallas，1898。

9。Bain’sJamesMill，p。78，andWallas’sFrancisPlace，p。66。

10。Wallas’sFrancisPlace，p。68。

11。He’puttogether’theNotPaulbutJesusatFordAbbeyin1817，andhelpedtoprefacetheReformCatechism。Wallas’sFrancisPlace，p。84。

12。Thearticleof1811wasalsopublishedseparately。

13。Hewroteonlythefirstvolume。TwootherswereaddedbyCuthbertSouthey。

14。Lectures(Ashe，1885)，pp。32，61。

15。JamesMill，accordingtoPlace，wrotea’memorableandadmirableessay，”Schoolsforall，notschoolsforChurchmenonly。”’——Wallas’sFrancisPlace，99n。

16。ThisabsurdsuspicionwasarousedbyaquarrelaboutBurdett’sarrest。SeeWallas’Place，p。56。

17。MrWallasgivesanaccountoftheseschemesinchap。iv，ofhisLifeofPlace。IhavealsoconsultedPlace’scollectionsinAdditionalMSS。，27，823。

18。Bain’sJamesMill，p。162。

19。H。H。Wilsoninhisprefacetotheeditionof1840。

20。Wallas’sFrancisPlace，p。78。

21。Bain’sJamesMill，p。435。

22。Ibid。，p。433。

23。Bentham’sWorks，p。498。

24。SeeCannaninEconomicReview，1894。

25。SeeunderBlackinDictionaryofNationalBiography。

26。Autobiography，p。101。

27。SeePlace’saccountinAdditionalMSS。27，823。

28。G。C。Robertson，PhilosophicalRemains，p。166；andunderGeorgeGroteinDictionaryofNationalBiography。

29。LetterscommunicatedbyMrGrahamWallas。SeeMrWallas’sFrancisPlace，p。91。

30。SoPlaceobservedthatMill’couldhelpthemass，butcouldnothelptheindividual，notevenhimselforhisown。’——Wallas’sFrancisPlace，p。79。

31。Autobiography，p。48。Chapter2：ReformMovementsI。PoliticalChangeThelastyearsofMill’slifecorrespondtotheperiodinwhichUtilitarianismreached，incertainrespects，itshighestpitchofinfluence。Thelittlebandwhoacknowledgedhimastheirchiefleader，andastheauthorisedlieutenantofBentham，consideredthemselvestobeinthevanofprogress。Thoughdifferingonmanypointsfromeachother，andregardedwithaversionordistrustbytherecognisedpartyleaders，theywereintheirmostmilitantandconfidentstateofmind。Theyweresystematicallyreticentastotheirreligiousviews：theylefttopopularoratorsthepublicadvocacyoftheirfavouritepoliticalmeasures；andthecreditoffinallypassingsuchofthosemeasuresaswereadoptedfellchieflytothehandsofthegreatpoliticalleaders。

TheUtilitariansareignoredintheorthodoxWhiglegend。Intheprefacetohiscollectedworks，SydneySmithrunsovertheusuallistofchangeswhichhadfollowed，and，asheseemstothink，hadingreatpartresultedfrom，theestablishmentoftheEdinburghReview。Smithhimself，andJeffreyandHornerand，aboveall，’thegiganticBrougham，’hadblowntheblastwhichbroughtdownthetowersofJericho。SirG。O。Trevelyan，inhisLifeofMacaulay，describestheadventoftheWhigstoofficeinasimilarsense。’Agitatorsandincendiaries，’hesays，’retiredintothebackground，aswillalwaysbethecasewhenthecountryisinearnest：

andstatesmenwhohadmuchtolose，andwerenotafraidtoriskit，steppedquietlyandfirmlytothefront。Themenandthesonsofthemenwhohadsolongenduredexclusionfromoffice，embitteredbyunpopularity，atlengthreapedtheirreward。’1TheRadicalversionofthehistoryisdifferent。Thegreatmen，itsaid，whohadleftthecausetobesupportedbyagitatorssolongasthedefencewasdangerousandprofitless，steppedforwardnowthatitwasclearlywinning，andreceivedboththerewardandthecredit。MillandPlacecouldnotfindwordstoexpresstheircontemptforthetrimming，shufflingWhigs。Theywereprobablyunjustenoughindetail；buttheyhadastrongcaseinsomerespects。TheUtilitariansrepresentedthatpartofthereformingpartywhichhadadefiniteandareasonedcreed。

Theytriedtogivelogicwherethepopularagitatorswerecontentwithdeclamation，andrepresentedabsoluteconvictionswhentheWhigreformerswerecontentwithtentativeandhesitatingcompromises。Theyhadsomegroundsforconsideringthemselvestobethe’steelofthelance’；Themenwhoformulatedanddeliberatelydefendedtheprincipleswhichwerebeginningtoconquertheworld。

TheUtilitarians，Ihavesaid，becameapoliticalforceintheconcludingyearsofthegreatwarstruggle。Thecatastropheoftherevolutionhadunchainedawholewhirlwindofantagonisms。Theoriginalissueshadpassedoutofsight；andgreatsocial，industrial，andpoliticalchangeswereinprogresswhichmadethenationthatemergedfromthewaraverydifferentbodyfromthenationthathadentereditnearlyagenerationbefore，itisnotsurprisingthatatfirstveryerroneousestimatesweremadeofthenewpositionwhenpeaceatlastreturned。

TheRadicals，whohadwatchedononesidethegrowthofdebtandpauperism，and，ontheotherhand，theprofitsmadebystockjobbers，landlords，andmanufacturers，ascribedalltheterriblesufferingstotheselfishdesignsoftheupperclasses。Whenthewarendedtheyhopedthattheevilswoulddiminish，whilethepretextformisgovernmentwouldberemoved。Abitterdisappointmentfollowed。Thewarwasfollowedbywidespreadmisery。Plentymeantruintoagriculturists，andcommercial’gluts’resultinginmanufacturers’warehousescrammedwithunsaleablegoods。Thediscontentcausedbymiseryhadbeenencounteredduringthewarbypatrioticfervour。Itwasnotatimeforredressingevils，whentheexistenceofthenationwasatstake。Nowthatthemiserycontinued，andtheexcusefordelayingredresshadbeenremoved，ademandaroseforparliamentaryreform。Unfortunatelydiscontentledalsotosporadicriotings，tobreakingofmachineryandburningofricks。TheTorygovernmentsawinthesedisturbancesarenewaloftheoldJacobinspirit，andhadvisions——apparentlyquitegroundless——ofwidespreadconspiraciesandsecretsocietiesreadytoproducearuinofallsocialorder。Ithadrecoursetotheoldrepressivemeasures，thesuspensionoftheHabeasCorpusAct，thepassageofthe’SixActs，’andtheprosecutionofpopularagitators。

Manyobserversfanciedthatthechoicelaybetweenaservileinsurrectionandtheestablishmentofarbitrarypower。

Bydegrees，however，peacebroughtbackprosperity。Thingssettleddown；commercerevived；andtheacutedistresspassedaway。ThewholenationwentmadoverthewrongsofQueenCaroline；andthedemandforpoliticalreformbecameforthetimelessintense。Butitsoonappearedthat，althoughthiscrisishadbeensurmounted，thetemperofthenationhadprofoundlychanged。Thesupremepowerstillbelongedconstitutionallytothelandedinterest。Butithadaprofoundlymodifiedsocialorderbehindit。Thewarhadatleastmadeitnecessarytotakeintoaccounttheopinionsoflargerclasses。Anappealtopatriotismmeansthatsomeregardmustbepaidtotheprejudicesandpassionsofpeopleatlarge。Whenenormoussumsweretoberaised，themoneyedclasseswouldhavetheirsayastomodesoftaxation。Commerceandmanufactureswentthroughcrisesofterribledifficultyduetothevariouschangesofthewar；but，onthewhole，theindustrialclassesweresteadilyandrapidlydevelopinginwealth，andbecomingrelativelymoreimportant。Thewaritselfwas，inoneaspectatleast，awarforthemaintenanceoftheBritishsupremacyintrade。Thestrugglemarkedbythepolicyofthe’OrdersinCouncil’ononeside，andNapoleon’sdecreesontheother，involvedaconstantreferencetoManchesterandLiverpoolandtherapidlygrowingmanufacturingandcommercialinterests。Thegrowth，again，ofthepress，atatimewheneveryonewhocouldreadwaskeenlyinterestedinnewsofmostexcitingandimportantevents，impliedtherapiddevelopmentofagreatorganofpublicopinion。

Theeffectsofthesechangessoonbecamepalpable。Thepoliticalatmospherewasaltogetherdifferent；

andanentirelynewsetofinfluenceswasgoverningthepolicyofstatesmen。

ThechangeaffectedtheToryasmuchastheWhig。Howeverstronglyhemightbelievethathewascarryingontheoldmethods，hewasaffectedbythenewideaswhichhadbeenalmostunconsciouslyincorporatedinhiscreed。

Howgreatwasthechange，andhowmuchittooktheshapeofacceptingUtilitariantheories，maybebrieflyshownbyconsideringafewcharacteristicfacts。

TheablestmenwhoheldofficeatthetimewereCanning，Huskisson，andPeel。Theyrepresentedtheconservatismwhichsoughttodistinguishitselffrommereobstructiveness。Theirinfluencewasfeltinmanydirections。TheHolyAlliancehadthesympathyofmenwhocouldbelievethatthewarhadbroughtbackthepre-revolutionaryorder，andthatitsmainresulthadbeentoputtheJacobinspiritinchains。

Canning’saccessiontoofficein1822meantthattheforeignpolicyofEnglandwastobedefinitelyopposedtothepolicyofthe’HolyAlliance。’