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diff --git a/36795-h/36795-h.htm b/36795-h/36795-h.htm new file mode 100644 index 0000000..0d4440c --- /dev/null +++ b/36795-h/36795-h.htm @@ -0,0 +1,7900 @@ +<?xml version="1.0" encoding="iso-8859-1"?> + +<!DOCTYPE html + PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN" + "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd" > + +<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" lang="en"> + <head> + <title> + Bygones Worth Remembering, by Ones Worth Remembering + </title> + <style type="text/css" xml:space="preserve"> + + body { margin:5%; background:#faebd0; text-align:justify} + P { text-indent: 1em; margin-top: .25em; margin-bottom: .25em; } + H1,H2,H3,H4,H5,H6 { text-align: center; margin-left: 15%; margin-right: 15%; } + hr { width: 50%; text-align: center;} + .foot { margin-left: 20%; margin-right: 20%; text-align: justify; text-indent: -3em; font-size: 90%; } + blockquote {font-size: 97%; font-style: italic; margin-left: 10%; margin-right: 10%;} + .mynote {background-color: #DDE; color: #000; padding: .5em; margin-left: 10%; margin-right: 10%; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 95%;} + .toc { margin-left: 10%; margin-bottom: .75em;} + .toc2 { margin-left: 20%;} + div.fig { display:block; margin:0 auto; text-align:center; } + div.middle { margin-left: 20%; margin-right: 20%; text-align: justify; } + .figleft {float: left; margin-left: 0%; margin-right: 1%;} + .figright {float: right; margin-right: 0%; margin-left: 1%;} + .pagenum {display:inline; font-size: 70%; font-style:normal; + margin: 0; padding: 0; position: absolute; right: 1%; + text-align: right;} + pre { font-style: italic; font-size: 90%; margin-left: 10%;} + +</style> + </head> + <body> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + +The Project Gutenberg EBook of Bygones Worth Remembering, Vol. 1 (of 2), by +George Jacob Holyoake + +This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with +almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + + +Title: Bygones Worth Remembering, Vol. 1 (of 2) + +Author: George Jacob Holyoake + +Release Date: July 20, 2011 [EBook #36795] +Last Updated: January 25, 2013 + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 + +*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BYGONES WORTH REMEMBERING *** + + + + +Produced by David Widger + + + + + +</pre> + <p> + <br /><br /> + </p> + <h1> + BYGONES WORTH REMEMBERING + </h1> + <h2> + By George Jacob Holyoake + </h2> + <p> + <br /> + </p> + <h4> + "The best prophet of the future is the past." <br /> Lord Byron + </h4> + <h3> + Volume I. + </h3> + <p> + <br /> + </p> + <h5> + New York E. P. Dutton And Company <br /> 31 West Twenty-Third Street 1905 + </h5> + <p> + <br /> <br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <br /> <br /> <a name="linkimage-0001" id="linkimage-0001"> + <!-- IMG --></a> + </p> + <div class="fig" style="width:80%"> + <img src="images/holyoake.jpg" alt="Holyoake" width="100%" /><br /> + </div> + <p> + <br /> <br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <br /> <br /> + </p> + <div class="fig" style="width:80%"> + <img alt="titlepage (36K)" src="images/titlepage.jpg" width="100%" /><br /> + </div> + <p> + <br /> <br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <br /> <br /> + </p> + <blockquote> + <p class="toc"> + <big><b>CONTENTS</b></big> + </p> + <p> + <br /> <a href="#link2H_PREF"> PREFACE</a><br /><br /><br /> <a + href="#link2HCH0001"> CHAPTER I. </a> CONCERNING BYGONES + PREFATORY <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0002"> CHAPTER II. </a> PERSONAL + INCIDENTS <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0003"> CHAPTER III. </a> OTHER + INSTANCES <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0004"> CHAPTER IV. </a> FIRST + STEPS IN LITERATURE <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0005"> CHAPTER V. </a> GEORGE + ELIOT AND GEORGE HENRY LEWES <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0006"> CHAPTER + VI. </a> WHEN BIRMINGHAM WAS A TOWN <br /><br /> <a + href="#link2HCH0007"> CHAPTER VII. </a> THE TENTH OF APRIL, + 1848—ITS INCREDIBILITIES <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0008"> + CHAPTER VIII. </a> THE CHARTISTS OF FICTION <br /><br /> <a + href="#link2HCH0009"> CHAPTER IX. </a> THE OLD POSTILLION + <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0010"> CHAPTER X. </a> MEETING + BREAKERS—LIST OF THOSE PAID FOR DOING IT <br /><br /> <a + href="#link2HCH0011"> CHAPTER XI. </a> TROUBLE WITH HER + MAJESTY <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0012"> CHAPTER XII. </a> UNFORESEEN + QUALITIES IN PUBLIC MEN <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0013"> CHAPTER + XIII. </a> THE COBDEN SCHOOL <br /><br /> <a + href="#link2HCH0014"> CHAPTER XIV. </a> HARRIET MARTINEAU, + THE DEAF GIRL OF NORWICH <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0015"> CHAPTER XV. + </a> HARRIET MARTIN EAU—FURTHER INCIDENTS IN HER + SINGULAR CAREER <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0016"> CHAPTER XVI. </a> THE + THREE NEWMANS <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0017"> CHAPTER XVII. </a> MAZZINI + IN ENGLAND-INCIDENTS IN HIS CAREER <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0018"> + CHAPTER XVIII. </a> MAZZINI THE CONSPIRATOR <br /><br /> <a + href="#link2HCH0019"> CHAPTER XIX. </a> GARIBALDI—THE + SOLDIER OF LIBERTY <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0020"> CHAPTER XX. </a> THE + STORY OF THE BRITISH LEGION—NEVER BEFORE TOLD <br /><br /> <a + href="#link2HCH0021"> CHAPTER XXI. </a> JOHN STUART MILL, + TEACHER OF THE PEOPLE <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0022"> CHAPTER XXII. + </a> JOHN STUART MILL, TEACHER OF THE PEOPLE <br /><br /> <a + href="#link2HCH0023"> CHAPTER XXIII. </a> ABOUT MR. + GLADSTONE <br /><br /> <br /> <br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <br /> <br /> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <big><b>ILLUSTRATIONS</b></big> + </p> + <p> + <br /> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#linkimage-0001"> Holyoake </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#linkimage-0002"> Parker </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#linkimage-0003"> Lewes </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#linkimage-0004"> Cobden </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#linkimage-0005"> Martineau </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#linkimage-0006"> Newman </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#linkimage-0007"> Mazzini </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#linkimage-0008"> Mario </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#linkimage-0009"> Garibaldi </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#linkimage-0010"> Mill </a> + </p> + </blockquote> + <p> + <br /> <br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <br /> <br /> <a name="link2H_PREF" id="link2H_PREF"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + PREFACE + </h2> + <p> + If the preface of a book be a plea to the reader, its force must lie in + the aims of the author. In the following pages his main aim has been to be + of service to somebody. That is a principle, which, amid the ravelment, + perplexity, and entanglements of the world, always finds a pathway open. + Such a principle is as an All-Seeing Eye, to which he who acknowledges it, + is amenable, since it makes plain to him the devious, time-serving byways + he should avoid. + </p> + <p> + The writer has no interest, no taste, no trust, save in definite, + verifiable ideas. His aim has been to keep clear of the Sin of Pretension, + which consists in declaring, or assuming to be true, that which the writer + or speaker does not know to be true. What errors negligence of this rule + has bred! What misdirection it has perpetuated! Into how many labyrinths, + where truth was not to be found, has it led men! What can be more useful, + or holier, than inciting the reader to beware of pretension in speech, in + morals, in politics, and in piety? To keep as clear as possible of this + universal sin may serve many and mislead none. + </p> + <p> + Professor Jowett has told us that "where Inquiry is denied at the door, + Doubt gets in at the window." This is the way it came to the writer of + this preface, and accounts for a certain liberty of expression the reader + may meet with, if he ventures further into these pages. + </p> + <p> + A sentence of Mr. Allen Upward will sufficiently describe the spirit of + this book: "Let us try to tolerate each other instead of trying to convert + each other." The author disclaims belonging to that class who have "great + expectations," which are as vain in literature as in life. The utmost the + author looks forward to is that semi-friendly applause which is accorded + to a platform speaker, not so much for any merit in his oration as for his + unexpected consideration for the audience by concluding. + </p> + <p> + G. J. HOLYOAKE. <a name="link2HCH0001" id="link2HCH0001"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER I. CONCERNING BYGONES PREFATORY + </h2> + <p> + It was a saying of Dryden that "Anything, though ever so little, which a + man speaks of himself, in my opinion, is still too much." This depends + upon what a writer says. No man is required to give an opinion of himself. + Others will do that much better, if he will wait But if a man may not + speak of himself at all—reports of adventure, of personal endeavour, + or of service, will be largely impossible. To relate is not to praise. The + two things are quite distinct. Othello's imperishable narrative of his + love of Desdemona contained no eulogy of himself. A story of observation, + of experience, or of effort, or estimate of men or of opinions, I may + venture upon—is written for the reader alone. The writer will be an + entirely negligible quantity. + </p> + <p> + Lord Rosebery, who can make proverbs as well as cite them, lately recalled + one which has had great vogue in its day, namely, "Let bygones be + bygones." Life would be impossible or very unpleasant if every one + persisted in remembering what had better be forgotten. Proverbs are like + plants: they have a soil and climate under which alone they flourish. + Noble maxims have their limitations. Few have universal applicability. If, + for instance, the advice to "let bygones be bygones" be taken as + universally true, strange questions arise. Are mistakes never more to + teach us what to avoid? Are the errors of others no more to be a warning + to us? Is the Book of Experience to be closed? Is no more history to be + written? If so philosophy could no longer teach wisdom by examples, for + there would no longer be any examples to go upon. If all the mistakes of + mankind and all the miscalculations of circumstance be forgotten, the + warnings of the sages will die with them. + </p> + <p> + He who has debts, or loans not repaid, or promises not kept, or contracts + unfulfilled in his memory, had better keep them there until he has made + what reparation he can. The Bygone proverb does not apply to him. There + are other derelictions of greater gravity than fall under the head of + intellectual petty larceny, such as the conscious abandonment of + principle, or desertion of a just cause, which had better be kept in mind + for rectification. + </p> + <p> + If an admiral wrecked his ships, or a general lost his army, or a + statesman ruined his country, by flagrant want of judgment—ever so + conscientiously—it is well such things should be borne in mind by + those who may renew, by fresh appointment, these opportunities of + calamity. It would be to encourage incapacity were such bygones consigned + to oblivion. It may be useless to dwell upon "spilt milk," but further + employment of the spiller may not be prudent. + </p> + <p> + Slaves of the saying, "Let bygones perish," would construct mere political + man-traps, which never act when depredators are about. In human affairs + bygones have occurred worth remembering as guides for the future. + </p> + <p> + It is said that "greatness is thrust upon a man"—what is meant is a + position of greatness. Greatness lies in the quality of the individual, + and cannot be "thrust" on any man. It is true that intrinsic greatness is + often left unrecognised. It would be a crime against progress were these + cases, when known, consigned to forgetfulness. Noble thoughts as well as + noble acts are worth bearing in mind, however long ago they may have + occurred. + </p> + <p> + My friend Joseph Cowen, who from his youth had regarded me as a chartered + disturber of the unreasoning torpidity of the public conscience, described + me as an agitator. All the while I never was a Pedlar of Opinions. I never + asked people to adopt mine, but to reason out their own. I merely + explained the nature of what I took to be erroneous in theological and + public affairs. Neither did I find fault with prevailing ideas, save where + I could, or thought I could, suggest other principles of action more + conducive to the welfare of all who dwell in cottages or lodgings—for + whom I mainly care. I was for equal opportunities for all men, guaranteed + by law, and for equitable participation in profit among all who, by toil + of hand or brain, contributed to the wealth of the State. + </p> + <p> + Yet, though I never obtruded my convictions, neither did I conceal them. + No public questioner ever went empty away,—if his inquiry was + relevant and I had the knowledge he sought Sometimes, as at Cheltenham (in + 1842), when an inquiry was malicious and the reply penal, the questioner + got his answer. My maxim was that of Professor Blackie:— + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + "Wear thy heart not on thy sleeve, + But on just occasion + Let men know what you believe, + With breezy ventilation." +</pre> + <p> + Thus, without intending it, I came to be counted an "agitator." + </p> + <p> + As to the matter of the following pages, they relate, as all + autobiographical reminiscences do, to events that are past. But whether + they relate to acts, or events, or opinions, to tragedy or gaiety, they + are all meant to fulfil one condition—that of having instruction or + guidance of some kind in them—which bring them within the class of + "bygones worth remembering." + </p> + <p> + One day as I was walking briskly along Fleet Street, a person in greater + haste than myself running down Johnson's Court collided with me, and both + of us fell to the ground. On rising, I said, "If you knocked me down, + never mind; if I knocked you down, I beg your pardon." He did not + reciprocate my forgiveness, thinking I had run against him intentionally. + Nevertheless, I say to any resenting reader who does me mischief, "never + mind." If I have done him any harm it has been unwittingly, and I tender + him real apologies. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0002" id="link2HCH0002"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER II. PERSONAL INCIDENTS + </h2> + <p> + These pages being autobiographic in their nature, something must be said + under this head. I was born April 13, 1817, which readers complained I + omitted to state in a former work* of a similar kind to this, probably + thinking it a "Bygone" of no importance. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * "Sixty Years 01 an Agitator's Life," afterwards referred + to as "Sixty Years." +</pre> + <hr /> + <p> + It was in 1817 that Robert Owen informed mankind that "all the religions + in the world were in error," which was taken to mean that they were wrong + throughout; whereas all the "Prophet of the City of London Tavern" sought + to prove was that all faiths were in error so far as they rested on the + dogma that men can believe if they will—irrespective of evidence + whatever may be the force of it before them. Mr. Owen's now truistical + statement set the dry sticks of every church aflame for seventy years. In + many places the ashes smoulder still. By blending Theology with Sociology, + the Churches mixed two things better kept apart Confusion raged for years + on a thousand platforms and pulpits. I mention this matter because it was + destined to colour and occupy a large portion of my life. + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + The habit of my thoughts is to run into speeches, as the thoughts of a + poet run into verse; but if there be a more intrinsic characteristic of my + mind it is accurately described in the words of Coleridge:— + </p> + <p> + "I am by the law of my nature a Reasoner. A person who should suppose I + meant by that word, an arguer, would not only not understand me, but would + understand the contrary of my meaning. I can take no interest whatever in + hearing or saying anything merely as a fact—merely as having + happened. I must refer to something within me before I can regard it with + any curiosity or care. I require in everything a reason why the thing <i>is</i> + at all, and why it is <i>there</i> or <i>then</i> rather than elsewhere or + at another time." + </p> + <p> + This may be why I entitled the first periodical edited in my name, <i>The + Reasoner</i>. + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + My firstborn child, Madeline, perished while I was in Gloucester Prison.* + There is no other word which described what happened in 1842. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * See "Last Trial for Atheism." +</pre> + <p> + In 1895 (as I had always intended), I had a brass tablet cast bearing the + simple inscription— + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + "Near this spot was buried + + MADELINE, + + Daughter of George Jacob and Eleanor Holyoake, + + WHO PERISHED + + October! 1842." +</pre> + <p> + This tablet I had placed on the wall over the grave where the poor child + lay. The grave is close to the wall. The cemetery authorities had + objections to the word "Perished." When I explained to them the + circumstances of Madeline's death, they permitted its erection, on my + paying a cemetery fee of two guineas. The tablet will endure as long as + the cemetery wall lasts. The tablet is on the left side of the main + entrance to the cemetery, somewhat obscured by trees now. + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + Dr. Samuel Smiles published a book on Self-Help in 1859. In 1857, two + years earlier, I had used the same title "Self-Help by the People." In a + later work, "Self-Help, a Hundred Years Ago," the title was continued. I + had introduced it into Co-operation, where it became a watchword. I have + wondered whether Dr. Smiles borrowed the name from me. He knew me in 1841, + when he was editing the Leeds <i>Times</i> to which I was a contributor. + He must have seen in Mill's "Principles of Political Economy," "Self-Help + by the People—History of Co-operation in Rochdale," quoted in Mill's + book (book iv. chap. viii.). + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + The phrase "Science is the Providence of Life" was an expression I had + used in drawing up a statement of Secular Principles twenty-four years + before I found it in the poem of Akenside's. + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + Two things of the past I may name as they indicate the age of opinions, by + many supposed to be recent. Co-operators are considered as intending the + abolition of competition, but as what we call nature—human, animal, + and insect—is founded upon competition, nobody has the means of + abolishing it. In the first number of the <i>Reasoner</i>, June 3, 1846, + in the first article, I stated that Mr. Owen and his friends proclaimed + co-operation as the "Corrector of the excesses of competition in social + life"—a much more modest undertaking than superseding it. + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + The second thing I name that I wrote in the same number of the <i>Reasoner</i> + is a short paper on "Moral Mathematics," setting forth that there is a + mathematics of morality as well as of lines and angles. There are problems + in morality, the right solution of which contributes as much to mental + discipline as any to be found in Euclid. These I thus set forth— + </p> + <p> + Problem 1. Given—an angry man to answer without being angry + yourself. + </p> + <p> + Problem 2. Given—an opponent full of bitterness and unjust + insinuations to reply to without asperity or stooping to counter + insinuations. + </p> + <p> + Problem 3. Given—your own favourite truths to state without + dogmatism, and to praise without pride, adducing with fairness the + objections to them without disparaging the judgment of those who hold the + objections. + </p> + <p> + Problem 4. Given—an inconsistent and abusive opponent. It is + required to reply to him by argument, convincing rather than retorting. + All opportunities of "thrashing" him are to be passed by, all pain to be + saved him as far as possible, and no word set down whose object is not the + opponent's improvement. + </p> + <p> + Problem 5. Given—the error of an adversary to annihilate with the + same vigour with which you could annihilate him. + </p> + <p> + Problem 6. Required—out of the usual materials to construct a public + body, who shall tolerate just censure and despise extravagant praise. + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + One day I found a piece of twisted paper which I picked up thinking I had + dropped it myself. I found in it a gold ring with a snake's head. It was + so modest and curious that I wore it. Four years after, on a visit to Mr. + W. H. Duignan, at Rushall Hall, on the border of Cannock Chase, I lost it. + Four days later I arrived by train at Rugby Station with five heavy-footed + countrymen. I went to the refreshment room. On my return only one man was + in the carriage. The sun was shining brightly on the carriage floor, and + there in the middle, lay, all glittering and conspicuous, my lost ring + unseen and untrodden. I picked it up with incredulity and astonishment. + How it came there or could come there, or being there, how it could escape + the heavy feet of the passengers who went out, or the eyes of the one + remaining, I cannot to this day conceive. After I had lost it, I had + walked through Kidderminster, Dudley Castle, and Birmingham, and searched + for it several times. I had dressed and undressed four times. I lost it + finally during Lord Beaconsfield's last Government, at the great Drill + Hall meeting at Blackheath,* in a Jingo crush made to prevent Mr. + Gladstone entering to speak there on the Eastern policy of that day. In + future times should the ground be excavated, the spot where I stood will + be marked with gold—the only place so marked by me in this world. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * November 30, 1878. +</pre> + <hr /> + <p> + It is probably vanity—though I disguise it under the name of pride—that + induces me to insert here certain incidents. Nevertheless pride is the + major motive. When I have been near unto death, and have asked myself what + has been the consolation of this life, I found it in cherished memories of + illustrious persons of thought and action, whose friendship I had shared. + There are other incidents—as Harriet Martineau's Letter to Lloyd + Garrison, Tyndall's testimony, elsewhere quoted—which will never + pass from my memory. + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + The first dedication to me was that of a poem by Allen Davenport, 1843—an + ardent Whitechapel artisan. The tribute had value in my eyes, coming from + one of the toiling class—and being a recognition on the part of + working men of London, that I was one of their way of thinking and could + be trusted to defend the interests of industry. + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + The next came from the theological world—a quite unexpected incident + in those days. The Rev. Henry Crosskey dedicated his "Defence of Religion" + to me. He was of the priestly profession, but had a secular heart, and on + questions of freedom at home and abroad he could be counted upon, as + though he was merely human. The dedication brought Mr. Crosskey into + trouble with Dr. Martineau. Unitarians were personally courteous to + heretics in private, but they made no secret that they were disinclined to + recognise them in public. Dr. Martineau shared that reservation. + </p> + <p> + Letter from Dr. James Martineau to Rev. W. H. Crosskey:— + </p> + <p> + "It is very difficult to say precisely how far our respect for honest + conviction, and indignation at a persecuting temper, should carry us in + our demonstrations towards men unjustly denounced. I do confess that, + while I would stoutly resist any ill-usage of such a man as Holyoake, or + any attempt to gag him, I could hardly dedicate a book to him: this act + seeming to imply a special sympathy and admiration directed upon that + which distinctively characterises the man. Negative defence from injury is + very different from positive homage. After all, Holyoake's principles are + undeniably more subversive of the greatest truths and genuine basis of + human life than the most unrelenting orthodoxy. However, it is a generous + impulse to appear as the advocate of a man whom intolerance unjustly + reviles."* + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * From "Life of W. H. Crosskey," p. 90. +</pre> + <p> + Thus he gave the young minister to understand—that while there was + nothing wrong in his having respect for me, he need not have made it + public. At that time it was chivalry in Mr. Crosskey to do what he did, + for which I respected him all his days. + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + A third dedication I thought more of, and still value, came from the + political world, and was the first literary testimony of my interest in + it. It came from "Mark Rutherford" (William Hale White), who knew + everything I knew, and a good deal more. He inscribed to me, 1866, a + remarkable "Argument for the Extension of the Franchise," which had all + the characteristics of statement, which have brought him renown in later + years. He said in his prefatory letter to me: "If my argument does any + service for Reform, Reformers will have to thank you for it, as they have + to thank you for a good many other things." They were words to prize. + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + Recently a letter came from Professor Goldwin Smith, who was Cobden's + admiration and envy, as he once told me, for the power of expressing an + argument or a career in a sentence. His letter to me was as follows:— + </p> + <p> + "You and I have lived together through many eventful and changeful years. + The world in these years has, I hope and believe, grown better than it was + when we came into it. In respect of freedom of opinion and industrial + justice, the two objects to which your life has been most devoted, real + progress has certainly been made." + </p> + <p> + The main objects of my life are here distinguished and expressed in six + words. + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + Reviewers of the autobiographic volumes preceding these, complained that + they contained too little about myself. If they read the last four + paragraphs given here they will be of opinion that I have said enough now. + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + At the Co-operative Congress held in Gloucester, 1879, a number of + delegates went down to see the gaol. When they arrived before it, Mr. + Abraham Greenwood, of Rochdale, exclaimed, "Take off your hats, lads! + That's where Holyoake was imprisoned." They did so. That incident—when + it was related to me—impressed me more than anything else connected + with Co-operation. I did not suppose those tragical six months in that + gaol were in the minds of co-operators, or that any one had respect for + them. + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + The chapter, "Things which went as they Would," shows that serving + co-operators had its inconveniences, but there were compensatory incidents + which I recount with pleasure. One was their contribution to the Annuity + of 1876, which Mr. Hughes himself commended to them at the London + Congress. It was owing to Major Evans Bell and Mr. Walter Morrison that + the project was successful. + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + The other occurred at the Doncaster Congress, 1903. In my absence a + resolution had been passed thanking me for services I had rendered in Ten + Letters in Defence of Co-operation. When I rose to make acknowledgment, + all the large audience stood up. It was the first time I had ever been so + received anywhere, showing that services which seemed un-noted at the + time, lived in remembrance. + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + Here I may cite a letter from Wendell Phillips. Of the great American + Abolitionists, Phillips, with his fine presence and intrepid eloquence, + was regarded as the "noblest Roman of them all." Theodore Parker, he + described to me as the Jupiter of the pulpit; and Russell Lowell has drawn + Lloyd Garrison, in the famous verse— + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + "In a dark room, unfriended and unseen, + Toiled o'er his types, a poor unlearn'd young man. + The place was low, unfurnitured and mean, + But there the freedom of a race began." +</pre> + <p> + I corresponded with them in their heroic days. It is one of the letters of + Phillips to me I quote here:— + </p> + <p> + "Boston, + </p> + <p> + "July 22, 1874. + </p> + <p> + "My dear Sir,—I ought long ago to have thanked you for sending me + copies of your pamphlets on John Stuart Mill and the Rochdale Pioneers—and + with so kind and partial a recognition of my co-operation with you in your + great cause. + </p> + <p> + "That on Mill was due certainly to a just estimate of him, but how sad + that human jackals should make it necessary. That on Co-operation I read + and read again, welcoming the light you throw on it, for it is one of my + most hopeful stepping-stones to a higher future. Thank you for the lesson—it + cleared one or two dark places—not the first by any means—for + I've read everything of yours I could lay my hands on. There was one small + volume on Rhetoric—'Public Speaking and Debate,' methods of address, + hints towards effective speech, etc.—which I studied faithfully, + until some one to whom I had praised and lent it, acting probably on + something like Coleridge's rule, that books belong to those who most need + them—never returned me my well-thumbed essay, to my keen regret. + Probably you never knew that we had printed your book. This was an + American reprint—wholly exhausted—proof that it did good + service. We reprinted, some ten years ago, one of your wisest tracts, the + 'Difficulties that obstruct Co-operation.' It did us yeoman service. But + enough, I shall beg you to accept a volume of old speeches printed long + ago, because it includes my only attempt to criticise you—which you + probably never saw. In it I will put, when I mail it, the last and best + photograph of Sumner, and if you'll exchange, I'll add one of + </p> + <p> + "Yours faithfully, and ever, + </p> + <p> + "Wendell Phillips. + </p> + <p> + "Mr. G.J. Holyoake." + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + With Mr. Charles Bradlaugh I had personal relations all his life. I took + the chair for him at the first public lecture he delivered. I gave him + ready applause and support. At the time of what was called his + "Parliamentary struggle," I was entirely with him and ready to help him. + It was with great reluctance and only in defence of principle, to which I + had long been committed, that I appeared as opposed to him. He claimed to + represent Free Thought, with which I had been identified long before his + day. My conviction was that a Free Thinker should have as much courage, + consistency, and self-respect as any Apostle, or Jew, or Catholic, or + Quaker. All had in turn refused to make a profession of opinion they did + not hold, at the peril of death, or, as in the case of O'Connell and the + Jews, at the certainty of exclusion from Parliament. They had only to take + an oath, to the terms of which they could not honestly subscribe. Mr. + Bradlaugh had no scruple about doing this. In the House of Commons he + openly kissed the Bible, in which he did not believe—a token of + reverence he did not feel. He even administered to himself the oath, which + was contrary to his professed convictions. This seemed to be a reflection + upon the honour of Free Thought. Had I not dissented from it, I should + have been a sharer in the scandal, and Free Thought—so far as I + represented it—would have been regarded as below the Christian or + Pagan level. + </p> + <p> + The key to Mr. Bradlaugh's character, which unlocks the treasure-house of + his excellences and defects, and enables the reader to estimate him + justly, is the perception that his one over-riding motive and ceaseless + aim was the ascendancy of the right <i>through him</i>. It was this + passion which inspired his best efforts, and also led to certain + aberration of action. But what we have to remember now, and permanently, + is that it was ascendancy of the <i>right</i> in political and theological + affairs that he mainly sought for, fought for, and vindicated. It is this + which will long cause his memory to be cherished. + </p> + <p> + At the time of his death I wrote honouring notices of his career in the <i>Bradford + Observer</i> and elsewhere, which were reproduced in other papers. + Otherwise, I found opportunity on platforms of showing my estimate of his + character and public services. I had never forgotten an act of kindness he + had, in an interval of goodwill, done me. When disablement and blindness + came in 1876, he collected from the readers of his journal £170 towards a + proposed annuity for me. It was a great pleasure to me to repay that + kindness by devising means (which others neither thought of nor believed + in) of adding thrice that sum to the provision being made for his + survivors. It was a merit in him that devotion to pursuits of public + usefulness did not, in his opinion, absolve him from keeping a financial + promise, as I knew, and have heard friends who aided him testify—a + virtue not universal among propagandists. No wonder the coarse + environments of his early life lent imperiousness to his manners. In later + years, when he was in the society of equals, where masterfulness was less + possible and less necessary, he acquired courtesy and a certain dignity—the + attribute of conscious power. He was the greatest agitator, within the + limits of law, who appeared in my time among the working people. Of his + own initiative he incurred no legal danger, and those who followed him + were not led into it. He was a daring defender of public right, and not + without genius in discovering methods for its attainment. One form of + genius lies in discovering developments of a principle which no one else + sees. Had he lived in the first French Revolution, he had ranked with + Mirabeau and Danton. Had he been with Paine in America, he had spoken + "Common Sense" on platforms. He died before being able to show in + Parliament the best that was in him. Though he had no College training + like Professor Fawcett, Indian lawyers found that Mr. Bradlaugh had a + quicker and greater grasp of Indian questions than the Professor. It was + no mean distinction—it was, indeed, a distinction any man might be + proud to have won—that John Stuart Mill should have left on record, + in one of his latest works, his testimony to Mr. Bradlaugh's capacity, + which he discerned when others did not. Like Cobbett, the soldiers' + barracks did not repress Bradlaugh's invincible passion for the + distinction of a political career. In the House of Commons he took, both + in argument and debate, a high rank, and surpassed compeers there of a + thousand times his advantages of birth and education. That from so low a + station he should have risen so high, and, after reaching the very + platform of his splendid ambition, he should die in the hour of his + opportunity of triumph, was one of the tragedies of public life, which + touched the heart of the nation, in whose eyes Mr. Bradlaugh had become a + commanding figure. + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + It was in connection with the controversy concerning the Oath that I + received a letter from John Stuart Mill, which when published in the <i>Daily + News</i>, excited much surprise. Mr. Mill was of opinion, that the oath, + being made the condition of obtaining justice, ordinary persons might take + it. But one who was known to disbelieve the terms of it, and had for years + publicly written and spoken to that effect, had better not take it. This + was the well-known Utilitarian doctrine that the consequences of an act + are the justification of it. Francis Place had explained to me that + Bentham's doctrine was that the sacrifice of liberty or life was + justifiable only on the ground that the public gained by it. A disciple + should have very strong convictions who differs from his master, and I + differ with diffidence from Mr. Mill as to the propriety of carrying the + Utilitarian doctrine into the domain of morals. Truth is higher than + utility, and goes before it. Truth is a measure of utility, and not + utility the measure of truth. Conscience is higher than consequence. We + are bound first to consider what is right. There may be in some cases, + reasons which justify departure from the right. But these are exceptions. + The general rule is—Truth has the first claim upon us. + </p> + <p> + To take an oath when you do not believe in an avenging Deity who will + enforce it, is to lie and know that you lie. This surely requires + exceptional justification. It is nothing to the purpose to allege that the + oath is binding upon you. The security of that are the terms of the oath. + The law knows no other. To admit the terms to be unnecessary is to abolish + the oath. + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + When a youth, attending lectures at the Mechanics' Institution, I soon + discerned that the more eminent speakers were the clearer. They knew their + subjects, were masters of the outlines, which by making bold and plain, we + were instructed. Outline is the beginning of art and the charm of + knowledge. Remembering this, I found no difficulty in teaching very little + children to write in a week. + </p> + <p> + It is a great advantage to children to take care that their first notions + are true. The primary element of truth is simplicity—with children + it is their first fascination. I had only to show them that the alphabet + meant no more than a line and a circle. A little child can make a + "straight stroke" "and a round O." + </p> + <p> + The alphabet is made up of fifteen straight line and dozen curved line + letters. The root of the fifteen straight line letters is J placed in + various ways. The root of the eleven curved line letters is O or parts of + O and I joined together. + </p> + <p> + A is made by two straight lines leaning against each other at the top, and + a line across the middle. + </p> + <p> + H is made of two upright lines with a straight line between them. + </p> + <p> + V is made of two straight lines meeting at the bottom. If two upright + lines are added to the V it becomes M. + </p> + <p> + Two V's put together make W. The letters L and T and X and Z make + themselves, so easy is it to place the straight lines which compose them. + </p> + <p> + O makes itself. A short line makes it into Q. If the side of O be left + open it is a C. If two half O's are joined together they make S. Half O + and an upright line make D. An upright line and a half O make P. Another + half added and B is made. + </p> + <p> + After a second or third time a child will understand the whole alphabet. + </p> + <p> + Such is the innate faculty of imitation and construction in children that + they will put the letters together themselves when the method is made + plain to them, and within a week will compose their own name and their + mother's. At the same time they learn to read as well as to write. What + they are told they are apt to forget, what they write they remember. + </p> + <p> + Reason is the faculty of seeing what follows as a consequence from what + is, but to define distinction well is a divine gift. My one aim was to + make things clear. + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + One of my suggestions to the young preachers, who had two sermons on + Sunday to prepare, was that they should give all their strength to the + evening discourse and arrange with their congregation to deliver the other + from one of the old divines of English or Continental renown, which would + inform as well as delight hearers. It would be an attraction to the + outside public. Few congregations know anything of the eloquence, the + happy and splendid illustrations and passages of thought to be found in + the fathers of the Church of every denomination. Professor Francis William + Newman, whose wide knowledge and fertility of thought had few equals in + his day, told me that he should shrink from the responsibility of having + to deliver a proficient and worthy discourse fifty-two times a year. + Anyhow, for the average preacher, better one bright ruddy discourse, than + two pale-faced sermons every Sunday. + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + Those who remained true to Chartism till the end of it are recorded in the + following paragraph under the title of the "National Charter Association," + which appeared in <i>Reynolds's Newspaper</i>, January 4, 1852:— + </p> + <p> + "On Wednesday evening last, the scrutineers appointed by the metropolitan + localities attended at the office, 14, Southampton Street, Strand, and + having inspected the votes received, gave the following as the result, in + favour of the following nine:— + </p> + <p> + "Ernest Jones (who received 900 votes), Feargus O'Connor, John Arnott, T. + M. Wheeler, James Grassby, John Shaw, W. J. Linton, J. J. Bezer, G. J. + Holyoake. + </p> + <p> + "Messrs. J. B. O'Brien, Gerald Massey, and Arthur Trevelyan having + declined to serve, the votes received on their behalf have not been + recognised. + </p> + <p> + "We, the undersigned, hereby declare the nine persons first named to be + duly elected to form the Executive Committee for the ensuing year. + </p> + <p> + "John Washington, City Locality. + </p> + <p> + "Edwd. John Loomes, Finsbury Locality. + </p> + <p> + "December 31, 1851." + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + After I became an octogenarian, I was asked whether my years might be + ascribed to my habits. I could only explain what my habits were. In the + first half of my life I ate whatever came to hand, and as not enough came + I easily observed moderation. But then I was disposed to be moderate on + principle, having read in the <i>Penny Magazine</i>, about 1830, that Dr. + Abernethy told a lady "she might eat anything eatable in moderation." In + the second and later half of my life I gave heed to Carnaro, and sought to + limit each meal to the least quantity necessary for health. The limitation + of quantity included liquids as well as solids, decreasing the amount of + both "in relation to age and activity," as Sir Henry Thompson advised. Not + thinking much of meat, I limited that to a small amount, and cereals to + those that grow above ground. A tepid bath for the eye (on the + recommendation of the Rev. Dr. Molesworth, of Rochdale) and a soap bath + for the body every morning ends the catalogue of my habits. + </p> + <p> + My general mode of mind has been to avoid excess in food, in pleasure, in + work, and in expectation. By not expecting much, I have been saved from + worry if nothing came. When anything desirable did arrive, I had the + double delight of satisfaction and surprise. Shakespeare's counsel— + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + "Be not troubled with the tide which bears + O'er thy contents its strong necessities, + But let determined things to destiny + Hold, unbewailed their way"— +</pre> + <p> + ought to be part of every code of health. + </p> + <p> + The conduciveness of my habits to longevity may be seen in this. More than + forty of my colleagues, all far more likely to live than myself, have long + been dead. Had I been as strong as they, I also should have died as they + did. Lacking their power of hastening to the end, I have lingered behind. + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + For the rest— + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + "From my window is a glimpse of sea + Enough for me, + And every evening through the window bars + Peer in the friendly stars." +</pre> + <p> + The principles and aims of earlier years are confirmed by experience at + 88. Principles are like plants and flowers. They suit only those whom they + nourish. Nothing is adapted to everybody. + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + Goethe said: "When I was a youth I planted a cherry-tree, and watched its + growth with delight. Spring frost killed the blossoms, and I had to wait + another year before the cherries were ripe—then the birds ate them—another + year the caterpillars ate them—another year a greedy neighbour stole + them—another year the blight withered them. Nevertheless, when I + have a garden again, I shall plant another cherry-tree." My years now are + "dwindling to their shortest span "; if I should have my days over again, + I shall plant my trees again—certain that if they do grow they will + yield verdure and fruit in some of the barren places of this world. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0003" id="link2HCH0003"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER III. OTHER INSTANCES + </h2> + <p> + My first public discussion in London was with Mr. Passmore Edwards—personally, + the handsomest adversary I ever met. A mass of wavy black hair and + pleasant expression made him picturesque. He was slim, alert, and fervid. + The subject of debate was the famous delineation of the Bottle, by George + Cruikshank, which I regarded as a libel on the wholesome virtue of + Temperance. Exaggerations which inform and do not deceive, as American + humour, or Swift's Lilliputians, Aztecs, and giants of Brobdingnag, have + instruction and amusement. The exaggeration intended to deride and + intimidate those who observe moderation is a hurtful and misleading + extreme. Mr. Edwards took the opposite view. Cruikshank could not be + moderate, and he did right to adopt the rule of absolute abstinence. It + was his only salvation. To every man or woman of the Cruikshank tendency I + would preach the same doctrine. To all others I, as fervently, commend the + habit of use without abuse. Without that power no man would live a month. + Had Mr. Edwards been of this way of thinking, there had been no debate + between us. + </p> + <p> + Mr. Edwards had much reason on his side. Mankind are historically regarded + as possessing insufficiency of brains, and it is bad economics to put an + incorrigible thief into their mouths to steal away what brains they have. + </p> + <p> + I had respect for Mr. Edwards' side of the argument. For when a man makes + a fool of himself, or fails to keep an engagement, or departs, in his + behaviour from his best manner—through drink—he should take + the next train to the safe and serene land of Abstinence. + </p> + <p> + The first person who mentioned to me the idea of a halfpenny newspaper was + Mr. Passmore Edwards. One night as we were walking down Fleet Street from + Temple Bar, when the Bar stood where the Griffin now stands, Mr. Edwards + asked me, as I had had experience in the publishing trade whether I + thought a halfpenny newspaper would pay, which evidently had for some time + occupied his mind. The chief difficulty I foresaw was, would newsagents + give it a chance? It afterwards cost the house of Cassells'—the + first to make the experiment—many thousands. The <i>Workman</i>, in + which I had a department, was intended, I was told, to be a forerunner of + the halfpenny paper. But that title would never do, as I ventured to + predict. Workmen, as a rule with no partnership in profits, had enough of + work without buying a paper about it. Tradesmen, middle-class and others, + did not want to be taken for workmen, and the <i>Workman</i> was + discontinued. But, strange to say, the same paper issued under the title + of <i>Work</i> became successful Everybody was interested in work but not + in being workmen. Such are the subtleties of titles! Their right choice—is + it art or instinct? The <i>Echo</i> was the name fixed upon for the first + halfpenny paper. Echo of what? was not indicated. It excluded expectations + of originality. Probably curiosity was the charm. It committed no one to + any side. There were always more noises about than any one could listen + to, and many were glad to hear the most articulate. I wrote articles in + the earliest numbers under the editorship of Sir Arthur Arnold. + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + The House of Allsop, as known to the world of progress in the last + century, is ended. The first who gave it public interest was Thomas + AIlsop, who assisted Robert Owen in 1832 in the Gray's Inn Lane Labour + Exchanges. He was a watchful assistant of those who contributed to the + public service without expecting or receiving requital. His admiration of + genius always took the form of a gift—a rare but encouraging form of + applause. Serjeant Talfourd somewhere bears testimony to the generous + assistance Mr. AIlsop rendered to Hazlitt, Lamb, and Coleridge. To Lamb, + he continually sent gifts, and Coleridge dined at his table every Sunday + for nineteen years. Landor, who had always nobility of character, and was + an impulsive writer—represented Mr. Allsop's interest in European + freedom as proceeding from "vanity," forgetful of his own letter to Jessie + Meriton White, offering £100 to any assassin of Napoleon III.; and John + Forster preserves Landor's remark upon Mr. Allsop, but does not, so far as + I remember, give Landor's Assassin Letter. The fact was, no man less + sought publicity or disliked it more than Mr. Allsop. When Feargus + O'Connor was elected member for Nottingham, Mr. Allsop qualified him by + conferring upon him lands bringing an income of £300. He divided his + Lincoln estate into allotments for working men, but he never mentioned + these things himself. His son Robert held his father's intellectual views. + His eldest son Thomas, who was class-mate with Mr. Dixon Galpin at + Queenwood, a considerable landowner in British Columbia, was the + philosopher of the family, and like Archbishop Whately, had a power of + stating them with ever apt and ready illustrations. + </p> + <p> + They were like Mr. Owen, Conservative in politics; but in social and + mental matters they were intrepid in welcoming new truth. It was at + Thomas's suggestion that I omitted his father's name altogether in my + chapter, "Mr. Secretary Walpole and the Jacobin's Friend."* Landor was + quite wrong, there was no "vanity" in the Allsop family. Were Thomas + Allsop the younger now living I should not write these paragraphs. As it + is, I may say that I owed to his generosity an annuity of £100. He + commenced it by a subscription of £200, and by Mr. Robert Applegarth's + friendly secretaryship, which had devotion and inspiration in it, a + committee to which the Rev. Dr. Joseph Parker, with his intrepid + tolerance, gave his name, was formed, and an annuity of £100 was purchased + for me. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * "Sixty Years," chap. lxx. p. 72. +</pre> + <p> + <a name="linkimage-0002" id="linkimage-0002"> + <!-- IMG --></a> + </p> + <div class="fig" style="width:80%"> + <img src="images/parker.jpg" alt="Parker " width="100%" /><br /> + </div> + <hr /> + <p> + When the Taxes on Knowledge were repealed, Mr. Collet and I attempted to + procure the repeal of the Passenger Tax on Railways. For forty years after + the imposition of the tax of Lord Halford, 1832, the workman was taxed who + went in search of an employer. When a poor sailor, arriving in London + after a long voyage, desired to visit his poor mother in Glasgow, the + Government added to his fare a tax of three shillings, to encourage him in + filial affection. In the interests of locomotion and trade, two or three + associations had attempted to get this pernicious tax repealed, without + success. It was remarked in Parliament in 1877 that no committee + representing the working class asked for the repeal of this discreditable + impost, which most concerned them. This was the reason of the formation of + the Travelling Tax Abolition Committee, of which Mr. Collet became + secretary and I the chairman. We were assisted by an influential committee + of civic and industrial leaders. After six years' agitation we were mainly + instrumental (that was in Mr. Gladstone's days) in obtaining the repeal of + the penny a mile tax on all third-class fares, effected by Mr. Childers in + 1883, which ever since has put into the pocket of working-class travellers + £400,000 a year, besides the improved carriages and improved service the + repeal has enabled railway companies to give. We continued the committee + many years longer in the hope of freeing the railways wholly from + taxation, which still hampers the directors and is obstructive of + commerce. I was chairman for twenty-four years, during which time + twenty-two of the committee died. Our memorials, interviews with + ministers, correspondence with officials, petitions to Parliament, public + meetings and various publications, involved a large and incessant amount + of work without payment of any kind. Subsequently a committee of + publicists, journalists and members of Parliament, for whom Mr. Applegarth + was the secretary, caused £80 to be given to me, in recognition of my + services. Though it represented less than £4 a year as the salary of the + chairman, it was valuable in my eyes from the persons who gave it, as they + were not the persons much benefited by the work done, and who really taxed + themselves on behalf of others. A subscription of a halfpenny each from + the working-class travellers who had profited by the repeal would have + amounted to a handsome acknowledgment. But from them it was impossible to + collect it. Testimonials, I believe, are often given by persons who + generously subscribe for others upon whom the obligation of making it more + properly rests. + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + It would seem insensibility or ingratitude not to record, that on my + eightieth birthday—now eight years ago—I was entertained at a + numerously attended dinner party in the National Liberal Club, at which to + my gratification, Mr. Walter Morrison presided. The speakers, and + distinction of many in the assembly, were a surprise, transcending all I + had foreseen. The words of Mr. Morrison's speech, to use Tennyson's words, + were like + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + "Jewels + That on the stretch'd forefinger of all time + Sparkle forever" +</pre> + <p> + in my memory. + </p> + <p> + On my eighty-sixth birthday a reception was given me by the Ethical + Society of South Place Chapel, Finsbury—the oldest Free Thought + temple in London, where the <i>duty</i> of free inquiry was first + proclaimed by W. J. Fox. The place was filled with faces familiar and + unfamiliar, from near and far, of artists, poets, publicists, journalists, + philosophers, as at the National Liberal Club, but in greater numbers. + Lady Florence Dixie purchased a large and costly oil painting,* and sent + it for me to present to the Library of the Rationalist Press Association. + Among the letters sent was one, the last sent to a public meeting, by + Herbert Spencer. The reader will pardon the pride I have in quoting it. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * By my nephew, Roland Holyoake. +</pre> + <p> + Writing from 5, Percival Terrace, Brighton, March 28, 1903, Mr. Spencer + said: "I have not been out of doors since last August, and as Mr. Holyoake + knows, it is impossible for me to join in the Reception to be given to him + on the occasion of his eighty-sixth birthday. I can do nothing more than + express my warm feeling of concurrence. Not dwelling upon his intellectual + capacity, which is high, I would emphasise my appreciation of his courage, + sincerity, truthfulness, philanthropy, and unwearied perseverance. Such a + combination of these qualities, it will, I think, be difficult to find." + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + For a period I had the opportunity accorded me of editing a daily + newspaper—<i>The Sun</i>. The Rev. Dr. Joseph Parker had been my + predecessor. I was left at liberty to say whatever I pleased, and I did. + In one week I wrote twenty-nine articles. + </p> + <p> + But opulent opportunity of working was afforded me. As I was paid ten + times as much as I had received before, I thought myself in a paradise of + journalism. + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + In the correspondence of Robert Owen, now in possession of the + Co-operative Union Memorial Committee, Manchester, is the following letter + from his customary legal adviser, who then resided at Hornsey. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + "6, Old Jewry, London, + + "February 17, 1853. "R. Owen, Esq., + + "Dear Sir,—I am glad to see your handwriting upon an + envelope conveying to me a pamphlet of yours. + + "Holyoake I expect will breakfast with me on Sunday morning. + He comes down by the railway to Hornsey, which leaves London + at nine o'clock precisely. + + "I am afraid it is too cold for you, and that the walk from + the railway to our house, which is three quarters of a mile, + may not be agreeable. + + "Yours truly, + + "W. H. Ashurst. + + "H. will return about 12 or 1." +</pre> + <p> + After breakfast Mr. Owen walked briskly with me into town. He was then + eighty-two. On his way he explained to me that, when walking as often had + done from Birmingham to Worcester, or from Huddersfield to Sheffield—to + lecture, I should find it an advantage to use the horse road, as on the + footpath there is more unevenness and necessity of deviation to allow + persons to pass, which increases the fatigue of a day on foot. So + thoughtful and practical was the reputed visionary. + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + Of letters on public affairs I confine myself to three instances. When the + South Kensington Exhibitions were in force, more than twenty thousand + visitors a day thronged the Exhibition Road. Mothers with their children + had to cross the wide Museum Road, where policemen, stationed to protect + the passengers, had enough to do to keep their own toes on their feet, in + the undivided traffic of cabs. I wrote to the <i>Times</i> suggesting that + a lamp should be erected in the middle of the wide road serving as a + light, a retreat, and a division of traffic. All the cabmen who could + write protested against the danger, or the necessity, and possibility of + the proposal. But it was done, to the great joy of mothers and advantage + to the public. + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + After the fall of the French Assassin at Sedan when Marshal Bazaine was + hanging about Europe in obscurity and ignominy, Mr. Arthur Arnold proposed + that he should be invited to a banquet in London. Seeing that the citizens + of Paris went out at night in bands of twenty or thirty heroically to help + to raise the siege—on what ground could we offer to honour Bazaine, + who with 192,000 soldiers under his command, was afraid to attempt it? I + asked the question in the Press, and the proposal, which had a sentiment + of chivalry in it to a fallen general, and was commanding some concurrence—went + out—like the Marshal—into outer darkness. ***** + </p> + <p> + When public opinion was in the balance respecting the South American War, + Mr. Reverdy Johnson and a Copperhead colleague arrived in London and began + to do a respectable business in public mystification. From information + supplied to me I wrote letters explaining the real nature of that sinister + mission, in consequence of which the two emissaries of slavery made tracks + for New York. + </p> + <p> + But of instances, as of other things, there must be an end. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0004" id="link2HCH0004"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER IV. FIRST STEPS IN LITERATURE + </h2> + <p> + Surely environment is the sister of heredity? Mr. Gladstone once said to + me that "The longer he lived the more he thought of heredity." Next to + heredity is environment—the moulder of mankind. My first passion was + to be a prize-fighter. Nature, however, had not made me that way. I had no + animosity of mind, and that form of contest was not to my taste. But + prize-fighting was part of the miasma the Napoleonic war had diffused in + England. It was in the air; it was the talk of the street "Hammer" Lane, + so called from the iron blow he could deliver, was the local hero of the + Ring in the Midlands in my youth. He was a courtier of my eldest sister, + and created in me a craving for fistic prowess. I fought one small battle, + but found that a lame wrist, which has remained permanent, cut me off from + any prospect of renown in that pursuit Next, to be a circus jester seemed + to me the very king of careers. My idea was to leap into the arena + exclaiming:— + </p> + <p> + "Well, I never! Did you ever? I never did." + </p> + <p> + "Never did what?" the clown was to ask me, when my reply was to be:— + </p> + <p> + "I could only disclose that before a Royal Commission"—alluding to a + political artifice then coming into vogue in Parliament When a Minister + did not know what to say to a popular demand, or found it inconvenient to + say it if he did know, he would suggest a Commission to inquire into it, + as is done to this day. + </p> + <p> + Then the clown would demand, "What is the good of a Royal Commission?" + when the answer would be: "Every good in the world to a Ministry, for + before the Commission agreed as to the answer to be given, the public + would forget what the question was." Under this diversion of the audience, + no one noticed that no answer was given to the original question put to + the jester. Whether I could have succeeded in this walk was never decided. + It was found that I lacked the loud, radiant, explosive voice necessary + for circus effects, and I ceased to dream of distinction there. + </p> + <p> + I suppose, like many others who could not well write anything, I thought + poetry might be my latent—very latent—faculty. So I began. For + all I knew, my genius, if I had any, might lie that way. To "body forth + things unknown," which I was told poets did, must be delightful. To "build + castles in the air"—as my means did not enable me to pay ground rent—was + at least an economical project. So I began with a question, as new Members + of Parliament do, until they discover something to say. My first + production, which I hoped would be mistaken for a poem, was in the form of + a "Question to a Pedestrian":— + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + "Saw you my Lilian pass this way? + You would know her by the ray + Of light which doth attend her. + + Her eye such fire of passion hath, + That none who meet her ever pass, + But they some message send her." +</pre> + <p> + The critics said to me, as they said to Keats, to whom I bore no other + resemblance, "This sort of thing will never do. It is an imitation of + Shenstone, or of one of the Shepherd and Shepherdess School of the + Elizabethan era"—of whom I knew nothing. So I was lost to the Muses, + who, however, never missed me. + </p> + <p> + But my career was not ended. I was told there might be an opening for me + in criticism, especially of poetry, as there were many persons great in + the critical line, who could not write a verse themselves—and yet + lived to become a terror to all who could. My first effort in this + direction was upon the book of a young poet whom I knew personally. Not + venturing upon longer pieces at first, I selected two sonnets—as the + author, Emslie Duncan, called them. The opening was very striking, and was + thus expressed:— + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + "Great God: What is it that I see? + A figure shrimping in the sea." +</pre> + <p> + How natural is the exclamation, I began. The poet invokes the Deity on the + threshold of a great surprise. Luther did the same in his famous hymn + beginning— + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + "Great God! What do mine eyes behold!" +</pre> + <p> + Our sonneteer may be said to have borrowed the exclamation from Luther.* + But we have no doubt the exclamation of our poet is purely original. He + next demands an interpretation of his vision. It is early morning, though + the poet does not mention it (great poets are suggestive, and stoop not to + detail). An evasive grey mist spreads everywhere, like the new fiscal + policy of the Bentinckian type (then in the air), obscuring the landmarks + of long-time safety. Still there is one object visible. The poet's eye in + "fine frenzy rolling" sees something. He is not sure of the personality + that confronts him, and with agnostic precaution worthy of Huxley, he + declines to say what it is—until he knows—and so contents + himself with telling the reader it is a "figure" out shrimping. The scene + is most impressive. As amateurs say, when they do not understand a picture + they are praising, "It grows upon you." So this marvellous sonnet grows + upon the + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * The opening of Luther's fine hymn:— + + "Great God! What do mine eyes behold! + The end of things created"— + + which long imposed on my imagination and does so still. +</pre> + <p> + reader. If there be not imagination and profundity here, we do not know + where to look for it. + </p> + <p> + Next our poet returns to town, and in White-chapel meets with the statue + of a lady attired only in a blouse. Notwithstanding his astonishment he + varies his abjuration, and exclaims— + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + "Judge ye gods, of my surprise, + A lady naked in her chemise!" +</pre> + <p> + This is unquestionably very fine. True, there is some contradiction in + nudity and attire; but splendid contradiction is an eternal element of + poetry. What would Milton's "Paradise Lost" be without it? The reader + cannot tell whether the surprise of the poet is at the lady or her + drapery. There is no use in asking a great poet what he meant in writing + his brilliant lines. If as candid as Browning, he would answer as Browning + did, that "he had not the slightest idea what he meant." Nothing remains + for us but to congratulate the public on the advent of a new poet who is + equally great on subjects of land or sea. + </p> + <p> + There is a good deal of reviewing done on this principle, and reputations + made by this sort of writing as fully without foundation, and I looked + forward to further employment. + </p> + <p> + The editor to whom I sent these primal specimens of my new vocation seemed + undecided what to do with them—throw them into his waste-paper + basket or submit them to his readers. I assured him I had seen a number of + criticisms less restrained than mine, on performances quite as slender as + the sonnets I had described. With kindly consideration, lest he might be + repressing a rising genius in me, he asked me to give my opinion upon a + charming little poem by Longfellow—to commend, as he hoped I could, + as a new edition in which he was interested was about to be published. + </p> + <p> + The object of the poet, I found, was to awaken certain young ladies, whose + only fault consisted in getting up late in the morning. The lines + addressed to them, if I rightly remember, began thus:— + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + "Awake! Arise! and greet the day. + Angels are knocking at the door. + They are in haste and may not stay, + And once departed come no more." +</pre> + <p> + This verse reminds the readers of Omar Khayyam. Two ideas in it are his, + and the terms used are his; but I resisted this temptation to imitate + those popular critics, whose aim is not to discover the graces of a new + poet, but his plagiarisms, and to show that everybody reproduces the ideas + of everybody else, and prove that— + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + "Nothing is, and all things seem + And we the shadows of a dream"— +</pre> + <p> + and of old, antediluvian dreams. Disdaining this royal road to critical + renown, I commenced by praising the enchanting invocation of the poet, who + when the ladies heard it would leap out of bed and dress. I observed that + to the reader who did not look below the surface—did not "read + between the lines," is the favourite phrase—the poem presented some + mysteries of diction. Instead of appearing as the angel in Leigh Hunt's + "Abou Ben Adhem" did, who diffused himself in the room like a vision, + these peripatetic visitants presented themselves like celestial postmen + "knocking at the door." Then why were they out so early themselves? Had + they more calls to make than they could well accomplish in the time + allowed them? Why were they "in haste"? No wonder mankind lack repose if + angels are in a hurry. The Kingdom of the Blest is supposed to be the land + of rest Manifestly these morning angels had to be back by a stipulated + time, and like a tax-collector could make no second call. Apparently + Longfellow's angels are like Mr. Stead's favourite spirit Julia. They are + harassed with appointments, commissions, and cares. It is of no use being + a spirit if you cannot move about with regal leisureliness, such as was + displayed by the first Shah of Persia who visited us. The writer has seen + nothing like it in any European monarch. While in the lines now in + question supernatural misgivings of angelic perturbation are awakened. But + as an example of poetry, irrespective of its meaning and suggestions, + every reader will covet a new edition of the American poet, and no library + could be complete without a copy upon its shelves. + </p> + <p> + I had visited the poet at his Cambridge home, and was proud of the + opportunity of adding ever so small an addition to the pyramid of regard + raised to his memory. + </p> + <p> + The editor looked dubious on reading this review, and said the higher + criticism might be entertaining in theology, but the higher criticism of + poetry, which dealt with its meaning, was a different thing and might not + be well taken. In vain I suggested that a poet ought to mean something, as + Byron did, whose fascination is still real, and there was pathos and + beauty, tragedy, tenderness and courtesy enough in the world to employ + more poets than we have on hand. I received no more commissions in the way + of criticisms, and had to think of some other vocation. + </p> + <p> + Some of the happiest evenings of younger days were spent in the rooms of + university students. It was pleasant to be near persons who dwelt in the + kingdom of knowledge, who could wander at will on the mountain tops of + science and literature, and have glimpses of unknown lands of light which + I might never see. Who has seen London under the reign of the sun, after a + sullen, fitful season, knows how wondrous is the transformation. Like the + sheen of the gods the glittering rays descend, dispelling and absorbing + the sombre clouds. A radiance rests on turret and roof. Then hidden + creatures that crawl or fly come forth and put on golden tints. The + cheerless poor emerge from their fireless chambers with the grateful + emotions of sun worshippers. + </p> + <p> + How like is all this to the change which comes over the realm of + ignorance! Light does not change vegetation more than the light of + knowledge changes the realm of the mind. The thirsty crevices of thought + drink in, as it were, the refreshing beams. Once conscious of the liberty + and power which comes of knowing—ignorance itself becomes eager, + impatient—covetous of information. Faculties unsuspected disclose + themselves. Qualities undreamed-of appear. So it came to be my choice to + enter the field of instruction. It seemed to me a great thing to endow + any, however few, in any way, however humble, with the cheeriness and + strength of ideas. True, I began to teach what I did not know—or + knew but partially—yet not without personal advantage, since no one + knows anything well until he has tried to teach it to another. The dullest + pupil will make his master sensible of defects in his own explanation. + Formerly, the dulness of a learner was supposed to discover the necessity + of a cane, whereas all it proved was incapacity or unwillingness to take + trouble—on the part of the teacher. The result was that I wrote + several elementary books of instruction. All owed their existence, or + whatever success attended them, to the experience of the class-room. + </p> + <p> + All things have an end, as many observant people know, and before long I + turned my attention to journalism. I had read somewhere a saying of + Aristotle—"Now I mean to speak conformably to the truth." That seems + every man's duty—if he speaks at all. Anyhow, Aristotle's words + appeared to constitute a good rule for a journalist I had never heard or + never heeded the injunction of Byron:— + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + "Let him who speaks beware + Of whom, of what, and when, and where." +</pre> + <p> + The Aristotelian rule I had adopted soon brought me into difficulties, + probably from want of skill in applying it. It was in propagandist + journalism that I had ventured, which I mention for the purpose of saying + that it is not, as many suppose, a profitable profession. It is excellent + discipline, but it is not thought much of by your banker. Its securities + are never saleable on the Stock Exchange. Nevertheless, the Press has its + undying attraction. It is the fame-maker. Without it noble words, as well + as noble deeds, would die. Day by day there descend from the Press ideas + in fertilising showers, falling on the parched and arid plains of life, + which in due season become verdant and variegated. Difficulties try men's + souls, but true ideas expand them. And they have done so. Literature is a + much brighter thing than it was when I first began to meddle or "muddle" + in it, as Lord Salisbury would say. + </p> + <p> + Nothing was thought classical then that was not dull No definition of + importance was found to be utterly unintelligible until a University man + had explained it. All is different now—let us hope. + </p> + <p> + Instances of the progress of literary opinion are perhaps more instructive + and better worth remembering. In 1850, when George Henry Lewes and + Thornton Hunt included my name in their published list of contributors to + the <i>Leader</i>, it cost the proprietors, I had reason to know, £2,000. + It set the Rev. Dr. Jelf, of King's College, on fire, and caused an + orthodox spasm of a serious kind in Charles Kingsley and Professor + Maurice, as witness their letters of that day. + </p> + <p> + One journal projected by me in 1850 is still v issued—<i>Public + Opinion</i>. Mr. W. H. Ashurst asked me to devise a paper I thought the + most needed. As Peel had said, "England was governed by opinion," I + suggested that this opinion should be collected. I wrote the prospectus of + the new journal, specifying that each article quoted should be prefixed by + a few words, within brackets, setting forth what principles, party, or + interest it represented—whether English or foreign. Mr. Ashurst put + the prospectus into the hands of Robert Buchanan, father of the late + Robert Buchanan, and the earlier issues followed the plan I had defined. + The object was to collect intelligent and responsible opinion. + </p> + <p> + In 1866 the <i>Contemporary Review</i> announced that it would "represent + the best minds of the time on all contemporary questions, free from + narrowness, bigotry, and sectarianism." It professed "to represent those + who are not afraid of modern thought, in its varied aspects and demands, + and scorn to defend their faith by mere reticence, or by the artifices + commonly acquiesced in." This manifesto of 1866 far surpassed in + liberality any profession then known in the evangelical world. It was at + the time a bold pronouncement. When it is considered that Samuel Morley + was the most influential of the supporters of the <i>Contemporary</i>, it + shows that intellectual Nonconformity was abreast of the age—as + Nonconformity never was before. + </p> + <p> + In 1877 I was taken by Thomas Woolner, the sculptor, to dine at Mr. Alfred + Tennyson's (Lord Tennyson later). I believe my invitation was owing to + Mrs. Tennyson's desire to make inquiries of me concerning the advantages + of Co-operation in rural districts, in which, like the Countess of + Warwick, she was interested. The Poet Laureate gave me a glass of sack, + the royal beverage of poets, of more exquisite flavour than I had tasted + before. I did not wonder that it was conducive to noble verse—where + the faculty of it was present Mr. Knowles, now Sir James, founder of the + <i>Nineteenth Century and After</i>, was of the party, and the new review—then + projected—being mentioned, it came to pass that my name was put down + among possible contributors. The <i>Nineteenth Century</i> proposed to go + further, and include a still wider range of subjects, with free discussion + on personal responsibility. Its prospectus said "it would go on lines + absolutely impartial and unsectarian." The Prefatory Poem, written by + Tennyson twenty-seven years ago, which may not be in the memory of many + now, was this:— + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + "Those that of late had fleeted far and fast, + To touch all shores, now leaving to the skill + Of others their old craft, seaworthy still, + Have chartered this; where, mindful of the past, + Our true co-mates regather round the mast; + Of diverse tongues, but with a common will, + Here in this roaming moor of daffodil + And crocus, to put forth and brave the blast. + For some, descending from the sacred peak + Of hoar, high-templed Faith, have leagued again + Their lot with ours to rove the world about, + And some are wilder comrades, sworn to seek + If any golden harbour be for men + In seas of Death and sunless gulfs of Doubt." +</pre> + <p> + Tennyson, with all his genius, never quite emerged from the theologic + caves of the conventicle. The sea of pure reason he took to be "the sea of + Death." Doubt was a "sunless gulf." He did not know that "Doubt" is a + translucent valley, where the light of Truth first reveals the deformities + of error—hidden by theological mists. The line containing the words + "wilder comrades" was understood to include me. Out of the "One Hundred + Contributors," whose names were published in the <i>Athenæum</i> (February + 10, 1877), there were only-six:—Professor Huxley, Professor Tyndall, + Professor Clifford, George Henry Lewes, myself, and possibly Frederic + Harrison, to whom the phrase could apply. If the remaining ninety-four had + any insurgency of opinion in them, it was not then apparent to the public, + who are prone to prefer a vacuum to an insurgent idea. New ideas of moment + have always been on hand in the <i>Nineteenth</i> if not of the "wilder" + kind. + </p> + <p> + After issuing fifty volumes of the <i>Nineteenth Century Review</i>, the + editor published a list of all his contributors, with the titles of the + articles written by them, introduced by these brief but memorable words:— + </p> + <p> + "More than a quarter of a century's experience has sufficiently tested the + practical efficacy of the principle upon which the <i>Nineteenth Century</i> + was founded, of free public discussion by writers invariably signing their + own names. + </p> + <p> + "The success which has attended and continues to attend the faithful + adherence to this principle, proves that it is not only right but + acceptable, and warrants the hope that it may extend its influence over + periodical literature, until unsigned contributions become quite + exceptional. + </p> + <p> + "No man can make an anonymous speech with his tongue, and no brave man + should desire to make one with his pen, but, having the courage of his + opinions, should be ready to face personally all the consequences of all + his utterances. Anonymous letters are everywhere justly discredited in + private life, and the tone of public life would be raised in proportion to + the disappearance of their equivalent—anonymous articles—from + public controversy." + </p> + <p> + Than the foregoing, I know of no more admirable argument against anonymity + in literature. There is nothing more unfair in controversy than permitting + writers, wearing a mask, to attack or make replies to those who give their + names—being thereby enabled to be accusative or imputative without + responsibility. There is, of course another side to this question. Persons + of superior and relevant information, unwilling to appear personally, are + thereby excluded from a hearing—which is so far a public loss. + </p> + <p> + But this evil is small compared with the vividness and care which would be + exercised if every writer felt that his reputation went with the work + which bore his name. Besides, how much slovenly thinking, which is + slovenly expressed—vexing the public ear and depraving the taste and + understanding of the reader—would never appear if the writer had to + append his signature to his production? Of course, there is good writing + done anonymously, but power and originality, if present, are never + rewarded by fame, and no one knows who to thank for the light and pleasure + nameless writers have given. The example of the <i>Nineteenth Century and + After</i> is a public advantage. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0005" id="link2HCH0005"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER V. GEORGE ELIOT AND GEORGE HENRY LEWES + </h2> + <p> + <a name="linkimage-0003" id="linkimage-0003"> + <!-- IMG --></a> + </p> + <div class="fig" style="width:80%"> + <img src="images/lewes.jpg" alt="Lewes " width="100%" /><br /> + </div> + <p> + More than acquaintanceship, I had affectionate regard for George Henry + Lewes and George Eliot. Lewes included me in the public list of writers + and contributors to the <i>Leader</i>—the first recognition of the + kind I received, and being accorded when I had only an outcast name, both + in law and literature, I have never ceased to prize it. + </p> + <p> + George Eliot's friendship, on other grounds I have had reason to value, + and when I found a vacant place at the head of their graves which lie side + by side, I bought it, that my ashes should repose there, should I die in + England. + </p> + <p> + On occasions which arose, I had vindicated both, as I knew well the + personal circumstances of their lives. When in America I found statements + made concerning them which no editor of honour should have published + without knowledge of the facts upon which they purported to be founded, + nor should he have given publicity to dishonouring statements without the + signature of a known and responsible person. On the first opportunity I + spoke with Lewes's eldest son, and asked authority to contradict them. He + thought the calumnies beneath contempt, that they sprang up in theological + soil and that they would wither of themselves, if not fertilised by + disturbance. I know of no instance of purity and generosity greater than + that displayed by George Eliot in her relation with Mr. Lewes. Edgar Allan + Poe was subject to graver defamation, widely believed for years, which was + afterwards shown to be entirely devoid of truth. George Eliot's personal + reputation will hereafter be seen to be just and luminous. + </p> + <p> + For myself, I never could see what conventional opinion had to do with a + personal union founded in affection, by which nobody was wronged, nobody + distressed, and in which protection was accorded and generous provision + made for the present and future interest of every one concerned. + Conventional opinion, not even in its ethical aspects, could establish + higher relations than existed in their case. There are thousands of + marriages tolerated conventionally and ecclesiastically approved, in every + way less estimable and less honourable than the distinguished union, upon + which society without justification affected to frown. + </p> + <p> + Interest in social and political liberty was an abiding feature in George + Eliot's mind. When Garibaldi was at the Crystal Palace, she asked me to + sit by her and elucidate incidents which arose. + </p> + <p> + On the publication of my first volume of the History of Co-operation, I + received the following letter from Mr. Lewes:— + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + "The Elms, Rickmansworth, + + "Aug. 15, 1875. + + "My dear Holyoake,—Mrs. Lewes wishes me to thank + you for sending her your book, which she is reading aloud to + me every evening, much to our pleasure and profit. The + light firm touch and quiet epigram would make the + dullest subject readable; and this subject is <i>not</i> dull. + We only regret that you did not enter more fully + into working details. Perhaps they will come in the next + volume. + + "Ever yours truly, + + "G. H. Lewes." +</pre> + <p> + The second volume of the work mentioned supplied to her the details she + wished. + </p> + <p> + In 1877 I visited New Lanark and saw the stately rooms built by Robert + Owen, of which I sent an account to the Times. The most complete + appliances of instruction known in Europe down to 1820 are all there, as + in Mr. Owen's days. A description of them may be read in the second volume + of the "History of Co-operation" referred to. When George Eliot saw the + letter she said, "the thought of the Ruins of Education there described + filled her with sadness." I made an offer to buy the neglected and + decaying relics, which was declined. I wrote to Lord Playfair, whose + influence might procure the purchase. I endeavoured to induce the South + Kensington Museum authorities to secure them for the benefit of + educationists, but they had no funds to use for that purpose. + </p> + <p> + Some women, not distinguished for personal beauty when young, become + handsome and queenly later in life. This was so with Harriet Martineau. + George Eliot did not come up to Herbert Spencer's conception of personal + charm. One day when she was living at Godstone, she drove to the station + to meet Mr. Lewes. He and I were travelling together at the time, and he + caused the train to be delayed a few minutes that I might go down into the + valley to meet his wife. I had not seen George Eliot for some years, and + was astonished at the stately grace she had acquired. + </p> + <p> + One who knew how to state a principle describes the characteristic + conviction of George Eliot, from which she never departed, and which had + abiding interest for me. + </p> + <p> + "She held as a solemn conviction—the result of a lifetime of + observation—that in proportion as the thoughts of men and women are + removed from the earth on which they live, are diverted from their own + mutual relations and responsibilities, of which they alone know anything, + to an invisible world, which can alone be apprehended by belief, they are + led to neglect their duty to each other, to squander their strength in + vain speculations, which can result in no profit to themselves or their + fellow-creatures, which diminish their capacity for strenuous and worthy + action during a span of life, brief, indeed, but whose consequences will + extend to remote posterity."* + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * <i>Congregationalist</i> April, 1881, p. 297. + Bray's Autobiography. +</pre> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0006" id="link2HCH0006"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER VI. WHEN BIRMINGHAM WAS A TOWN + </h2> + <p> + When Birmingham was a town it had a national reputation for Liberalism. At + present I prefer to call myself a "townsman" rather than a "citizen." The + old pride of owning to being a Birmingham man is merged into the admission + of being born in Warwickshire. Some of the political scenes in its town + days may be instructive to its present-day citizens. + </p> + <p> + The famous Birmingham Political Union of 1832 was "hung up like a clean + gun" on G. F. Muntz's suggestion and never taken down. Many years later a + new Union was projected. Mr. Joseph Chamberlain was in the chair. I was on + the platform, and the only person present who was a member of the former + Union. I had no opportunity of speaking—nor indeed had anybody, save + movers and seconders of motions. There was nothing radical about the + proceedings. Nobody's opinion was asked. No opportunity of discussion was + given. The meeting was a mere instrument for registering the business of + the chair. The impression that afternoon made upon me has never left me. + Nothing afterwards surprised me in the performances of the "quick-change + artiste" of the Parliamentary music-hall. + </p> + <p> + Mr. John Morley wrote an article in the <i>Fortnightly</i> on Mr. + Chamberlain, which first gave him a position before the public. Not even + in Birmingham could any one see adequate justification for it. But Mr. + Morley proved right, and had discerned a capacity which had not then + unfolded itself. + </p> + <p> + About that time Mr. Chamberlain made some remark on Mr. Disraeli in the + Birmingham Town Council, which did not amount to much. Mr. Disraeli did + the municipal speaker the honour to call him to account. Had any one in + like case called Mr. Disraeli to account he would have said in his airy + and evasive way: "Every public speaker is liable to the misconstruction of + unheeding and ill-hearing reporters, and he could not be expected to + answer for them." Mr. Chamberlain gave no sign of any such adroitness + which was ready to his hand, but wrote what read like an abject apology. + He did not dare to say to Mr. Disraeli "What I have said I have said." + </p> + <p> + Mr. Jesse Collings was one of the minor merchants of Birmingham. He came + originally from Exeter, and was held in great respect for his earnest + Liberalism, and for promoting the education of the people—though he + was himself a sectarian pure and simple, with little, if any, secularity + in him. When he came to be Mayor, the Tories of Birmingham—who had + not then and never had any man of mark or genius among them—were + capable of outrage. It was the only art they knew. When Mr. Collings + presided one day at a public meeting in the town hall, they drew an ass's + head on a large sheet of pasteboard, and hung it over the clock in front + of the chair labelled—the "Portrait of the Mayor." For two hours + they made all business impossible by shouting "Mr. Mayor, look at your + portrait." At length the Mayor took courage and ordered the Chief + Constable—Major Bond—to remove the picture placard and the + ringleader of the disturbance. This was construed as an insult, which Mr. + Kynersley, the principal Tory magistrate, supported. I was one who urged + Mr. Collings to apply to the bench for a case, that it might be determined + in the higher courts whether a mayor had legal power to preserve order at + a public meeting. The case was refused by Mr. Kynersley. This was the + treatment of the Right Honourable Jesse Collings for being a Liberal. Is + there a stranger sight in England than seeing this Liberal mayor dressed + in Tory livery, fetching and carrying in Parliament for the intolerant + party which treated him with such ostentatious indignity? What must be his + sense of humiliation under his new convictions? Equally tragic and + unforeseen must be the humiliation of the Tory party in Parliament who + used to boast of their pride, their dignity, and self-respect at having to + accept as a leader the great "caucus-monger," as they called Mr. + Chamberlain, who was the object of their epithets and hatred during so + many sessions. The tragedy of political convictions can no further go. Far + be it from me to deny that Mr. Collings and Mr. Chamberlain have not + honest reasons for their strange professions, though I do not understand + them. Like gravitation, I admit the fact, though its cause is inscrutable. + In politics motives are as though they were not. They cannot be taken into + account. If alleged, they admit of no proof. Resentment rages among the + partisans of the accused and the tendency of their principles, which it is + alone instructive to discuss, is lost sight of. It is common for partisans + to disparage those who have left their ranks—forgetting that + conviction depends upon evidence. Those who leave a party may be as honest + as those who remain. Whoever has rendered aid to liberty and gone over to + the other side should be honoured for what he has done. He who has once + stood upon the side of humanity deserves more respectful treatment than he + who never took the part of the right. Mr. Collings and Mr. Chamberlain + rendered important service to the cause of public progress, and their + abandonment of it was a loss. For the rest, the career of Joseph + Chamberlain, like that of Joseph Cowen, has its explanation in the passion + for paramountcy. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0007" id="link2HCH0007"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER VII. THE TENTH OF APRIL, 1848—ITS INCREDIBILITIES + </h2> + <p> + It is not easy to determine which of many historic incidents of interest + should take precedence. The 10th of April, known as the day of Chartist + Terror—still spoken of in hysterical accents—will do, as it + shows the wild way with which sober, staid men can write history. I was + out that day with the Chartists, and well know how different the facts + were from what is believed to be the peril of the metropolis on that day. + I have long regarded it as one of the "bygones" having instruction in + them. + </p> + <p> + The French have their 9th Thermidor (July 27, 1794), when the Reign of + Terror ended, and their 18th Brumaire (November 9, 1799), when the + Napoleonic Terror began, and the English have their 10th of April, 1848, + when a million special constables were out staff in hand, to prevent a + National Petition of the people being presented to the House of Commons. + Yet no conspiracy existed—nor even had the police fabricated a plot + (as they often did in those days)—no disorder had been threatened, + not a man was armed; the only imaginable enemy was the Chartist Convention + of less than two hundred persons. The most distinguished of the Special + Constables was Louis Napoleon, who four years later became known as the + assassin of French liberty, and whose career is one of the infamies of + Imperialism. + </p> + <p> + The 10th of April, 1848, has for more than half a century held a place in + public memory. The extraordinary hallucination concerning it has become + historic, and passes as authentic. Canon Charles Kingsley was the chief + illusionist in this matter. He wrote: "On the 10th of April, the + Government <i>had</i> to fill London with troops, and put the Duke of + Wellington in command, who barricaded the bridges and Downing Street, and + other public buildings."* Nobody "had" to do what Kings-ley relates. Nine + years had elapsed since any one had taken the field against the + Government, and that was in a Welsh town 147 miles away. John Frost and + his tiny band of followers were the insurgents. All were put down in + twenty minutes by a few soldiers. Frost came to London in 1839 to consult + James Watson, Henry Hetherington, Richard Moore, William Lovett, and other + responsible Chartists, whom he most trusted. They besought Frost to + abandon his idea of an attack upon Newport, as no one would support him. + There were no arms in London on April, 1848, no persons were drilled, no + war organisation existed, and no intention of rising anywhere. The + Government knew it, for they had spies everywhere. They knew it as well or + better in 1848 than in 1839. For nine years John Frost had then been in + penal servitude, and no one had attempted to imitate him. Nor had he any + followers in London in 1848. At his trial no noblemen, no aristocratic + ladies, crowded the court to cheer him by their sympathy, or mitigate his + sentence by their influence—as they did when Dr. Jameson and others + were on trial for their wanton and murderous raid on the Government of + South Africa. Such is the difference between the insurgency of poverty + seeking redress, and the insurgency of wealthy insolence seeking its + further aggrandisement There was absolutely nothing in the field against + the Duke of Wellington in London but a waggon, on which a monster petition + was piled. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * Introduction to "Alton Locke," by Thomas Hughes. +</pre> + <p> + Politically speaking, London has seen no tamer day than the 10th of April, + 1848. There was less ground for alarm than when a Lord Mayor s procession + passes through the city. The procession of actual Chartists, able to leave + their work to join it, could never have amounted to four thousand. There + was not a single weapon among them, nor any intention of using it had they + possessed it. There was only one weapon known to be in London, in the + hands of the Chartists, and that was a Colonel Macerone's spear, + fabricated in 1830, to assist in carrying the first Reform Bill. That was + hidden up a chimney in 3, Queen's Head Passage, Paternoster Row. It came + into my possession, and I have often shown it to members of the Government + to convince them what risks Society ran in Wellington's days—and are + exposed to still. + </p> + <p> + The Chartists had held a Convention in London the week before the 10th, + and were unable to obtain any place of meeting except a small social + institution in John Street, Tottenham Court Road, which could not seat 150 + persons at the Convention table. The hall was lent to them by the most + pacific body of politicians in London—the followers of Robert Owen. + Yet Mr. Thomas Hughes adopted and authenticated Kingsley's incredible + belief, that the country was in danger of these earnest but entirely + impotent Chartist petitioners; and Mr. Hughes actually quotes believingly + in his introduction to "Alton Locke" a statement that: "The Duke of + Wellington declared in the House of Lords that no great society had ever + suffered as London had during the proceeding, while the Home Secretary + telegraphed to all the chief magistrates of the kingdom the joyful news + that the peace had been kept in London."* + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * Prefatory Memoir of Kingsley's Works, by Thomas Hughes, + p. 13. +</pre> + <p> + Never did the craziest despotic Government in Europe engage in such a + political imposture. It was pitiable that the Duke of Wellington should + have had no more self-respect than to compromise his great career by + fortifying London against an imaginary enemy. The Government had plentiful + information and must have known the truth—the contrary of what they + alleged. + </p> + <p> + It may be said in extenuation of these affected Ministerial terrors, that + the Parisian revolution of that year had communicated unrest to the people + of England. It had inspired them with pleasure, but not with insurgency, + for which they were as uninclined as they were unprepared, and none knew + this better than the Duke of Wellington. The Parisian population had seen + military service. They understood the use of arms, had them, and knew how + to settle their differences at the barricade. London had never seen a + barricade. The people were all unused to arms, and were without the means + or the knowledge to storm a police station. Yet, according to Canon + Kingsley, Wellington told the Government "that no capital had gone through + such days as England had on the 10th of April," when no man was struck—no + man was killed—no riot took place anywhere. It would seem that + ignorance, rashness, wildness, and irresponsible language are by no means + peculiar to the working classes. We must cease to wonder at the Duke of + Wellington when an accredited publicist like Judge Thomas Hughes, who was + educated at Rugby, could tell the world himself that "It is only by an + effort that one can realise the strain to which the nation was subjected." + </p> + <p> + On that awful day, nobody was reported as found looking into a shop window + with a predatory glare in his eyes, and no account came up from the + provinces that a single Chartist was observed to peep over a hedge in a + menacing manner. + </p> + <p> + I was out on the 10th of April. On Sunday, the night before, I was the + lecturer at John Street The audience was composed largely of delegates to + the dreadful Convention that so perturbed the "Iron Duke." + </p> + <p> + My advice to them, published at the time, was to "Beware of the police," + and not to strike again if they were struck. Many of them, I knew, were + willing to die for their country, if that would save it. They would serve + it much better by dying without resistance, than dying with it. If any + were killed whilst walking in the procession their comrades should move + quietly on. Nothing would tell more strongly on public opinion than such + heroic observance of order. Hetherington, one of the bravest who walked in + the ranks, told me he would do it. The Government, by their ostentatious + provocation, in garrisoning the Bank with soldiers, crowding Somerset + House with them, parading troops on Clerkenwell Green, had brought, it is + computed, more than two millions of persons into the streets. The + conclusion to which the Chartist leaders came, was that the Government + wanted to create a conflict, shoot down a number of the people, and then + proclaim to Europe that they had "saved Society," by murder, as one of + their chief special constables did soon after in Paris. + </p> + <p> + As I had been personally associated with all the chief Chartists, in + prison and out, from the beginning of the movement, I can speak with some + knowledge of them on that day. + </p> + <p> + On the morning of the 10th of April, Mr. C. D. Collet, the well-informed + Secretary of the People's Charter Union, myself, Richard Moore, and + others, organised a band of forty persons, who were to distribute + themselves over London, note-book and pencil in hand, in the character of + reporters. The police took kindly to us, and gave us good positions of + advantage, where we could see everything that took place thereabouts, and + even protected us from being incommoded. We were there to watch the + police, not the people, as the disorder, if there were any, would come + from them. My station was in Bridge Street, Blackfriars, where a row of + constables was drawn up. I found a coarse, plethoric alderman, going from + man to man, saying only three words: "Strike hard to-day." + </p> + <p> + The people behaved admirably. Not a blow was struck which gave a + colourable ground for outrage on the part of the police. In justice to the + police, it ought to be said, neither did they incite disorder. + </p> + <p> + At night the Home Secretary spent the money of the State, in telegraphing + to all the mayors in the land "the day had passed off quietly," thus + creating a false terror everywhere that London had been in danger—danger + of the Government's creating. + </p> + <p> + The Bull Ring Riots in Birmingham in 1839, when I was resident there, were + created entirely by the magistrates, who introduced a hundred London + policemen into the town, which led to the loss of life and property. + </p> + <p> + I and others on the deputation to Mr. Walpole told him at the time, when + the railings were broken down in Hyde Park, that if he made a show of + soldiers and policemen, people were sure to be killed. At the peril of his + own reputation, he kept them out of sight, and no disorder took place, + though violent members of the Government tried to destroy Mr. Walpole for + his wise and noble forbearance. Dean Stubbs, in his interesting book on + Charles Kingsley, says (p. 97): "On the 10th of April, 1848, a revolution + was threatened in England. One hundred thousand <i>armed men</i> were to + meet on Kennington Common and thence to march on Westminster, and there to + compel, by physical force, if necessary, the acceptance of the People's + Charter by the Houses of Parliament." Could such a lunatical statement be + written by any one, and his friends not procure a magistrate's order for + his removal to the nearest asylum? How were the "hundred thousand" to get + the arms into London—if they had them. Whence were they to procure + them? Where could they store them, seeing that at that time there was not + a single place of Chartist meeting that was not known to be in debt, + unless its rent was paid by the charity of some well-to-do sympathiser? + What were muskets or pikes to do against the stone walls of the Houses of + Parliament or the Bank? How were cannon to be drawn from the centre of + London to Kennington Common with ample service of powder and shot? + Marvellous is the history which Churchmen can write! + </p> + <p> + The utterly groundless and incredible representations of the "10th April," + which Charles Kingsley and Thomas Hughes published, as we have seen, were + to my amazement resuscitated as late as 1902 for the historic instruction + of the students of the Working Mens College in Great Ormond Street, + London, by Mr. R. P. Lichfield, vice-principal of the college, who for + forty-seven years has rendered it important service, for which all friends + of education for workmen are grateful. Yet in his address to the students + (October 1, 1902), he tells them that in 1848 "the wave of democracy which + swept over Europe gave fresh impetus to the Chartist agitation. On the + memorable 10th of April it looked as if we were to have a revolutionary + outbreak on the Parisian pattern. This we were saved from, partly by an + army of volunteers, special constables, partly by the Duke of Wellington's + discreet placing of his troops.... The attempt to overawe Parliament by a + 'physical force' demonstration was a fiasco." The world knows a good deal + of historians who draw upon their imagination for their facts, but here is + a responsible teacher, drawing upon his terrors of fifty years ago, for + statements which nobody believes now or believed then, who knew the facts. + The Duke of Wellington's great name in war imposed upon amateur + politicians. The Duke—contrary to his reputation for military + veracity—readily lent himself to the Government of that day, that + they might figure before the country as the deliverers of England, from + the nation-shaking assault of a miscellaneous crowd of penniless and + unarmed combatants, who had neither cannon nor commissariat. Everybody was + aware that the knowledge of the Iron Duke, outside war, was very limited, + and his political credulity was unbounded. At the end of the Peninsular + War he wrote to the Government of that day, informing them "the bankers of + Paris were furnishing large sums to Revolutionists in England." Only old + residents in Bedlam would believe that. There were no leaders of + Revolutionists in England, to whom the money could be assigned or + consigned, and bankers were the last persons in the world to subscribe + money for a wild, speculative, and uncertain enterprise. No spy of Pitt, + or Sid-mouth, would have sent home so insane a report, from fear of + instant dismissal from their sinister employment. + </p> + <p> + This is but a sample of the airy, false, and fictionary foundation on + which the Legend of the Tenth of April was built. These incidents of + historic perversion, though bygones of half a century ago, are worth + remembering. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0008" id="link2HCH0008"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER VIII. THE CHARTISTS OF FICTION + </h2> + <p> + The Chartists have made as much noise in the world as they knew how—yet + to the generation of to-day they are ambiguous. They have had no + historian. Carlyle went to look at them in prison, and defamed them with + that bitterness and contempt he had for partisans who lacked the sense of + submission to the dictates of those superior persons who knew what was + best for everybody, of whose aspirations they knew nothing, and for whose + needs they had no sympathy. Chartism, however, has won conspicuous + treatment in fiction. What it was in fact, is a very different thing. + There is the Church Chartist by Canon Kingsley, and the Positivist + Chartist by George Eliot, drawn by two famous artists. The pictures are + hung upon the line in the great gallery of literature. So brilliant is the + work of Kingsley that it has imposed on so accomplished a connoisseur as + Dean Stubbs, who, in his life of the fervid Rector of Eversley, has taken + it for a painting from real life. I present the Church Chartist first. + </p> + <p> + In my time I have seen much good done by Christians with a view to extend + their faith. Some few, like Samuel Morley, who excelled all lay Dissenters + I have known in the manly sense of the dignity and independence of + Nonconformity, would do generous things from the humaneness of their own + minds alone. Some Quakers and Unitarians have had this quality. Others, + Churchmen, Roman Catholics, and orthodox Christians, I have known to + mitigate privation for the "Lord's sake," not for humanity's sake. This + was to some extent the case of the Rev. Frederick Denison Maurice, Canon + Kingsley, and their noble colleagues, Edward Vansittart Neale, Judge + Thomas Hughes, and J. M. Ludlow. They became Christian Socialists not so + much because they cared for Socialism, as Maurice owned his "object was + not to Socialise society, but to Christianise Socialism." Startled by the + dislike and even resentment against Christianity expressed by men of + poverty and intelligence at being asked to adopt a belief which brought + them no relief, Maurice, Kingsley, and their associates concluded that + privation was the cause of alienation from the Church. In like manner + Dissenters thought that it was the bad condition of industrial life which + kept working people from chapel. None realised that alienation from + Christianity had its seat in the understanding—in intellectual + dissatisfaction with the tenets of Theology. The absentees from church and + chapel alleged that no relief came of belief, and never had since the days + when manna fell in the Jewish wilderness, and loaves and fishes were + miraculously plentiful on the hills of Galilee. There was no sense or + profit in adopting a faith which had been unproductive for nearly 2,000 + years. It had taken the slave, the serf, and the hired worker a long time + to see this. But at last experience had told upon the thoughtful. But the + theologians neither in the dominant, nor dominated camps perceived it. + </p> + <p> + Very generous is Kingsley's sympathy, in "Alton Locke," with the lot of + working people, but he believed that when the rebellious shoemaker fully + realises that good priests would mitigate the lot of those who labour in + workshops or in fields and mines, he will become reconciled to the + Thirty-nine Articles. Alton Locke is a Church Chartist—not one of + the Chartists of real life whom I knew, who were current in Kingsley's + days, who signed the famous document which Place drew and Roebuck revised. + They had principles. They did not seek paternal government of friendly + Churchmen, nor of Positivists, nor that nobly organised kind of passive + competence which Mr. Ruskin meditated for the people. The real Chartists—like + the Co-operators—sought self-government for the people by the + people. The alienation of the people from church and chapel was not + founded on lack of spiritual patronage, or thirst for it, but from + intellectual dissatisfaction with theological tenets. + </p> + <p> + Christians, from the Vatican to the Primitive Methodist conventicle, are + all so persuaded of the infallibility of their interpretation of the + Scriptures, and are so convinced of the perfect sufficiency of their + tenets for the needs of all the world, that they regard difference of + opinion as springing from wilful misunderstanding, or from the "evil heart + at enmity with God"—a mad doctrine beneath the notice of the average + lunatic. Natural variety of intellect, the infinite hosts of personal + views, and the infinitude of individual experience—which silently + create new convictions—are not taken into account, and conscientious + dissent seems to the antediluvian theologian an impossibility. Even the + most liberal of eminent Unitarians in England, W. J. Fox, regarded, what + we now know as the Agnostic—hesitation to declare as true that which + the declarer does not know to be so—as a species of mental disease. + </p> + <p> + That Kingsley lived in a refracting medium, in which the straightest facts + appeared bent when placed in it, was evident when he wrote: "Heaven defend + us from the Manchester School, for of all narrow, conceited, hypocritical, + and atheistic schemes of the universe the Cobden and Bright one is exactly + the worst." There was no reason why Kingsley should be a Chartist, since + he had all he wanted secured, and had contempt in his heart for Chartist + tenets. He wrote: "The Bible gives the dawn of the glorious future, such + as no universal suffrage, free trade, communism, organisation of labour, + or any other Morrison pill measure can give." He exulted in the existence + of the forces which made against the people. He exclaimed: "As long as the + Throne, the House of Lords, and the Press are what I thank God they are!" + he was grateful. The state of things which existed, it was the object of + Chartism to change. + </p> + <p> + These rampant ideas of Kingsley were far from being Chartist sentiments. + At a meeting in Castle Street, London, the Rev. Charles Kingsley and Mr. + Thomas Hughes were present, working men comprising the audience, an old + grey-headed Chartist, of a Republican way of thinking, whose experience of + monarchy was limited to his share of taxation for its support, hissed at + the introduction of the Queen's name. Mr. Hughes, then a young athlete, + turned upon the old Six Points politician and said: "Any one who hissed at + the Queen's name would have to reckon with him"—meaning that he + would knock him down, or put him out of the meeting. If, at a Chartist + meeting, one athletic leader had similarly threatened an old grey-headed + Royalist who hissed some Republican name, it would have been described, in + all respectable papers, as "a ruffianly proceeding." The Hughes incident + showed Christian Socialist sympathy with Chartism was not of an + enthusiastic character. At other times Mr. Hughes had nobler moods, but + he, like Kingsley, had few qualifications for delineating Chartists. + </p> + <p> + Judge Hughes, like Canon Kingsley and his Christian Socialist colleagues, + saw everything in the light of Theology. He saw nothing else by itself. He + relates "the appearance of a little grey, shrivelled man at the grave of + Mr. Maurice at the cemetery at Hampstead, one of the staff of the leading + Chartist newspaper," as a proof of his conversion. This was gratitude, not + conversion. Had I not been at the Bolton Co-operative Congress at the + time, I should have been at the same grave. When the news came of + Maurice's death, it did not occur to his friend, Mr. Neale, that the + Congress would pass a resolution in honour of Maurice. I suggested it to + him, and he said to me, "You had better draw up the resolution," which I + did, and moved it. It was unanimously and gratefully passed. Though I was + foremost to express the respect of working men, and the sense of + obligation they were under, for Maurice's great services to Co-operation, + and his establishment of the Working Men's College, it did not imply that + I had come to accept the Thirty-nine Articles. Relevant appreciation, real + gratitude, and admiration, do not imply coincidence of opinion on other + and alien questions. + </p> + <p> + How little the creator of Alton Locke was a Chartist, or a sympathiser + with Chartism, was seen when he described "Mr. Julian Harney and Feargus + O'Connor and the rest of the smoke of the pit." Kingsley said "his only + quarrel with the Charter was that it did not go far enough." All his + meaning was that it should have comprised social, instead of political + reform, which was what all who were opposed to political freedom said. + This only meant that he wanted Chartists to take up social, and drop + political reform. This appears in the passage in which he said, "The + Charter disappointed me bitterly when I read it. It seemed a harmless cry + enough, but a poor, bald, constitution-mongering cry as ever I heard. The + French cry of organisation of labour is worth a thousand of it."* + Organisation of labour is a great thing, but it is not political equality + or liberty. Kingsley's Chartist had no political soul. + </p> + <p> + There is noble sympathy with labour, and there are passages which should + always be read with honour in "Alton Locke." But the book is written in + derision of Chartism and Liberal politics. Alton Locke himself was like + his creator. Kingsley's acts were the acts of a friend, his arguments the + arguments of an enemy; and Alton Locke, despite the noble personal + qualities with which he is endowed, was a confused political traitor, who + bartered the Kingdom of Man for the Kingdom of Heaven, when he might have + stood by both. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * Prefatory Memoir, by T. Hughes, p. 16. +</pre> + <p> + So much for the Church Chartist. Now turn to the Positivist Chartist, and + see whether there be any backbone of political emancipation in him, or + whether his vertebra is of jelly, like Alton Locke's. To the Positivist + Chartist is given the stronger name of "Radical." + </p> + <p> + One of the remarkable volumes George Eliot gave to the world bears the + name of "Felix Holt, the Radical." But when she comes to delineate the + Radical, he turns out to be a Positivist—of good quality of his + kind, but still not a Radical. + </p> + <p> + As Canon Kingsley drew the Church Chartist, so George Eliot drew the + Positivist Radical. Neither drew the selected hero as he was, but as each + thought he ought to be. + </p> + <p> + A Radical is one who goes to the root of things. He deals with evils + having a political origin, which he intends to remove by political means. + Radicals were far older than the Chartists. Radicalism was a force in + reform before Chartism began. The Radical more or less evolves his creed + by observation of the condition of things surrounding him; the Chartist + had his creed ready made for him. The Chartist may be said to begin with + political effects, the Radical with political causes. Anyhow, the Radical + was always supposed to know what he was, and why he was what he was. Felix + Holt was not built that way. George Eliot had greater power of penetrating + into character than Kingsley, but she made the same mistake in Felix Holt + that Kingsley made in Alton Locke. Felix Holt is a revolutionist from + indignation. His social insurgency is based on resentment at injustice. + Very noble is that form of dissatisfaction, but political independence is + not his inspiration. Freedom, equality of public rights, are not in his + mind. His disquiet is not owing to the political inability of his fellows + to control their own fortunes. Content comes to Felix when the compassion + of others ameliorates or extinguishes the social evils from which his + fellows suffer. He is the Chartist of Positivism without a throb of + indignation at political subjection. That may be Positivism, but it is not + Radicalism. + </p> + <p> + Felix Holt discloses his character in his remark that "the Radical + question was how to give every man a man's share in life. But I think that + is to expect voting to do more towards it than I do." + </p> + <p> + "A man's share in life" was the Baboeuf doctrine of Communism, which + English Radicals never had. Holt's depreciation of the power of voting was + the argument of the benevolent but beguiling Tory. It was part of the + Carlylean contempt of a ten-thousandth part of a voice in the "national + palava." This meant distrust, not only of the suffrage, but of Parliament + itself. When both are gone, despotism becomes supreme. When Felix Holt + talked so, he had ceased to be a Radical—if he ever was one. + </p> + <p> + The power of voting has changed the status and dignity of working men—not + much yet, but more will come. Hampered and incomplete as the suffrage is, + it has put the workers on the way to obtain what they want, though they + are a little puzzled which turning to take now they are on the road. + </p> + <p> + Felix Holt continues: "I want the working men to have power.... and I can + see plainly enough that our all having power will do little towards it at + present.... If we have false expectations about men's characters, we are + very much like the idiot who thinks he can carry milk in a can without a + bottom. In my opinion the notions about what mere voting will do, are very + much that sort" Felix declares that all the "scheme about voting and + districts and annual parliaments [all points of the Charter] will not give + working men what they want."* + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * See "Felix Holt, the Radical," vol i. pp. 265-266, + Blackwood's edition of George Eliot +</pre> + <p> + Felix has much more to say in disparagement of political aspiration which + is like reading one of Lord Salisbury's speeches when he was Lord + Cranborne, but without the bitterness and contempt by which we knew the + genuine Salisbury mind. The Eliot spirit is better—the argument more + sympathetic, but the purport is the same. It means: "Leave politics alone. + You will find all the redress that is good for you elsewhere." + </p> + <p> + This, if true, is not Radicalism which sought to help itself, and not rise + by compassion. Radicals may have expected too much from political reform—they + may have thought political power to be an end instead of a means whereby + better public conditions can be obtained, by which social effort could + better be compassed, and its projects carried out. It is true that social + condition can be improved by men of purpose and character under despotism, + but this does not prove that despotism is desirable, since it can make + itself at will an effectual obstacle to progress, and as a rule does so. + The policy of seeking the best political condition in which social + progress can be made, is Radicalism. The policy of contentment with things + as they are, seeking social condition apart from politics, is Socialism, + as it has been understood in England. "Felix Holt," like "Alton Locke," + abounds in noble sentiments, exalts the character of working men, + vindicates their social claims with eloquence. But Felix Holt was no more + a Radical than Alton Locke was a Chartist. Alton Locke is against + Chartism. Felix Holt is against Radicalism. Sir Leslie Stephen has written + the most fascinating estimate of the writings and genius of George Eliot + that has been produced. He has interesting things to say of Felix Holt, + but it does not occur to him to say what he was so well able to say, + whether he was a Radical or not—or if one, of what species. + Therefore it has been necessary to place before the reader the evidence + which will enable him to decide the question for himself. + </p> + <p> + In reference to this chapter, Mr. J. M. Ludlow wrote to me, saying: + </p> + <p> + ["That you above all men should find fault with Kingsley or any one else + for setting social above political reform, I own, amazes me. But it is not + true in any sense of the words that Kingsley wanted Chartists to 'take up + social and drop political reform.' In his first letter to Thomas Cooper + (Life, vol. i. p. 182), he expressly says: 'I would shed the last drop of + my blood for the social and <i>political</i> emancipation of the people.' + [The italics are mine.] Again, you misquote General Maurice's (not Mr. + Maurice's) words, when you say that 'Maurice owned that his object was not + to socialise society, but to Christianise Socialism.' General Maurice's + words are: 'Beyond all doubt he dreaded becoming the head of a <i>party</i> + of Christian Socialists. His great wish was to Christianise Socialism, not + to Christian-socialise the universe' (Life, vol. ii. p. 47). + </p> + <p> + "Your story about the 'old grey-headed Chartist' and T. Hughes does not + tally altogether with the statement in Mr. Maurice's Life (vol. ii. p. + 13), but as I do not recollect being present (nor, I believe, were you) on + the occasion, I cannot say which is right. I should have thought that an + 'old greyheaded Chartist' would have had more courtesy as well as more + sense than to hiss the Queen." + </p> + <p> + Mr. Ludlow's letter throws a flood of light on the mistakes of Canon + Kingsley and his colleagues. Mr. Ludlow "is amazed that I above all men + should blame any man for setting social above political reform." It is now + some fifty years since Mr. Ludlow first did me the honour to notice what I + wrote or said. Yet I think he never knew me to subordinate political to + social reform. I always thought it base to teach men to barter political + freedom for social benefits. The leaders of early co-operation in the days + before Mr. Ludlow knew it—being like Robert Owen, mostly of a Tory + way of thinking—deprecated political reform, and thought its pursuit + unnecessary, as their social remedy would do everything for the people. I + always dissented from this doctrine and resented it, as the politician, if + you do not watch him, will come some day and throw the savings of a + century into a sea of imperial blood. Mr. Ludlow quotes a letter from + Kingsley to Thomas Cooper, in which he says he "would shed the last drop + of his blood for the social and political emancipation of the people." + What! for the "smoke of the pit"? as he described the agitation for the + Charter. What! "shed his blood" for a "Morrison pill measure"—shed + the last drop of his blood" for a poor, bald, constitution-mongering cry + as ever he heard"? I agree that this is extraordinary political + enthusiasm. Still it was no proof that Kingsley was a Chartist, and that + was my point. General Maurice's version of his father's saying that "his + object was not to socialise society," shows that Maurice cared no more for + Socialism (which at that time meant co-operative communism) than Kingsley + cared for Chartism. Both meant well to the people in a theological—not + a political way. The old grey-headed Chartist hissed the Queen's office, + not herself. Republicans ever made that distinction.] + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0009" id="link2HCH0009"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER IX. THE OLD POSTILLION + </h2> + <p> + Besides Church Chartists and Positivist Chartists, there were Tory + Chartists, of whom I add an account, and a list of those among them who + were paid in the days of their hired activity. But the business of this + chapter is with the Old Postillion, the founder of the real Chartists, who + taught them and who knew them all. + </p> + <p> + Of course I mean Francis Place, who was always ready to mount and drive + the coach of the leaders of the people. Though he took that modest and + useful position, it was he who determined the route, made the map of the + country, and fixed the destination of the journey. Joseph Parkes himself, + known as "The People's Attorney-General," first addressed Place as the + "Old Postillion."* James Watson, a working-class politician (whom Place + could always trust), wrote of him at his death as the "English + Franklin,"** a very good title, having regard to the strength of the + common-sense characteristics of Place. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + *Wallas's "Life of Place," p. 346. Longmans, Green & Co., 1898. + + **Reasoner, No. 409, vol. xvi., March 28 1854. +</pre> + <p> + One advantage (there were not many) of my imprisonment which I have never + ceased to value, was that it led to my acquaintance with Place. From him I + learned many things of great use to me in after life. One thing he said to + me was: "A man who is always running after his character seldom has a + character worth the chase." Some far-seeing qualification was generally + present in what he said. For a man who is "always" vindicating himself + becomes tiresome and ineffectual. Yet now and then, sooner or later, and + often better later then sooner, a personal explanation may be useful. + Printed actionable imputations were made against Cobbett of which no + notice was taken—so far as I knew—which created in many minds + an ineffaceable personal prejudice against him. + </p> + <p> + Once imputations were published concerning me which justified + contradiction. It came to pass that they were certified as true by a + person of mark. Then I proposed to show that the allegations were untrue. + Whereupon I was assured it would be to my disadvantage with many with whom + I stood well, which meant that should I prove I was not a rascal I should + lose many of my best friends, which shows the curious perplexities of + personal explanation. Nevertheless, I made it.* Mr. Place told me that in + the course of his career as defender of the people, "he had been charged + with every crime known to the Newgate Calendar save wilful murder." A + needless reservation, for that would have been believed. He let them pass, + merely keeping a record of the accusations to see if their variety + included any originality. There was one charge brought against him which + to this day prejudices many against him. The one thought to be most + overwhelming was that he was a "tailor" at Charing Cross. After that, + argument against the principles he maintained was deemed superfluous; as + though following a trade of utility disqualified a man's opinions on + public affairs; while one who did nothing, and whose life and ideas were + useless to mankind, might be listened to with deference. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + *"Warpath of Opinion." +</pre> + <p> + In 1849 <i>Chambers's Journal</i> published an article on the "Reaction of + Philanthropy," against which I made vehement objection in an article in + the <i>Spirit of the Age</i>, of which <i>Chambers's Journal</i> took, for + them, the unusual course of replying. The <i>Spirit of the Age</i> coming + under Place's notice, he sent me the following letter, which I cite + exactly as it was expressed, in his quaint, vigorous and candid way:— + </p> + <p> + "Brompton Square, + </p> + <p> + "March 3, 1849. + </p> + <p> + "Master Holyoake,—I have read your paper of observations on a paper + written by Chambers, and dislike it very much. You assume an evil + disposition in Chambers, and have laid yourself open to the same + imputation. This dispute now consists of three of us, you and I and + Chambers—all three of us, in vulgar parlance, being philanthropists. + I have not read Chambers, but expect to find, from what you have said and + quoted, that he, like yourself, has been led by his feelings, and not by + his understanding, and has therefore written a mischievous paper. I will + read this paper and decide for myself. Knowledge is not wisdom. The most + conspicuous proof of this is the conduct of Lord Brougham. He knows many + things, more, indeed, than most men, but is altogether incapable of + combining all that relates to any one case, i.e., understanding it + thoroughly, and he therefore never exhausts any subject, as a man of a + more enlarged understanding would do. This, too, is your case. I think I + may say that not any one of your reasonings is as perfect as it ought to + be, and if I were in a condition to do so, I would make this quite plain + to you by carrying out your defective <i>notions</i>—reasonings, if + you like the term better. + </p> + <p> + "It will, I am sure, be admitted, at least as far as your thinking can go, + that neither yourself, nor Chambers, nor myself, would intentionally write + a word for the purpose of misleading, much less injuring the working + people; yet your paper must, as far as it may be known to them, not only + have that tendency, but a much worse one; that of depraving them, by + teaching them, in their public capacity, to seek revenge, to an extent + which, could it pervade the whole mass, must lead to slaughter among the + human race—the beasts of prey called mankind; for such they have + ever been since they have had existence, and such as they must remain for + an indefinite time, if not for ever. Their ever being anything else is + with me a forlorn hope, while yet, as I can do no better, I continue in my + course of life to act as if I really had a strong hope of immense + improvement for the good of all.—Yours, really and truly, + </p> + <p> + "Francis Place." + </p> + <p> + There was value in Mr. Place's friendship. He was able to measure the + minds of those with whom he came in contact, and for those for whom he + cared he would do the service of showing to them the limits within which + they were working. It was thus he took trouble to be useful to those who + could never requite him, by putting strong, wise thoughts before them. + </p> + <p> + Elsewhere* I have related how Place on one occasion—when all London + was excited, and the Duke of Wellington indignant and repellant—went + on a deputation to him, and was dismissed with the ominous words: + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + *"Sixty Years," vol. i. chap. 40. +</pre> + <p> + "You seem to have heads on your shoulders; take care you keep them there." + The courage of seeking this interview, at which Place was the chief + speaker, is well shown in the experience of George Petrie, who was known + to Place. Petrie was an intelligent soldier, who served under Wellington + in the Peninsular War, and was wounded in several engagements. It often + happened that the commissary was in arrears to the troops with their + rations, but when the supply arrived the arrears were faithfully served + out to the soldiers. On one of these occasions, when some days' rations + were due, Corporal Petrie was absent on duty when the rations were served + out, and on his return he found himself without his arrears. To a + half-starved soldier this was a serious disappointment, and Petrie applied + to the quartermaster, to the adjutant, and to the captain of his company, + but without effect, until he arrived at the commanding officer of his + regiment Being as unsuccessful as he had been with the other officers, and + becoming hungrier by delay, he requested permission to make his complaint + to the Commander-in-Chief (Lord Wellington), which was granted. Upon being + introduced he found his lordship seated at a table perusing some + documents. "Well," said the Commander, without raising his eyes from the + papers before him, "what does this man want?" "He is come to appeal to + your lordship about his rations," replied the officer in attendance; + whereupon the Commander-in-Chief, without asking or permitting a single + word of explanation from the injured soldier, without discovering (as he + ought in common justice to have done) whether the soldier had a real + grievance for the redress of which he had sought the protection of the + head of the army, Wellington hurriedly exclaimed, "Take the fellow away + and give him a d——d good flogging!" Petrie, naturally + indignant and a determined man, lay in wait two nights to shoot + Wellington, who escaped by taking one night a different route, and on + another being closely accompanied by his staff. The facts were published + in 1836. Petrie's appeal shows that the Duke was not a pleasant person for + Mr. Place to call upon. No biography or book about Wellington has anything + to say of his sympathy with men who died in making his fame. He took the + same care of his men, and no more, that he did of his muskets, which it + must be owned is more than many employers do, who take more care of their + machinery than of the workers. Wellington kept his men dry, but he had no + more feeling for them than he had for their carbines. Petrie's story will + be instructive to men who shout for war without knowing what the soldier's + fate is. They were told by Tennyson "not to ask the reason why." Their + business is to die without inquiring whether they are murderers or + patriots, or what treatment will befall them in the ranks. If they do they + may expect some form of the Petrie treatment. + </p> + <p> + To Place, the experience of social reformers was as valuable as that of + politicians. Social life gives its character to public life, and the + politician is most to be valued whose measures tend to exalt the daily + life of the people. Near the end of his days Place addressed the following + (his last) letter to Robert Owen, with whom he had been acquainted since + 1813:— + </p> + <p> + "21, Brompton Square, + </p> + <p> + "March 26, 1847. + </p> + <p> + "Dear Owen,—It is some years since you and I had a conversation, and + it is time we had one. Will you call upon me, or shall I call upon you? I + go out but little, having an asthmatic complaint, which at times treats me + sadly, and from which I am never wholly free. Worst of all, I have an + affection of the brain, which will not permit me either to read or write, + and when these two complaints co-operate I am something worse than good + for nothing. You are, I conclude, in a much better state than I am, + although you are not much younger, yet the doctors tell me that after + having lived through seventy years without illness, I have nothing to + complain of in the usual circumstances of old age now that I approximate + to eighty.— + </p> + <p> + "Yours truly, + </p> + <p> + "Francis Place." + </p> + <p> + From a condition of absolute penuriousness, he raised himself to the + position of master tailor, from which, at the age of forty-five, he was + able to retire upon an income of £1,1000. Shrewd, hard-headed, + painstaking, vigilant and prudent as he was, he found, when more than + sixty, that £650 of his income was irrevocably lost He had put a large + part of his capital into house property, and left the investment of it to + an incompetent or dishonest solicitor.* The fate befel him which + afterwards befel Cobden, Thomas Bayley Potter, and some others. + </p> + <p> + Why did Place let his prudence sleep? Why, in his walks with Jeremy + Bentham,** did he not turn his steps to the sites of his investments, and + judge for himself their value? His absorbed interest in public affairs is + the only explanation. Yet he had often warned others that such + engrossment, however honourable, should be limited, and not suffered to + endanger necessary personal security. + </p> + <p> + On the death of Place in 1854, at the age of eighty-two, the <i>Spectator</i> + and the <i>Reasoner</i> expressed a hope that a life of Place would be + written as one of supreme utility to the great class which he had served + so conspicuously. + </p> + <p> + Happily this was done, forty-four years after, in 1898,*** by Mr. Graham + Wallas. When he mentioned to me his intention of writing a biography of + Place, I told him where, in the Manuscript Department of the British + Museum, he would find virgin material in Place's own compact and clear + hand. By research there and elsewhere, Mr. Wallas has produced a valuable + and remarkable book, of which there is no similar one so instructive to a + working-class politician. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * See Wallas's "Life of Place," p. 329. + + ** See "Sixty Years," vol. i. p. 215. + + *** "Life of Francis Place," by Graham Wallas, M.A. + Longmans, Green & Co. +</pre> + <p> + The most notable of all the insurgent publicists Place inspired and + counselled, Richard Carlile, an impassable defender of a Free Press, whom + pitiless power in the darkest days of its supremacy could not subdue, thus + wrote of Place: "Though by circumstances (meaning those of nine years' + imprisonment) separated from the immediate acquaintance of Mr. Place for + several years past, I can, by experience of eighteen and the well-founded + report of forty years, pronounce him a prodigy of useful, resolute, + consistent political exertion and indefatigable labour, which evidently + continues unabated to this day.... Francis Place, by his assistant labours + and advice given to the members of the House of Commons, has produced more + effect in that House than any man who was ever a member."* + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * See article on the "Real Nobility of the Human Character," + by A. P. (i.e., Richard Carlile) in the <i>Monthly Magazine</i>, + May 1835. p. 454. +</pre> + <p> + This testimony from one who bore the heat and burden of the day with + Place, agrees with all recorded of him. Carlile wrote in 1835, and the + public work Place was engaged in then he continued until his death in + 1854, at which time he was chairman of the Committee for Repealing Taxes + on Knowledge. The Old Postillion was on the saddle to the last. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0010" id="link2HCH0010"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER X. MEETING BREAKERS—LIST OF THOSE PAID FOR DOING IT + </h2> + <p> + The enfranchisement of the working class, for which Place worked so + unceasingly, could not come—in the ordinary course of things English—until + the middle class had succeeded in their contest with their feudal masters. + By the possession of the vote in 1832, the middle class became a rival + power to the aristocracy; and that power would be greatly augmented if the + middle class should favour the extension of the franchise to the working + class, as many of them were naturally inclined to do. The Tory policy then + was to sow animosity between the middle and the working classes, which + might prevent them acting together. Their method was to suggest that the + middle class, having obtained what they wanted, cared nothing for the + people, notwithstanding that Hume, Leader, Roebuck, Grote, Mill, Cobden, + and Bright, were the great champions of the franchise for the people, who + incurred labour, peril, and obloquy for them. + </p> + <p> + Temple Leader said: "Do not be too sure workmen will not turn against you, + do what you may for them. If sheep had votes they would give them all to + the butcher"—as we have seen them do in this generation. The Tories + had spite against the Whigs, who gave the people the first Reform Bill. + Disraeli began to denounce the Whigs, and he soon found ostensible leaders + of the people to help. Chartist speakers were bribed to take up the cry. + The Irish in England, who thought their chances lay in English difficulty, + willingly preached distrust of the middle class, and their eloquent + tongues gave them ascendency among the Chartists, many of whom honestly + believed that spite was a mode of progress, and under the impression that + passion was patriotism, they took money to express it. The Liberal portion + of the middle class had long contributed to the support of workmen's + political societies. But when they found their own meetings broken up by + Chartists, and their Tory adversaries aided at elections, their + subscriptions decreased, and a new charge of hostility to the working + class was founded on that. + </p> + <p> + This chapter is a statement, not a plea. Considering the superior + information and means of the middle class, they have not shown themselves + so solicitous for the political claims of Labour as they ought—having + regard to their own interests alone. Nor have the Labour class shown that + regard for the rights of the middle class, by which Labour could have + furthered its own advantages. Friendliness between them is the interest of + both. + </p> + <p> + Who would have thought that if you scratched a Chartist you would find a + Tory agent under his skin? Yet so it proved with many of them. George + Julian Harney was a Republican. In early Chartist days he wore on Winlaton + platforms a Red Cap of Liberty, after the manner of Marat, and called + himself "L'Ami du Peuple," after Marat's famous "Journal of Blood." Yet he + was not the Friend of the People, in the sense we all thought. He went to + America with the reputation of a fiery patriot. It procured for him a + welcome from the Liberals of Boston, and he was given a clerkship in the + State House soon after his arrival. He might have grown grey in England + before a place would have been given him in any Government department + here.* To my astonishment Harney soon began to write home disparagements + of the American people and their Government, such as we were familiar with + from aristocratic pens. When the Bulgarian massacres were stirring the + indignation of English Liberals, he sent me a pamphlet he had written, in + the spirit of Disraeli's "Coffee House Babble" speech. I wrote to him, + saying "it read like the production of a full-blown Tory." He resented the + imputation—when all the time it was true. He had cast off his + Liberal garments, and was naked, and ashamed. Afterwards he cast off the + shame. When I was in Boston, in 1879, American Liberals expressed to me + their disappointment that Mr. Harney neither associated with them nor lent + them any assistance in their societies, such as they had expected when + they welcomed him to their shores. Yet to the end of his days I remained + his personal friend, in consideration of services in agitations in which + we had worked together. I had helped him when he issued <i>The Republic</i> + and had written words in honour of his first wife, a Mauchline beauty of + the Amazon type, whose heroism was notable. In times of danger she would + say to her husband, "Do what you think to be your duty, and never mind + me." + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * Sam Bamford, who wrote the "Pass of Death," when Canning + died, was old before we accorded him a seat in a cellar in + Somerset House, copying papers at a few shillings a week. It + was all his Parliamentary friends could procure for him. +</pre> + <p> + I first knew Harney at the time of the Bull Ring Riots in Birmingham in + 1839. He was "wanted" by the authorities. I alone knew where he lodged. He + knew he was safe in my hands, and we never ceased to trust each other. I + never change my friendship for a colleague because he changes his + opinions; but I never carry my friendship so far as to change my + convictions for his. + </p> + <p> + Happily it is now thought a scandal to say that Chartist politicians took + money from Tories to break up Liberal meetings. This shows there is a + feeling against it. But they did take it Thomas Cooper, as well as Ernest + Jones, the two poets of Chartism, were themselves in this disastrous + business. + </p> + <p> + When Thomas Cooper came to London he went, as most Chartists of note did, + to see Francis Place. After some conversation Place asked, "Why did you + take money to prevent Liberal meetings being held?" Cooper vehemently + denied it. Place then showed him a cheque which Sir Thomas Easthope, the + banker, had cashed for him. Place said, "You had £109, so much in gold, so + much in silver, and so much in copper, for the convenience of paying minor + patriots." Years after Cooper in his Life expressed regret that he had + denied receiving Tory money. + </p> + <p> + Mr. Bright, in the House of Commons, June 5th, 1846, told the honourable + member, Mr. Thomas Slingsby Duncombe, that those parties with whom he was + found at public meetings out of doors had been the greatest enemies of the + repeal of the Corn Laws. (Cries of "Name!") + </p> + <p> + In answer to the cries of "Name" (says a leading article of the <i>League</i> + newspaper), we will mention a few only of the most prominent and active of + these:—Feargus O'Connor, Leach, McDowall, Pitkeithly, Nightingale, + O'Brien, Marsden, Bairstow, Cooper, Harney—some of whom, to our + knowledge, and as we are ready to prove, were well paid for their + opposition to the Free Traders. Nor would it be difficult to show where + the money came from. Let one fact suffice. In June, 1841, on the occasion + of a great open-air Anti-Corn Law meeting being held in Stevenson Square, + Manchester (in answer to the taunt of the Duke of Richmond that no public + meeting could be held against the Corn Laws), the monopolists made a great + effort to upset the meeting. Every Chartist leader of any notoriety was + brought to Manchester from places as distant as Leicester and Sunderland. + The most prominent leader and fugleman of the opposition was Mr. Charles + Wilkins, Dr. Sleigh and he moving and seconding the amendment to the Free + Trade resolution. On that very morning Mr. Wilkins cashed a cheque for + £150, drawn by the Duke of Buckingham at Jones and Lloyd's Bank. At that + meeting of 10,000 working men the Chartists were driven off the ground. + Blows being exchanged and blood spilt in the fray, the aim of the Chartist + party to create confusion was so far gained; and the moral effect of the + demonstration was effectually marred. For more than three years at the + beginning of the agitation every public meeting called by the Free Traders + was subjected to outrages of a similar kind by the followers of O'Connor.* + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * The <i>League</i> newspaper, No. 142, vol. iii. p. 625. +</pre> + <p> + A short time ago Mr. Chamberlain made a point of declaring that the + working classes were against Free Trade in Cobden's days. The only portion + of the working class known to oppose Free Trade were the Chartists. Why + they did so, Mr. Chamberlain ought to know. If he does not, he may learn + the reason in these pages. The list of the payments made to them was + published, when it could have been contradicted if untrue. But no disproof + was ever attempted. Even "Honest Tom Duncombe," as the Chartists + affectionately called him, was known to be in the pay of the French + Emperor, of sinister renown, as documents found in the Tuileries showed. + The Chartists, who became the hired agents of Tory hostility, did more to + delay and discredit the Charter and to create distrust of the cause of + Labour than all outside enemies put together. + </p> + <p> + Those who censure the middle class for indifference to the Parliamentary + claims of Labour, should bear in mind the provocation they received. Their + meetings were frustrated for years after the Anti-Corn Law agitation was + ended. + </p> + <p> + In the light of what we know it seems hypocrisy in the Tories to speak of + Chartists with the horror and disdain which they displayed, when all the + while the Chartists were doing their work. It seems also ingratitude that + when questions were raised in Parliament of mitigating the condition of + Chartist prisoners, the Tories never raised a single voice in their + favour. + </p> + <p> + We know there were Tory Chartists, because they took money from the Tories + to promote their interests. We know it also by the sign that while they + denounced the Whigs they were always silent about the Tories. Now the + Whigs are practically dropped and Liberals are denounced, there is the + same tell-tale silence as to the Tories. Now we see a party arise so + virtuous, philosophic and impartial that no party suits their fastidious + taste, and they will have nothing to do with Liberals or Tories. When they + speak, Liberals are referred to as very unsatisfactory persons, but no + objections are made to Tories. The reticence is still instructive. + </p> + <p> + So be it. In art, every man to his taste; in politics, every man according + to his conscience. I only describe species. There is a science of + political horticulture, and it is only by knowing the nature of the plant + that any one can tell what flower or fruit to expect. Yet there are + politicians who go mooning about looking for nectarines on crab-apple + trees. The Old Postillion made no such mistake. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0011" id="link2HCH0011"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER XI. TROUBLE WITH HER MAJESTY + </h2> + <p> + I. + </p> + <p> + References are continually made in the Press to certain events recorded in + this chapter founded upon statements made by myself, but lacking details + and without the official substantiating documents. The original summonses + and other legal instruments were preserved, and copies of them are given + herein. Reports only would be incredible to the new generation, and it is + necessary to publish them to give authenticity to the narrative of what + really took place. + </p> + <p> + It seems better to say "Trouble with Her Majesty" than Trouble with the + Queen, "Majesty" being more official than personal. The three indictments + to be recorded in this narrative all took place in the Victorian reign. It + seems a disadvantage of the monarchical system that the name of the head + of the reigning House should be attached to all proceedings, great or + petty, noble or mean, honourable or infamous. It assumes the personal + cognisance and interference in everything by the occupant of the Throne. + It is the same in the theological system, where the Deity is assumed to + personally cause or permit whatever takes place in this inexplicable + universe. If the glory of the mountain be his, the devastation of the + inhabitants of the valley by a volcano is also his act. The Church is + beginning, not too soon, to discourage this theory. The curate rescued + from a wreck who reported to Archbishop Whately that he had been + "providentially" saved, was asked by the logical prelate, "Do you intend + to say that the lost have been 'providentially' drowned?" Thus blasphemy + is made one of the wings of religion—just as sedition becomes a wing + of loyalty, when discreditable incidents are represented as the personal + acts of the Crown. Lawyers know that the King or Queen is not directly + answerable, but by acute legal fiction, odious responsibility is + transferred to others. But the people always think that he or she, in + whose name a thing is done, is answerable for it, and theologians all + teach that everything, even rascality, occurs by the will of God. + </p> + <p> + References to my indebtedness to the Exchequer of £600,000 of fines + incurred by publishing unstamped newspapers, seem to readers of to-day a + factless tradition. This is not so, as will appear from the warrants and + notices of prosecution which follow, copied from the original documents in + my possession, which have never until now been published. + </p> + <p> + Early in 1855, I received the following message from Her Majesty, in the + 18th year of her reign:— + </p> + <p> + "Victoria, by the Grace of God, of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and + Ireland Queen, Defender of the Faith, to George Jacob Holyoake, greeting. + We command and strictly injoin you that (all excuses apart) you appear + before the Barons of our Exchequer at Westminster, on the thirty-first day + of January instant, To answer us concerning certain Articles then and + there on our behalf to be objected against you. And this in no wise omit + under the penalty of One Hundred Pounds, which we shall cause to be levied + to our use upon your Goods and Chattels, Lands and Tenements, if you + neglect this our present command. Witness, Sir Frederick Pollock, Knight, + at Westminster, the eleventh day of January, in the eighteenth Year of our + Reign. + </p> + <p> + "By the Barons. + </p> + <p> + "H. W. Vincent, Q.R." + </p> + <p> + Mr. George Jacob Holyoake,—You are served with this Process to the + intent that you may by your Attorney, according to the practice of the + Court, appear in Her Majesty's Court of Exchequer, at the return thereof + in order to your defence in this prosecution. + </p> + <p> + "Mr. George Jacob Holyoake. + </p> + <p> + "At the suit of Her Majesty's Attorney-General, + </p> + <p> + "By Information. + </p> + <p> + "Folio 9—1855. + </p> + <p> + "Joseph Timm," Solicitor of the Inland Revenue, + </p> + <p> + "Somerset House, London. + </p> + <p> + "Folio 9—55- + </p> + <p> + "Inland Revenue, Somerset House. + </p> + <p> + "Solicitors' Department. + </p> + <p> + "The Attorney-General against George Jacob Holyoake. + </p> + <p> + "The penalties sought to be recovered by this prosecution are several of + £20 each, which the defendant has incurred by publishing certain + newspapers called <i>War Chronicle</i> and <i>The War Fly Sheet</i> on + unstamped paper." + </p> + <p> + As I had published 30,000 copies, the penalties incurred were £600,000. + </p> + <p> + These alarming documents were accompanied by intimation as to the question + at issue, and the penalties to be recovered. My solicitors, Messrs. + Ashurst, Waller and Morris, No. 6, Old Jewry, put in an appearance for me, + but on the repeal of the duty shortly after, a hearing was never entered + upon, and the penalties have not been collected. How they came to be + incurred in respect of the <i>War Chronicles</i> the reader may see in + "Sixty Years," vol. i. p. 287. + </p> + <p> + No intimation was ever given to me—there is no courtesy, I believe, + in law—that these intimidating summonses were withdrawn. I had no + defence against the charge. I could not deny, nor did I intend to deny, + that I had knowingly and wilfully published the said papers. In + justification I could only allege that I had acted, as I believed, in the + public interest, which, I was told, was no legal answer. The law, which + ought to be clear and plain, was, I knew, full of quirks and surprises; + and, for all I knew, or know to this day, the payment of the fines + incurred might be demanded of me. It was communicated to the then + Chancellor of the Exchequer (Mr. Gladstone) that in case of the full + demand being made upon me, I should be under the necessity of asking him + to take it in weekly instalments, as I had not the whole amount by me. + </p> + <p> + The position of an "unstamped" debtor was not, in those days, a light one. + My house in Fleet Street could be entered by officers of the Inland + Revenue; every person in it, printers, assistants in the shop, and any one + found upon the premises could be arrested. The stock of books could be + seized, and blacksmiths set to break up all presses and destroy all type, + as was done to Henry Hetherington; and for many weeks I made daily + preparations for arrest. + </p> + <p> + The <i>St. James's Gazette</i> (April 13, 1901) referred to the fines of + £600,000 incurred by me. What I really owed was a much larger sum, had the + Government been exacting. Previously to the <i>War Chronicle</i> + liability, I had published the <i>Reasoner</i> twelve years, of which the + average number issued may have exceeded 2,000 weekly, or 104,000 a year—every + copy of which, containing news and being unstamped, rendered me liable to + a fine of £20 each copy. Now 104,000 x 12 x £20 exceeded more millions of + indebtedness than I like to set down. Any arithmetical reader can + ascertain the amount for himself. A friend in the Inland Revenue Office + first made the calculation for me, which astonished me very much, as it + did him. Had the whole sum been recoverable it might have saved the Budget + of a Chancellor of the Exchequer struggling with a deficit. + </p> + <p> + The Government were frequently asked to prosecute me. It was not from any + tenderness to me that they did not. It was their reluctance to give + publicity to the <i>Reasoner</i> that caused them to refrain. It was the + advocacy of unusual opinion which gave me this immunity. + </p> + <p> + The <i>St. James's Gazette</i> asked me: "Is it justifiable for a good + citizen to break a law because he believes it to be wrong?" I answered + "No! unless the public good seems to require it, and that he who breaks + the law is prepared to take the consequences." I never evaded the + consequences, nor complained of them when they came. + </p> + <p> + If every one who breaks a law first satisfies himself that public interest + justifies it, and he is ready to meet the penalty, only bad laws would be + broken. It is also the duty of a citizen to find out whether there is any + practical way open for procuring the repeal of a bad law before breaking + it. Respect for law, under representative government, in which the + law-breaker has a share, is a cardinal duty of a citizen. + </p> + <p> + On my violation of the law in the matter of the <i>War Chronicles</i> Mr. + Gladstone (the Chancellor of the Exchequer) said to a deputation, that he + knew "my object was not to break the law, but to try the law." + </p> + <p> + The impulsive and the ambitious of repute may overlook this consideration, + but as I sought neither distinction nor martyrdom, I acted as I did + because no other course was open, and no other person would take this. + </p> + <p> + II. + </p> + <p> + In the year following the prosecution in the Court of Exchequer, Her + Majesty gave me further trouble in discharge of the odious duty imposed + upon her as collector of debts for the Church. As few know to-day how + hateful this impost was, it will be informing to see how the clerical case + was officially stated to me. It began as follows:— + </p> + <p> + "Mr. George Jacob Holyoake,—Take Notice that in and by certain Rates + or Assessments made by virtue of and for the purposes mentioned in the Act + of Parliament passed in the 4th Year of the Reign of her late Majesty + Queen Ann, Cap. 27, intituled, 'An Act for settling the Impropriate Tythes + of the Parish of Saint Bridgett, alias Bride's, London,' You are assessed + in respect of the Houses, Shops, Warehouses, Cellars, Stables, Tofts, + Grounds, or other Tenements or Hereditaments, within the said Parish + occupied by you, in four several Sums amounting to One pound four + shillings and eightpence for four several Quarters of a Year commencing at + the Feast of The Birth of our Lord Christ, 1854, and ending at the same + Feast in the Year 1855, and that such assessments are made on a Rental of + £74. Dated this 22nd day of May, 1856. + </p> + <p> + "John William Thomas, + </p> + <p> + "Collector of the said Rates." + </p> + <p> + These ecclesiastical cormorants took a hungry survey of every place + containing property on which they could lay hands. After the Rathcormac + massacre, where two sons of the widow Ryan were shot by the soldiers, + employed by the Church in collecting its rates—how appropriate and + consoling it must be to a bereaved mother to read that the rates commenced + to be due at "The Feast of the Birth of our Lord Christ!" Yet there are + people who go about promoting prosecutions for blasphemy, and with a holy + partiality leave untouched outrages like these. The summons sent to me + speaks of the "late Queen Ann," who had been dead 140 years. Her name + being spelt "Ann" shows that she had been dead long enough to lose the + final "e" of her name. The rent of the Fleet Street house was £74, £400 + having been paid for the lease. Each time there came on the scene the + local agent of the Church, who delivered an interesting intimation as + follows:— + </p> + <p> + "Mr. George Jacob Holyoake,—I do hereby demand payment of One pound + four shillings and eightpence, due from you for Rates made in pursuance of + the Act of Parliament passed in the 4th Year of the Reign of her late + Majesty Queen Ann, Cap. 17, intituled, 'An Act for settling the + Impropriate Tythes of the Parish of Saint Bridgett, alias Brides, London.' + And take notice that unless the same be paid to me within Four Days next + after the demand thereof hereby made, I shall Distrain your Goods and + Chattels, and sell and dispose thereof, and out of the Monies arising + thereby pay the said Sum of Money, and the Costs allowed by the Acts of + Parliament in that case made and provided. + </p> + <p> + "Dated this 22nd day of May, 1856. + </p> + <p> + "John William Thomas, + </p> + <p> + "Collector of the said Rates." + </p> + <p> + The predatory Vicar of St. Bride's, for whose advantage the contemplated + seizure was being made, remained in the background, praying for my soul + while he picked my pocket, as I regarded his action. + </p> + <p> + After two or three seizures of property, I sent to the vicar payment "in + kind"—the form in which the payment of tithe was originally + contributed. The chief produce of my farm in Fleet Street consisted in + volumes of the <i>Reasoner</i>. I sent the vicar three volumes, which + exceeded in value his demand. He troubled me no more. + </p> + <p> + The last citation relates to a trial in which Lord Chief Justice Coleridge + was concerned, and Henry Thomas Buckle made a splendid defence of a poor + well-sinker who was afraid of killing the world. + </p> + <p> + III. + </p> + <p> + In a Cornish village in 1857 small patch advertisements broke out like + small-pox, of which the following is a copy:— + </p> + <p> + "BLASPHEMY. + </p> + <p> + "Any person who has seen a man writing Blasphemous sentences on Gates or + other places in the neighbourhood of Liskeard, is requested to communicate + immediately with Messrs. Pedler and Grylls, Liskeard, or with the Rev. R. + Hobhouse, St. Ive Rectory." + </p> + <p> + Whether the perturbed Rector of St Ive found out anything, or whether + ashamed, as he might well be, at being mixed up in so miserable a + business, he retired from it, and the Rev. Paul Bush appeared in his place + as a spiritual detective on the pounce, and a poor, eccentric well-sinker, + one Thomas Pooley, was accused of writing in chalk incoherent words in a + hand only intelligible to the all-construing eyes of the policeman of the + Church, who caused to be issued the following ponderous summons in her + Majesty's name:— + </p> + <p> + "To Thomas Pooley, of the Borough of Liskeard in the County of Cornwall, + Labourer. + </p> + <p> + "Cornwall to wit, Whereas Information and Complaint (a) hath this day been + laid before the undersigned, one of Her Majesty's Justices of the Peace in + and (b) for the said County of Cornwall by The Reverend Paul Bush of the + Parish of Duloe, in the said County, for that you the said Thomas Pooley + on the twenty-second of May last at the Parish of Duloe, in the said + County, did unlawfully and wilfully compose, write and publish a certain + scandalous, impious, blasphemous and profane Libel of and concerning the + Holy Scriptures and the Christian Religion, and for having blasphemously + spoken against God and profanely scoffed at the Holy Scripture, and + exposed it to contempt and ridicule, and also for having spoken against + Christianity and the established religion. + </p> + <p> + "These are therefore to command you in Her Majesty's name, to be and + appear on Wednesday the 1st day of July next at 10 o'clock in the + Forenoon, at Treean Gate in the Parish of Lanewath in the said County, + before such said Justices of the Peace for the County as may then be + there, to answer to the said Information and Complaint, and to be further + dealt with according to Law. + </p> + <p> + "Given under my hand and Seal this 27th day of June, in the year of our + Lord one thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven, at Liskeard in the County + aforesaid. + </p> + <p> + "James Glencross." + </p> + <p> + Notes on the summons were:—"(a) If upon Oath insert 'On Oath.' (b) + Erase the words in italic when summons is issued by Justice acting out of + jurisdiction in which he resides." + </p> + <p> + There is more untruth and holy malevolence in this summons than Pooley was + ever known to be guilty of in all his life. Mr. Bush charges Mr. Pooley + with "wilfully composing" the words complained of. Everybody in the parish + knew that he had not the mental coherence to "compose" anything. He had + neither spoken against God—for he was a believer in Him—nor + was he a preacher either in pulpit or on street corner. Nor did he "speak" + about God, except when he was being stripped in gaol. His "scoffing + against the Holy Scriptures" merely meant that he was incensed against + priests. The charge that he had published a "scandalous, impious, + blasphemous, and profane libel" was simply the reckless, false, + professional language of the clergyman and lawyer who drew up the summons, + which would be counted unscrupulous and venomous in other persons. In this + summons we have the same profanation of the Queen's name as we have + already seen. How can a monarch expect his office or character to be held + in esteem who permits his or her name to be cited for the purposes of any + bigot who has spite in his heart and falsehood on his lips? People cease + to respect a monarch who has no respect for himself. + </p> + <p> + There was more of the evil spirit of untruth in the charges in the summons + than in all Mr. Pooley's vague and honest anger. I went down to Duloe to + see Mr. Bush, and found him residing in a spacious house, with a pleasant + outlook of roads and fields before it, while poor Pooley lived in wells. + Why should one so well-placed as the Rev. Paul Bush conspire to procure + twenty-one months' imprisonment for this friendless, half-demented + parishioner? Very likely Mr. Bush was by nature a kind-hearted clergyman + in whom theology generated— + </p> + <p> + "Words, Which turned the milk of kindness into curds." + </p> + <p> + At the trial Pooley, who was entirely undefended received a sentence of + twenty-one months' imprisonment. The son of the judge, Sir John Duke + Coleridge, who prosecuted, said, "It was not the prosecution of opinion in + any sense, but society was to be protected from outrage and indecency." If + so, six weeks' imprisonment was more than sufficient in a case in which + there was no wantonness and only half-insane conviction in it Mr. Thomas + Henry Buckle, the famous historian of Civilisation, wrote in <i>Fraser</i> + an indignant and generous denunciation of the sentence, and those + concerned in it. It was the last great letter of a philosopher in defence + of the mental liberty of a poor man, and no equal to it appeared in the + century. I published an account of Pooley's case, which Buckle saw. Sir + John Duke (who afterwards became Lord Chief Justice Coleridge) had + behaved, as prosecuting counsel, better than I knew, as I admitted when I + did know it. Still, the sentence (twenty-one months' imprisonment) will + always stand on record as atrocious, apart from the irresponsible + condition of the offender. The words said to be "spoken," and which were + made a count in his indictment, were mere exclamations, provoked by the + irritation of gaolers, which the prisoner had neither means nor intent of + publishing. A barrister in court was struck by the signs of insanity in + Pooley, unnoticed by the preoccupied eyes of the judge and his son. + </p> + <p> + Pooley, as we have said, was a well-sinker, a tall, strongly-built man of + honest aspect and of good courage and fidelity, who had descended into a + deep well and rescued his master from death. Though not a philosopher, + Pooley, like some who were, was a wild sort of Pantheist. He thought this + world to be an organism, and believed it to be alive; and such was the + tenderness and reverence of his devotion that nothing could persuade him + to dig a well beyond a certain depth, lest he should wound the heart of + the world. + </p> + <p> + Some years later Lord Coleridge informed me that he did not press the case + against Pooley, and that he had no idea he was of uncertain mind, nor did + his father suspect it. I thought it was impossible they could be unaware + of it, as it was well known to all Liskeard. In justice to Lord + Coleridge's father, I ought to say, that when he subsequently became aware + of Pooley's condition of mind, he at once consented to his liberation, and + Pooley was taken home, after four months' imprisonment, in the carriage of + the governor of the gaol, who had sympathy for him. Sir William Molesworth + and Sir Erskine Perry were, after Mr. Buckle, the chief instruments of his + liberation. The facts I have related of the Coleridges were not known to + me when I first saw Mr. Buckle, who wrote upon the information I gave him. + Pooley was a resolute man, who had self-respect and would not wear the + prison dress. When it was put upon him he tore it to shreds, and he was + left naked in the dark cell in which he was confined. He would have been + made quite mad had he not been released when he was. + </p> + <p> + IV. + </p> + <p> + The last case in which I supply documentary evidence is that concerning + the limelight placed on the Clock Tower at Westminster. No member of + Parliament had thought of it, nor should I, had I not needed it for my own + convenience. I was then secretary to Mr. (afterwards Sir) Joseph Cowen. + When he wished to take part in a division he would ask me to ascertain + whether the House was sitting. In those days there were two lamp-posts in + Palace Yard with three lights each, which were kept in while the "House + was sitting," but when the "House was up" two of the lights were + extinguished. There was no other sign, and I had often to ride from + Redcliffe Square, Brompton, to Palace Yard before the signal-light could + be seen. The limelight had just been perfected, and it occurred to me that + if an effective light was placed on the Clock Tower it would be + conspicuous for miles around, and members of Parliament, dining in the + suburbs, could learn by that sign when the House was sitting and its + absence would indicate that the House was up. I wrote to Lord John + Manners, giving reasons of Parliamentary convenience for the institution + of such a light Lord John was then First Commissioner of Works. The + following is a copy of the letter directed to be sent to me:— + </p> + <p> + "Office of Works, 12, Whitehall Place, S.W." It is requested that any + answer to this letter may be directed to The Private Secretary to the + First Commissioner of H.M. Works. + </p> + <p> + "8—1—68. + </p> + <p> + "Sir,—I am desired by Lord John Manners to acknowledge with thanks + the receipt of your letter, and suggestions. + </p> + <p> + "Your faithful servant, + </p> + <p> + "H. Stuart Wortlev. + </p> + <p> + "G. J. Holyoake, Esq." + </p> + <p> + Nothing was done during Lord John Manners' reign as Commissioner of Works, + but when Mr. A. S. Ayrton became Commissioner of the Board, he found the + letter in the archives of the office, and had the light erected. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0012" id="link2HCH0012"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER XII. UNFORESEEN QUALITIES IN PUBLIC MEN + </h2> + <p> + I. + </p> + <p> + Without noticing unexpected qualities now and then, and remembering them, + many are needlessly discouraged in purposes of improvement. The two + Bramwells, the judge and his brother Frederick, were both men of great + parts. This narrative relates to the Judge, who could do mischief at will—and + did it. It was Baron Bramwell who protected the bribers of Berwick. It is + to judges of his political proclivities, to whom bribers look still for + countenance. Young men of to-day enjoy advantages unknown to their + forefathers, and the new generation are mostly ignorant how their good + fortune, which Liberalism brought them, came to them—and they make + no inquiry. Not only have they no pride in sustaining the political + traditions of their family, but their base ambition is to give the + influence of the position they have attained to that party who put every + impediment in the way of their ever emerging from social and industrial + obscurity—a condition from which they did not deserve to be rescued. + </p> + <p> + Political reformers used to complain of bribery at elections, by which a + few wealthy political adventurers tempted the baser sort of citizens to + sell the liberties of the nation to them. Tories, by the law of their + being, seek authority by which the majority of them intend the control of + public affairs for their own advantage. They supply money for corruption, + intending to refund themselves by place and profit when the resources of + the State come under their manipulation. Even judges of their party accord + them legal security in their political nefariousness. + </p> + <p> + When the Liberals of Newcastle-on-Tyne claimed that Parliament should + terminate electoral bribery, Lord John Russell said the law was already + against it, and that the Newcastle applicants to the House of Commons + should put bribery down at their own door, meaning in Berwick-on-Tweed, + notorious for it Lord John had never tried to do this, or he would not + have advised the attempt His counsel at the time seemed reasonable, and + what came of it was shown in a petition from the Northern Reform Union, + sent to Parliament (1859), which set forth as follows:— + </p> + <p> + That the petitioners were members of a society named "The Northern Reform + Union," which was instituted for the purpose of obtaining a further Reform + of the Representation of the People of these Realms in Parliament, and for + the purpose of vindicating that purity and freedom of election which is + essential to a true representative system. Amongst other steps with a view + to these purposes, the said petitioners were induced to institute + inquiries into certain corrupt practices, alleged to have taken place in + the election of a member for the town of Berwick-upon-Tweed. + </p> + <p> + The result of these inquiries was, that the petitioners were induced, as a + matter of public duty, to prosecute certain electors of the town of + Berwick-upon-Tweed for the offence of offering bribes at the election + aforesaid. The prosecution was instituted under the provision of the Act + of 1854, known as "The Corrupt Practices Prevention Act," when one or more + of the persons upon whom writs were served in accordance with the + provisions of the Act, made affidavit that to the best of their belief, + Mr. Richard Bagnall Reed, the secretary of the Northern Reform Union and + the nominal prosecutor in these cases, was not of ability to pay the costs + of suit in case of nonsuit, and applied through their counsel to Sir G. W. + Bramwell, one of the Barons of Her Majesty's Court of Exchequer, to make + order that security should be lodged for payment of the costs in these + actions if proceeded with. A report of the particulars of this application + was published in a newspaper printed at Newcasde under the title of the <i>Northern + Daily Express</i>, which report is verbatim, as follows:— + </p> + <p> + "London, <i>December</i> 16, 1859. + </p> + <p> + "Actions have been commenced, at the suit of Mr. R. B. Reed, the secretary + of the Northern Reform Union, against several persons suspected of bribery + at the last Berwick election. The actions are founded on the 5th Section + of 'The Corrupt Practices Prevention Act, 1854,' which provides that 'any + one who shall be guilty of using any undue influence at any Parliamentary + election shall not only be guilty of a misdemeanour, but shall also be + liable to forfeit the sum of fifty pounds to any person who shall sue for + the same, together with full costs of suit.' + </p> + <p> + "An application was made at chambers before the Hon. Mr. Baron B ram well, + on the part of the defendants in the above actions, for an order that the + plaintiff should give security for costs. + </p> + <p> + "Mr. Chitty appeared in support of the application. + </p> + <p> + "Mr. Rutherford appeared on behalf of the secretary of the Northern Reform + Union to oppose the granting of the order. + </p> + <p> + "Mr. Chitty founded his application on an affidavit, which stated that Mr. + Reed was not the real plaintiff in the action; he was only instigated by + the Northern Reform Union, who were the real plaintiffs. A copy of the <i>Northern + Daily Express</i> was annexed as an exhibit to the affidavit, and a + passage was read from it relating to the proceedings of the Northern + Reform Union. Mr. Chitty cited cases to prove that where a plaintiff in an + action was for the benefit of third parties, he is bound to give security + for costs; and he endeavoured to show that in the event of the action + being decided in the defendant's favour, it would be in vain to look to + the plaintiff for costs. + </p> + <p> + "Mr. Baron Bramwell hereupon made the following extraordinary remark: + 'This Northern Reform Union is a purity society. It consists of patriots, + and surely these gentlemen will only be too eager to give any security + that may be desired, if it were merely to show their high-mindedness and + integrity.' + </p> + <p> + "Mr. Rutherford said that his Lordship, on looking into the case, would + find that the application now made was a vexatious proceeding to throw + obstacles in the way of the plaintiff. Mr. Reed was the secretary of the + Union, and the proper person to sue. The Union must sue in the name of + some one, and who so proper as their secretary? The authorities that had + been cited on the other side did not touch the case, because the plaintiff + was suing for penalties, which, if recovered, would be for his own + benefit. It mattered not at whose instigation he was suing. He was suing + for a penalty, which the Act of Parliament gave him the right to sue for. + </p> + <p> + "Mr. Baron Bramwell: 'What is the plaintiffs position? Is he a man of + substance?' + </p> + <p> + "Mr. Rutherford: 'He is, I am told, a gentleman of a respectable position. + But that is not the question; it appears clearly from the authorities that + in penal actions the courts have refused to order security, even in cases + where the common informer was a person of great poverty. In one case Mr. + Justice Bayley says, "Many <i>qui tam</i> actions have been brought by men + who were worth nothing, but there is no instance of their being compelled + to give security for costs. It might happen that the penalties had been + incurred, but their recovery would be defeated by requiring such a + security."' + </p> + <p> + "Mr. Baron Bramwell here observed: 'There is great force in that Men of + property are not likely to trouble themselves about such things. I think I + cannot make the order. Cannot some agreement be come to between the + parties? Mr. Chitty, will you name any other member of the Union to be + substituted as plaintiff instead of Mr. Reed? Some one must be plaintiff; + and the same argument you have used against Mr. Reed would apply to any + one else.' + </p> + <p> + "A long discussion here ensued. + </p> + <p> + "Mr. Rutherford said he could not, without the consent of his clients, + agree to substitute another person as plaintiff. The Act would become a + dead letter if the judges allowed obstacles to be thrown in the way of + carrying it out. There was no ground at all for this application, and if + his Lordship granted it, it was impossible to conceive under what + circumstances a similar application would be refused. + </p> + <p> + "Mr. Chitty insisted that his clients would not be able to recover their + costs if the action were decided in their favour. It was a very hard thing + to be compelled to defend an action at the suit of invisible personages. + His Lordship had said that 'purity principles were all very fine.' + </p> + <p> + "Mr. Baron Bramwell: 'No doubt they are. It is very easy to go about + professing integrity. To commence actions against people for penalties + when the plaintiff cannot pay the costs, is a cheap way of becoming a + patriot—cheap and, I think, nasty. I find that the Act gives me a + discretion. The affidavits made by the defendants have not been answered. + I shall make the order.' + </p> + <p> + "The order was made accordingly. + </p> + <p> + "The petitioners were informed and believed that the report quoted was + substantially and literally correct. It was reprinted and commented upon + by various other journals, and no attempt to question its accuracy was + made, either on the part of the learned judge or of any other person. + </p> + <p> + "The petitioners were persuaded that the language asserted to have been + used by the learned judge on this occasion cannot be deemed by, nor appear + to Parliament either befitting the station of him who used it, or just + towards the suitors in this prosecution, who were taking legal steps, + under a sense of public duty, to put a stop to practices which tend to + corrupt the source of all law. + </p> + <p> + "The petitioners submitted that the order made on this occasion is + contrary to all precedent, and inconsistent with the intention and + enactments of the said Corrupt Practices Act, which by Section 13 + expressly limits the obligation on the plaintiff to find security for + costs to those cases only where he may seek to recover, by order of the + judge, the costs of prosecution for offences against the Act. + </p> + <p> + "The petitioners urged that they did not deserve to have their motives and + characters thus questioned and sneered away, nor did they think that such + language as that imputed to Baron Bramwell can tend to add to that respect + for the law and those who administer it which the petitioners trusted may + never be lost amongst Englishmen. + </p> + <p> + "On the contrary, such language appeared to the petitioners calculated to + cause the people to believe that a complicity with such practices exists + amongst the administrators of the law; subversive at once of justice and + of the representative portion of the Legislature. + </p> + <p> + "The petitioners, therefore, prayed the honourable House of Commons to + take such steps as might appear to it most fitting, to bring the matter + under the notice of Her Majesty and her advisers in such a mode as may + prevent a repetition of the same." + </p> + <p> + This remarkable petition, which may be read in the records of the House, + bore the signatures of the following persons:— + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + Thomas Doubleday, + James Eadie, + James Watson, + James Hay, + Jos. Cowen, jun., + Robert Sutherland, + Thomas Gregson, + Thomas Allen, + Jos. Barlow, + Thomas Spotswood, jun., + John Emerson, + Robert Ramsay, + William Douglas, + James Reed, and thirty-three others. +</pre> + <p> + The character of Baron Bramwells remarks—the impediments he must + well know he was putting in the way of any prosecution for bribery in + Berwick; the words by which he sought to intimidate the prosecutors by + holding them up to public ridicule—the language of the petition + appropriately characterised. Baron Bramwell could not be ignorant of the + great expense which had been incurred in taking legal proceedings against + the persons accused of bribery and in collecting evidence long after the + time when the acts of bribery occurred. Such evidence is expensive to + collect at the time, and much costlier at a later stage. After obtaining + witnesses it was necessary to protect them from being spirited away at the + time of the trial—no uncommon occurrence in these cases. Many + hundreds of pounds must have been spent before the case reached the stage + when Baron Bramwell was appealed to by the accused to put obstacles in the + way of the charges against them being tried. The penalties recoverable + under the Act would not have covered a tenth part of these costs. Those + who appealed to Baron Bramwell for protection knew perfectly well, as all + Durham and Northumberland knew, that any costs they might be able to claim + against Mr. Reed would be met. Baron Bramwell, by the remarks he uttered + and the order he made, aided and abetted the bribery, and protected those + who committed it. The Baron's observation that "men of property would not + be likely to trouble themselves" to put the Act in force against electoral + corruption, was true and significant. The "men of property" were they who + profited by it; and if any man of property had justice and patriotic + spirit sufficient to prosecute bribers, he was certain to incur annoyance + and loss, and subject himself to offensive comments such as Baron Bramwell + made. It was the duty of a judge, to whom the Act gave discretion, to use + it in favour of public purity, and not to favour public corruption. Though + no other judge behaved so flagrantly ill as Baron Bramwell, there were few + who could be trusted to render justice to Reformers. + </p> + <p> + The Tory judge, Baron Bramwell, sneered away all chance of a just verdict, + and Mr. Joseph Cowens noble effort to vindicate electoral purity cost him + £2,000 and whatever obloquy and derision the venomous tongue of the judge + could heap upon him. + </p> + <p> + Let men beware of principles which render corruption congenial—and + let them honour the memory of those who made heroic sacrifices for + electoral integrity. + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + It is happily exceptional when political partisanship perverts the sense + of justice in a judge. Sometimes the sense of truth, characteristic of + Liberalism (for it is not worth while being a Liberal unless it implies + the ascendency of truth) is perverted by political exigency or obscured by + excitement. An instance of this occurred where it was little expected. + </p> + <p> + II. + </p> + <p> + Mr. J. Humffreys Parry drew up the legal part of my defence at Gloucester + in 1842. He was then a young law student, living in lodgings at (what was + then) No. 5, Gray's Inn Road, near Theobalds' Road. His grandfather was + editor of the Cambro-Briton, and one of the founders, in 1820, of the + Cymmrodorion Society. But we knew nothing of this. We only knew young + Humffreys as a stalwart, energetic platform speaker. Radical, bold, and + impetuous, but so manifestly sincere, that it atoned for his somewhat + gaseous style of speaking. Like O'Connell, he acquired eventually two + styles. Parry's legal style became Demosthenic in its terseness. For the + research and care he took to prepare my legal defences, he ought, even at + that stage of his career, to have received twenty guineas, but for it he + received nothing, nor asked for anything. When he became Mr. Serjeant + Parry he abandoned his platform style altogether, for one of uncoloured + vigour, which gave him ascendency at the Bar. Had he lived a few years + longer than he did he would have become one of our judges. His son—known + as Judge Parry—was shot by a suitor, while presiding at a Manchester + court, but not shot fatally. He is still known with distinction as a + judge, as an author, and dramatic critic. Thus three generations of Parrys + have been notable. + </p> + <p> + Years ago propagandists of new opinion were often assisted by Mr. Robert + Mackay, author of a powerful work on the "Progress of the Intellect." A + silent, unobtrusive man, Mr. Mackay would be seen at times at meetings or + lectures, but never taking any public part He seemed to shrink back when + addressed, and was as reserved as an affrighted man. In his quiet way, of + his own initiative, he took much trouble to promote the opening of the + National Gallery on Sundays, and went personally to men of note in law, + science, and art, to solicit their signatures to a memorial in favour of + opening public treasures on Sundays for the refinement of the poor, that + being the only day when they had a leisure hour to see them. Among others, + Mr. Mackay called on Mr. Serjeant Parry, who signed the memorial. Later + the Serjeant was a Parliamentary candidate for Finsbury. Some super-fervid + free Sunday advocate went to electoral meetings, asking Mr. Parry whether + he would vote for the opening of the National Gallery. There are always + "fool-friends" of progress, who are ever ready to ruin it by their Pauline + zeal of doing things in season and out of season. It was well known to all + concerned that he would vote for an "Open Door" of art. But if the + constituency knew it, it would cost him the votes of most of the Puritan + portion of the electors. Forgetful, at the moment, of the incident that he + had signed the memorial, the candidate denied that he had. One morning + when due in court, he had hurriedly signed his name to some documents + brought before him, among them the memorial sent in by Mr. Mackay. + Whereupon this modest, retiring, shrinking, impalpable gentleman went into + turbulent meetings, vindictively parading the actual memorial to confront + the candidate. This proceeding cost Mr. Parry his election. It was a + warning to public men against signing a liberal document which might be + needlessly obtruded against them at a critical conjuncture. Thus the + Sunday League lost a Parliamentary defender, who, from persuasion of the + righteousness and rightfulness of its objects, would have stood by it The + word of Mr. Mackay would have been quite sufficient to vindicate the + honour of the League, had he waited till the election was over. But the + unexpected thing was to see Mr. Mackay—who had never spoken at a + meeting before—appearing at crowded and tumultuous assemblies, where + a strong and resolute man might have hesitated to present himself. + </p> + <p> + The answer of Mr. Serjeant Parry in question was given without + premeditation; it was evident to the audience that it was made under the + inspiration of an after-dinner speech, when robust barristers, in those + days, were liable to airiness or eccentricity of statement. Being pursued + vindictively, he became too indignant to give the obvious explanation of + the inadvertency of his denial of his signature. + </p> + <p> + III. + </p> + <p> + There are saints of the Church and saints of humanity; Lord Shaftesbury + was a saint of both churches. There are two kinds of Conservatives, as I + have elsewhere said.* One class seek power for personal aggrandisement; + another, and better class, covet it as a means of doing good. Lord + Shaftesbury belonged to this class. Through not making this distinction, + the whole Conservative body are made answerable for the actions of a part + Discrimination is as just in politics as in morals. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * "Life of Joseph Rayner Stephens, Preacher and Political + Orator." +</pre> + <p> + Lord Shaftesbury was a nobleman of two natures. In politics he would + withhold power from workmen. In humanity he would withhold nothing from + them which could do them good. In theology he knew no measure. Of + Professor Seeley's book, "Ecce Homo," he said it was "vomited from the + mouth of hell." Surely something ought to be pardoned to a writer who made + Satan sick. At an earlier day such language had handed the luckless + Professor over to Torquemada. Yet Lord Shaftesbury was so courteous, + tender, and friendly to Nonconformists, that he laid more foundation + stones of Dissenting chapels than any other peer or patron. Should England + one day be counted among extinct civilisations, and some explorers arrive + to excavate its ruins, they will come upon so many stones deposited by + Lord Shaftesbury and bearing his name, that report will be made of the + discovery of the king of the last dynasty. Whatever contradictions + biographers may have to record of the character of Lord Shaftesbury, + everything will be forgiven him in consideration of his noble exertions on + behalf of factory children. He sought to improve the condition of women in + mines and collieries. Public health, emigration, ragged-schools, penny + banks, drinking-fountains, and model lodging-houses were subjects of his + generous solicitude. Lord Shaftesbury was one of the earliest of slum + visitors. He was essentially and exclusively a social reformer. He took no + part in political amelioration. He believed that working people only + clamoured for political enfranchisement because they were ill-used and + uncomfortable. He saw no further. Their desire for independence never + occurred to him. His sympathy with co-operators was on moral grounds. It + was quite unforeseen by any, and had little acceptance in his day, that he + should advise, that the agencies for planting Christianity among heathen + nations should include the secular missionary, who must precede the + Christian teacher to prepare the soil of the soul by social amelioration + before the seeds of Christianity could take root Like Faraday, Lord + Shaftesbury had a dual mind. Faraday reasoned like a Sandemanian on + questions of faith and like a philosopher on questions of science. In like + manner Lord Shaftesbury was a sectarian in piety and a latitudinarian in + humanity. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0013" id="link2HCH0013"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER XIII. THE COBDEN SCHOOL + </h2> + <p> + <a name="linkimage-0004" id="linkimage-0004"> + <!-- IMG --></a> + </p> + <div class="fig" style="width:80%"> + <img src="images/cobden.jpg" alt="Cobden " width="100%" /><br /> + </div> + <p> + There never was a "Manchester School," though a volume has been published + upon it. It never had professor nor special tenets. Manchester stands for + Free Trade and nothing more. Its three great leaders—Thomas + Thomasson, Richard Cobden, and John Bright—were also for Peace, + Retrenchment, and Reform, for the extension of the suffrage, and the + repeal of the taxes upon knowledge, because they were essential to the + popularity and maintenance of Free Trade. But Manchester took no special + interest, save in Free Trade, which was a local manufacturing necessity, + as well as a national one. + </p> + <p> + Mr. John Morley uses the term "Manchester School," as embodying the + personal convictions of the great Free Trade leaders. Manchester did a + great thing in adopting, adhering to, and enforcing Free Trade. That + itself is a noble distinction. + </p> + <p> + The advocacy of Thomasson, Cobden, and Bright included principles loftier + and wider than Manchester. The "Manchester School" is but a term of + courtesy used for convenience of reference, far less definite than the + "School of Bentham." The "School of Cobden" is intelligible, as covering a + larger area of thought than Manchester. As to Cobden, no one can presume + to give any new estimate of him, after John Morley has written his Life. + Therefore I confine myself to such personal incidents as came under my own + observation. + </p> + <p> + Once, when I had the pleasure to be a guest of Mr. Joseph Chamberlain at + Highbury, Mr. John Morley was present Conversation in the library turning + upon Cobden, I remarked that he had introduced more immorality into + politics than any other public man in my time. "How?" asked Mr. Morley, + with a quick, questioning look. I answered, "By advising electors to vote + for any candidate, irrespective of his politics, who would vote for the + repeal of the Corn Laws." This was in effect saying, "Vote for the devil, + provided the devil will vote for you," who, even if he keeps faith with + you, is a dangerous ally to put in power. In a speech to the council of + the Anti-Corn Law League in Manchester in September, 1842, Mr. Cobden + said: "We are no political body. We have refused to be bought by the + Tories;* we have kept aloof from the Whigs, and we will not join + partnership with either Radicals or Chartists;** but we hold out our hand, + ready to give it to all who are ready to advocate the total repeal of the + Corn and Provision Laws." + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * Would the Tories have bought them? What could they have + done with them? + + * Neither Radicals nor Chartists asked them. Both parties + conditionally opposed the Corn Law Repealers. Thomasson held + that the repeal of the Corn Laws could precede the Charter. + The Chartists contended that the Corn Laws could not be + repealed until the people had universal suffrage. Thomasson + was right. +</pre> + <p> + This doctrine, sanctioned by Cobden's illustrious name, has demoralised + politics and placed every Prime Minister at the mercy of every + conscientious party strong enough to defeat him by an unscrupulous + conspiracy in Caves, or at the poll. The Independent Labour Party founded + their Ishmaelitish policy (of <i>more</i> than aloofness) upon this + contagious Manchester speech—leaving out the friendly condition of + "readiness to give their hands" to any who advocate the interests of + Labour, which is their professed reason of being. Women who seek the + political emancipation of their sex adopt the policy of voting for Tories, + and Mr. Woodall, in their name, risked the wrecking of a Liberal + Government if it did not accede to their claim. Mr. Cobden, in inviting + electors to vote for Conservatives who were against the Corn Laws, would + have established Tory ascendancy in the land. Considering that the + stricken condition of the people was through their food being taxed, + Toryism might be a lesser evil than the denial of Free Trade. Cobden might + reasonably be of opinion that no party can do so much harm as starvation, + and therefore felt justified in possibly destroying the Liberal party to + save the people. But he should have qualified his policy by restricting it + to extreme cases, where the arrest of a progressive Government is a lesser + peril than refusing a particular and paramount claim. Without such + qualification Cobden's precedent proclaimed a policy of selfishness which + fights for its own hand against the general interest of the State. This is + the charge which Liberals bring against the aristocracy. It is the policy + of Self which makes the multiplication of parties a public danger. Such + unqualified advocacy of reforms carries with it an element of national + hostility. Justifying himself by the example of Cobden, we have seen the + publican going for the bung, and the teetotaler for the teapot The + anti-vaccinator will risk poisoning the nation by Toryism in order to + arrest the lancet; as certain workmen will destroy Liberalism in the + interest of Labour. Thus, generally speaking, every party is for its own + hand and none for the State. + </p> + <p> + The great French Revolution, which promised the emancipation of Europe, + was destroyed by the determination of each party to obtain the ascendancy + of its own theories, at the peril of the Republic. + </p> + <p> + The Society for Repealing the Taxes upon Knowledge met in many places. + When Francis Place was chairman we met in Essex Street. At one time we met + in the rooms of the secretary, Mr. C. D. Collet, in Great Coram Street, + within a door or two of the house where a girl was killed, for which a + Dutch clergyman was arrested, and falsely and ignominiously imprisoned for + a time. Bright and Cobden attended committee meetings in Great Coram + Street. + </p> + <p> + One day when Cobden came, he walked to the House of Commons after the + meeting, through falling snow, in the quiet, meditative way peculiar to + him. As I had some duties in the House of Commons in those days, I + followed him, curious to see what streets he would go through, wondering + as I went along, at the disinterested and unnoted services so great a man, + of European fame, rendered to the interests of the working people. + Mistaken Chartists were denouncing Cobden, Bright, and Milner-Gibson as + Whigs—as mere middle-class advocates—these libelled leaders + were generously and disinterestedly labouring to confer upon the working + class the enfranchisement of the Press—although they knew full well + it would put larger means of assailing them into the hands of their + defamers. Why should Mr. Cobden walk through the snow to put new power in + their hands—save from nobleness of nature, which helped others, + irrespective of any advantage to himself—irrespective even of their + goodwill? He not only personally attended committees, as Bright and Gibson + also did, but often sent us letters explaining principle or policy which + implied constant thought upon the movement as well as labour for it. + </p> + <p> + The "pale-faced manufacturer" was a champion of the industrial classes, + which he foresaw would come into the field, which were thought then good + enough for paying taxes, but who were to be kept out of the pale of the + governing classes. + </p> + <p> + Thus I conceived and retained a personal affection for Cobden, + notwithstanding his aversion for some views he supposed me to hold. + </p> + <p> + When it was advised that I should appear at the London Tavern to oppose + Mr. Peter Borthwick's design of setting up a separate society for the + repeal of the paper duty, which would divide the forces for the repeal of + the whole of the taxes upon knowledge, Bright hesitated as to the + propriety of sending me on that mission. "What I am thinking of," said + Bright, "is whether we shall not be taken as seeking the repeal of the + Thirty-nine Articles instead of the taxes on knowledge." Cobden was more + fearless in things intellectual. I was deputed to speak at the Borthwick + meeting. + </p> + <p> + Though Cobden's mind was engrossed in public affairs, public affairs were + never master of him. He always possessed himself. + </p> + <p> + Sir Alexander Burne's despatches were long withheld, and when produced, at + Mr. Blight's instigation, they were found to be so mutilated that they + were spoken of as the "forged" despatches. It was of that transaction that + Cobden said, "Palmerston was so impartial, that he had no bias, not even + towards the truth," showing that he could speak epigrams that cut into a + reputation. + </p> + <p> + One night Mr. Cobden brought to me in the Bill Room of the House of + Commons a blind young man, whom he said he wished to introduce to me. It + was Mr. Henry Fawcett, of whom he said great things might be expected in + the future. Mr. Cobden had procured for Mr. Fawcett an order for the + Speaker's Gallery. He was waiting for admission, as the doorkeeper told + him there was no room. Amid all the chatter and bustle of the Lobby, Mr. + Fawcett's ears were up that staircase, and he said, "I hear footsteps + coming down," which meant there was a vacant seat, and Mr. Fawcett was + admitted. No one else had heard the descending feet. It was that night + that Mr. Cobden told me, in answer to a question put to him, that he + "believed, had it not been for the occurrence of the Irish famine, all the + vast educative efforts of the Anti-Corn Law League would not have effected + the repeal of the Corn Laws at that time." Nevertheless, the great + propagandist activity of the League was the main element of success. The + Anti-Corn Law agitation of the League was a triumph of argument aided by + calamity. Subsequendy Mr. Fawcett became a professor, and an authority on + political economy. At Social Science meetings, wherever or whenever I + asked him to aid the Co-operative question of Co-partnership—by + defining it in debate, as public ideas were confused about it—he + would always find or make occasion to do so. + </p> + <p> + In order that Co-operation should be represented at his funeral, I + travelled across country through the early morning fog, from Leicester to + Trumpington, where he was buried. I found in the churchyard my early + friend, Sir Michael Foster, who had like regard for the dead + Postmaster-General. I was the only person known to be connected with the + Co-operative movement who was present at his grave that day. + </p> + <p> + How well Cobden could take care of himself appeared in a matter in which + my friend, Thornton Hunt, to my great regret, was in the wrong. The <i>Times</i> + had published defamatory imputations on Mr. Cobden, who took the editor, + Mr. Delane, by the throat and held him with a grasp of such vigour that + when he died the marks of Cobdens fingers were upon the neck of his + reputation. The <i>Daily Telegraph</i>, of which Mr. Thornton Hunt was + consulting editor, published comments in defence of the <i>Times</i> on + Cobdens letter to Delane, but refused to insert Cobden's letter of self + defence. Mr. Hunt, who had real regard for Cobden, wrote to assure him of + it, and gave as the reason for declining to insert his letter, his fear + lest it should damage his reputation. It was the same as saying to Cobden, + "Our readers have a great regard for you, but if you should prove you are + not a knave, you will sink in their estimation." The ineffable meanness + and audacity of this inspired Mr. Cobden with a contemptuous indignation, + and he told Mr. Hunt there was only one favour he could do him, and that + was not to take his reputation under his repellent patronage. + </p> + <p> + Apart from instances such as the perfidy to Cobden, Mr. Delane was a great + editor, determining the fluctuating policy of the <i>Times</i> (the policy + of the ascendancy of prevailing opinion, right or wrong), selecting + leading articles and defining the lines to be taken by the writers. Robert + Lowe (afterwards Lord Sherbrooke) received directions which might + themselves be printed as leaders in brief. As it was Mr. Lowe's custom to + throw Mr. Delane's letters into his paper basket, they came into the hands + of his butterman, who, having practical curiosity, took them to Mr. James + Beal, who, upon the advice of Mr. Bright, sent them back to Mr. Lowe. All + who saw the letters were surprised at the fidelity of the articles as they + appeared in the <i>Times</i> to Mr. Delane's preconceived comprehensive, + explicit, and well-defined tenor. + </p> + <p> + It was a favourite story told against Cobden by his adversaries, that when + he visited the Central Illinois Railway, the company gave free tickets to + residents near each station, that the seeming crowd of travellers might + impose on Cobden to report well on its prospects. + </p> + <p> + It is what sharp business Americans might be supposed to do. But it did + not impose on the popular traveller, whom many naturally strove to see. + The chief of the company was candid to him* Mr. Morley has made clear that + what did influence Cobden was the prospect of advancing the welfare of + emigrants abroad. + </p> + <p> + At the Great Exhibition of 1851 a belief arose that international commerce + would increase. A friend of mine, Mr. Allsop, like Cobden, lost a large + fortune by premature enthusiasm. Mr. Cobden's was a like error, but a + generous one. + </p> + <p> + On the night of Cobden's last speech in Rochdale, I was one of the + audience in the great Mill Room in which he spoke. He sent to me a note + from the platform. It was the last I received from him. I was that night + more conscious than ever before of his wonderful self-possession in + speaking. He held up as it were, in the air, a chief sentence as he spoke + it, and supplied, before he left it, the qualification he saw it needed, + or the amplification he saw it required, so that malignity could not + pervert it, nor ignorance misunderstand it. After making the longest + speech of his life to the largest audience he had ever met in one room, he + was taken to the house of a friend, where he was kept standing on the cold + marble hearth in a fireless room, while his friends greeted him until late + that November night. To a man of Cobden's temperament standing is painful + after mental exhaustion. A cold followed the fireless reception. I knew in + Birmingham a speaker of great promise, Mr. J. H. Chamberlain (unrelated to + Mr. Joseph Chamberlain) who was surrounded by his friends after a long and + brilliant lecture, and when at last he sat down, he died. + </p> + <p> + I was in Lavington Churchyard when Cobden was buried. On our walk from the + station there, Mr. Gladstone, who was before me, turned round to shake + hands with a friend. I saw at once that he was a Lancashire man, which had + never struck me before. He shook hands from the shoulder, which I had + observed Lancashire men did. In the churchyard I lingered behind, and + stood within a clump of trees overlooking the grave. When Mr. Bright, who + had left the other mourners, came there himself, I moved noiselessly away. + He remained alone, looking down on the last resting-place of his + star-bright colleague in counsel and in fight. + </p> + <p> + Cobden excelled among politicians of the people in enthusiasm of the + intellect. He regarded strong, lucid argument as the omnipotent force of + progress. When one morning the news came, "<i>Cobden is dead</i>" it was + felt in every workshop in the land that a great power for peace and + industry was lost to the nation. His disciples have grown with succeeding + years, and if he be regarded as the founder of a school, no nobler one + exists among politicians. He laid the foundations of Free Trade, not only + for Manchester, but for the world. As Mr. Morley tells us in his great + "Life," Mr. Gladstone "ranked the introduction of cheap postage for + letters, documents, patterns, and printed matter, and the abolition of all + taxes on printed matter as in the catalogue of Free Trade legislation." + "These great measures," says Mr. Morley, "may well take their place beside + the abolition of prohibitions and protective duties, the simplifying of + revenue laws, and the repeal of the Navigation Act" These were all + Cobden's ideals. Most of them he called into being, and he was the + principal enchanter who gave them a local habitation and a name. + </p> + <p> + As with the "Manchester School," so with the term "Manchester men," it is + used with a geographical indefiniteness; as when we speak of any one + belonging to a shire instead of a town. Hence Cobden, who was a Midhurst + man, and Bright, who was a Rochdale man, are taken as typical "Manchester + men." As few readers have any definite idea of what a "Manchester man" of + the nobler sort individually is, I give a brief biography of one of the + most influential of them, who might be regarded as the founder of the + Cobden School. + </p> + <p> + Thomas Thomasson [1808-1876], manufacturer and political economist, born + at Turton, near Bolton, December 6, 1808, came of a Quaker family settled + in Westmoreland (1672). His grandfather came from Edgeworth, near Bolton, + about the middle of the seventeenth century, where he owned a small landed + estate, and built a house known as "Thomasson's Fold." He gave the site + for the Friends' Meeting House and burial ground at Edgeworth. Mr. + Thomasson's father, John, was born in 1776. He was manager of the Old + Mill, Eagley Bridge, Bolton, having also a share in the business, and + subsequently became a cotton spinner on his own account. His son, Thomas + Thomasson, the subject of this notice, erected No. 1 Mill in Bolton in + 1841, at a time of great depression in trade, and great distress in the + town—a fact which was mentioned by the Prime Minister (Sir R. Peel) + in the House of Commons as evidence that persons did not hesitate to + employ their capital in the further extension of the cotton trade, + notwithstanding its condition. Thomas Thomasson married a daughter of John + Pennington, of Hindley, a Liverpool merchant. Though brought up a member + of the Society of Friends, Thomasson attended the Bolton Parish Church, + his wife being a Churchwoman. But in 1855 he heard the clergyman preach on + the propriety of the Crimean War, which he thought so un-Christian that he + never went to church again. By his vigorous speeches he gave the + impression that he knew more of the political economy of trade and + commerce than any other manufacturer of his time. Mr. Bright and Mr. + Cobden may be said to have learned from him. When Mr. Bright went out to + deliver his first speech at a public meeting, he went to Mr. Thomasson on + his way to take his opinion upon what he had in his mind to say. At + Thomasson's decease Mr. Bright bore testimony to his remarkable capacity + as a man of business, saying, "He will be greatly missed by many who have + been accustomed to apply to him for advice and help." He was not merely an + eminent manufacturer, he was distinguished for his interest in public + affairs. He assisted by money, counsel, and personal exertions in securing + the incorporation of Bolton. He consented to join the first Council and + was at the head of the poll, considering it his duty to take part in + promoting the improvements he had advocated. He remained a member of the + Council over eighteen years. Under the old government it was usual to call + out armed police, or the military, for comparatively trifling + disturbances, which greatly excited Thomasson's indignation. He was a + vigorous advocate for the town being supplied with cheap gas and cheap + water, which involved watchfulness and advocacy extending over several + years. He was foremost in insisting on the sanitary improvements of the + town, and that the inspector should proceed against those who suffered + nuisances on their premises. He gave the instance of "a family living in a + cellar, outside of which there was a cesspool, the contents of which oozed + through the walls and collected under the bed." £300 being left towards + the formation of an industrial school, Thomasson gave £200 more that it + might be put into operation. On one occasion, when he was much opposed to + the views of the Council, he resigned rather than frustrate a compromise + in which he could not concur, but which others thought beneficial. He + promoted petitions in favour of Decimal Coinage, and refused to join in a + petition against the Income Tax, deeming direct taxation the best. For + some time he was a member of the Board of Guardians, but resigned because + he "could not sit and see men slaughtered by a stroke of the pen," + alluding to what he considered the illiberal manner in which relief was + dispensed. He promoted the establishment of a library and museum, and gave + £100 towards establishing a school on the plan of the British and Foreign + Bible Society. When new premises were required for a Mechanics' + Institution, he gave £500 towards that project. He subscribed fifty + guineas towards a memorial statue of Crompton, the inventor, and proposed + that something should be given to his descendants, saying: "If Crompton + had been a great general and had killed thousands of people, the + Government would have provided him with a small county, and given him a + peerage; but as he had given livelihood to thousands of mule spinners, it + was left to the people to provide for his distressed descendants." The + town would have given Thomasson any office in its power, but he would + neither be Alderman, Mayor, nor Member of Parliament. He declined + testimonials or statue. He sought no distinction for himself and accepted + none; he cared alone for the welfare of the nation and the town, and the + working people in it. + </p> + <p> + At a time when the votes of workpeople were generally regarded as the + property of employers, Thomasson said: "If the men in his employ were + Tories and voted so"—which meant voting for the Corn Laws, to which + he was most opposed—" they would remain perfectly undisturbed by him—their + public opinion and conduct were free." He was distinguished beyond any + Quaker of his day for political sympathy and tolerance. His principle was + "to extend to every man, rich or poor, whatever privilege, political or + mental, he claimed for himself." + </p> + <p> + At a memorable occasion in the Bolton Theatre, when the Corn Law question + was contested, he may be said to have called Mr. Paulton into public life, + by sending him on to the platform to defend the cause of repeal. Mr. + Paulton became the first effective platform advocate of that movement + Thomasson was the chief promoter of the Anti-Corn Law agitation, and the + greatest subscriber to its funds. When the great subscription was raised + in 1845, he was the first to put down £1,000. When it was proposed to make + some national gift to Mr. Cobden, Thomasson gave £5,000. He subsequently + gave,£5,000 to the second Cobden subscription. This is not all that he + did. Mr. John Morley relates, in his "Life of Cobden," that Thomasson, + learning that Cobden was embarrassed by outstanding loans, raised to pay + for his Illinois shares, amounting to several thousand pounds, Thomasson + released the shares, and sent them to Cobden, with a request that "he + would do him the favour to accept that freedom at his hands in + acknowledgment of his vast services to his country and mankind." On a + later occasion, when aid was needed, Mr. Thomasson went down to Midhurst + and insisted that Cobden should accept a still larger sum, refusing a + formal acknowledgment and handing it over in such a form that the + transaction was not known to any one but Cobden and himself. After Mr. + Thomasson's death there was found among his private papers a little + memorandum of these advances containing the magnanimous words: "I lament + that the greatest benefactor of mankind since the invention of printing + was placed in a position where his public usefulness was com-promised and + impeded by sordid personal cares, but I have done something as my share of + what is due to him from his countrymen to set him free for further efforts + in the cause of human progress." + </p> + <p> + In the repeal of the Corn Laws he always had in mind the welfare of his + own townsmen, who, he said, "were paying in 1841 £150,000 more for food + than they did in 1835," and every town in the country in a similar + proportion. He constantly sought opportunities of generosity which could + never be requited, nor even acknowledged, as he left no clue to the giver. + When in London, he would, two or three years in succession, call in Fleet + Street at my publishing house—then aiding in the repeal of the taxes + on knowledge and defending the freedom of reasoned opinion—and leave + £10, bearing the simple inscription, "From T.T." Several years elapsed + before it was known whose name the initials represented. All this was so + unlike the popular conception of a political economist, that such + incidents deserve to be recorded. Workmen whose views he did not share + would invite lecturers to the town, whom he would sometimes entertain, and + judging that their remuneration would be scant, he would add £5 on their + departure to cover their expenses. Thinking that Huxley might need rest + which his means might not allow, Thomasson offered to defray the cost of + six months' travel abroad with his family. It was not convenient to the + Professor to act upon the offer. At Thomasson's death a note was found + among his papers, saying, "Send Huxley £1,000," which his son, afterwards + member for Bolton, did in his father's name. + </p> + <p> + Thomasson was not one of those who strongly <i>wish</i> improvement, but + feebly <i>will</i> it. He willed what he wished, and gave his voice and + fortune to advance it. He was not a foolish philanthropist, with emotion + without wisdom; his aid was never aimless, but given discerningly to + reward or aid others who rendered public service. His merit was like + circumstantial evidence—if special acts did not exceed those of some + other men, the accumulated instances made a record which few have + excelled. + </p> + <p> + That was the character of a real "Manchester man"—on whom Charles + Kingsley poured out the vitriolic vials of his holy wrath. Yet Kingsley + had noble qualities—far above those with which the country clergyman + is usually credited. It requires discrimination to speak of men of the + "Manchester School" as persons— + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + "Who have only to close their eyes, + Be selfish, cold, and wise, + And they never need to know + How the workers' children grow, + And live out only half their time." +</pre> + <p> + Thomasson did know this—wished to know this—took trouble to + know it—and gave both thought and fortune to make their lot better. + Thomas Bayley Potter was of that class, which includes Manchester careers + worth remembering. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0014" id="link2HCH0014"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER XIV. HARRIET MARTINEAU, THE DEAF GIRL OF NORWICH + </h2> + <p> + <a name="linkimage-0005" id="linkimage-0005"> + <!-- IMG --></a> + </p> + <div class="fig" style="width:80%"> + <img src="images/martineau.jpg" alt="Martineau " width="100%" /><br /> + </div> + <p> + There is a romance in the title of this chapter, should some one arise to + write it It was Lord Brougham who first spoke of Harriet Martineau as the + "deaf girl of Norwich," which does more than any other words written about + her to suggest a great disadvantage under which she accomplished more than + any other woman ever attempted. The phrase quoted occurs in one of those + letters which show that kindly feeling and genuine interest in progress + was natural to Lord Brougham, though obscured by the turbulence of his + later life. He first brought Miss Martineau into notice. He wrote: "There + is at Norwich a deaf girl, who is doing more good than any man in the + country. Last year she (Harriet Martineau) called upon me several times, + and I was struck with such marks of energy and resolution in her, which I + thought must command success in some line or other of life." + </p> + <p> + If the reader can realise what deafness means, he will know how great was + her disablement Asking questions is the surest way of acquiring knowledge, + or verifying it. Harriet Martineau was discouraged in asking questions, + because she could not hear the answers, unless given through a + speaking-tube, which imposed efforts on her friends she was loath to + subject them to. She could hear no great singer, actor, or orator. These + noble sources of pleasure and ideas were denied to her. She could take no + part in public meetings or conferences, save those of which the business + was foreknown to her. Then she was dependent upon some friend who + indicated to her the time when she might intervene. Not hearing + conversation, she could only learn indirectly what had gone before. Nor + was it always possible to hear accurately, or interpret what was told to + her. How, under these disadvantages, she acquired her large knowledge, her + wonderful judgment of character, her unrivalled mastery of political + questions of the day—which made her the greatest political woman in + English history—proves the possibility of seemingly impossible + things. She wrote some twenty small volumes of "Tales of Political + Economy," which were as eagerly looked forward to as the small volumes in + which Sterne's "Tristram Shandy" appeared, or Dickens's "Pickwick Papers." + James Mill and Charles Buller told her it was impossible to make the + "Dismal Science" entertaining, but she did it, and she was the first who + did it. She translated Comte's "Positive Philosophy" so well that Comte + had it retranslated from English into French, as being better than his own + work. + </p> + <p> + In 1852-3 Harriet Martineau invited me to visit her at Ambleside, saying, + "I should like a good long conversation with you on the Abolitionists and + American slavery, and also on the intolerable iniquities of the <i>Leader?</i>" + What they were I do not recall—probably Copperheadism* in one of the + editors, which she could sharply detect. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * "Copperhead" was the name of a venomous American snake, + which gave no warning of its approach. The slavery + Copperhead during the Civil War proclaimed his attachment to + the Union, and argued against it. There are Copperheads in + every movement. +</pre> + <p> + On Sunday, the day after my arrival, she drove me to Wordsworth's house + and other places of interest. At my request she extended the drive to + Coniston Water, some miles away, and on to Brantwood, the place Mr. Ruskin + afterwards bought of Mr. Joseph Cowen, who held a mortgage of £7,000 upon + it. Brantwood was then the residence of W. J. Linton, and Col. Stolzman + and his wife were inmates. The Colonel was an old Polish officer, who, + when a young man, was present at Fontainebleau, when Napoleon took leave + of his Old Guard. Miss Martineau's quick eye took in at a glance the + surroundings of the dwelling, and she explained to Mrs. Linton, who looked + delicate, what should be done to render the house healthier, as the rains + falling on the hill behind made the undrained foundation damp. Miss + Martineau had an instinct of domesticity. + </p> + <p> + I never knew a more womanly woman. Her life was an answer to those who + think that active interest in public affairs is incompatible with + household affection. After my return home she wrote: "I enjoyed your visit + very much; and I hope you will come as often as you conveniently can. It + will be a great benefit, as well as pleasure to me. My good girls, + Caroline and Elizabeth, send you respectful thanks for your remembrance of + them. I, too, am obliged by your thoughtfulness of them. But let this be + once for all. You will come again, I hope; and my girls will enjoy being + hospitable, in their own way, to one whom I had led them to respect as + they do you"—mentionable as showing the tact, judgment, + independence, and friendliness of the hostess to visitors and those of her + household. + </p> + <p> + She aided the diffusion of opinions she thought ought to have a hearing + without altogether coinciding with them. She sent £10 towards the + establishment of the Fleet Street House. She took in the <i>Reasoned</i> + sending a double subscription. Many editors will appreciate so excellent + an example. Her interest in the <i>Reasoner</i> was less in the subjects + discussed, than in its endeavour to maintain in controversy that fairness + to adversaries, which we should have wished (but did not even expect) to + be shown towards ourselves. + </p> + <p> + Of the £500 given by Mr. Loombs in aid of her translation of Comte's great + work, she arranged to reserve £150 for Comte, whose rights, as author, she + considered ought to be respected. Many unrequited authors would be glad if + all translators held the same opinion. + </p> + <p> + In 1854-5 she was told by her physicians that she had heart disease, which + might end her life any day. I mentioned to Professor Francis William + Newman the jeopardy she was said to be in. At times restoratives had to be + administered before she could be brought down to dinner. Mr. Newman + desired me to tell her that he had had, some years previously, heart + trouble. All at once a shock came as though a pistol had been discharged + in his brain, and he expected fatal results. Yet he recovered his usual + health and lived to a great age. Harriet Martineau lived twenty-two years + after her friends were instructed to expect her death daily. Fearless and + indifferent when the end might come, she was saved from the + apprehensiveness by which the timid invite what they dread. + </p> + <p> + It was during this—the period when her physicians apprehended her + early death—that I one day (February 5, 1855) received the following + note at 147, Fleet Street:— + </p> + <p> + "Miss H. Martineau presents her compliments to Mr. Holyoake, and is happy + to find that she may hope to see him this week, and to thank him for his + kindness in sending her some interesting papers by post. + </p> + <p> + "Miss H. Martineau will be happy to see Mr. Holyoake at tea on Wednesday + evening next, if he can favour her with his company at seven o'clock. + </p> + <p> + "55, Devonshire Street, Portland Place." + </p> + <p> + In accordance with this note I took tea with her. She conversed in her + accustomed unperturbed way, and said, "I sent for you that you may bear + witness that I die on your side. An attempt will be made to represent that + my opinions have vacillated. Whereas I have gone right on, as, I believe, + from truth to truth. My views may not, however, have been those of + progress." + </p> + <p> + I remarked that I had bought her earlier works to satisfy myself of the + successiveness of her convictions, as expressed in her writings, and + thought she rightly described them as being intrinsically progressive. + </p> + <p> + "Yes," she added, "my views from time to time were at successive stages, + as they are now, clear and decided. Certainly I was never happier in my + life than at the present time. Christians, if they think it worth while to + attempt it, will not be able to make a 'Death Bed' out of me. I wish you + to know my opinions at this time. We have to vindicate the truth as well + as to teach it."* + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * I put these words down the same night; thus I am able to + quote them. +</pre> + <p> + For myself, I was neither priest nor confessor. Had I been, I should have + felt it presumption to attempt to confirm one better able to teach me than + I was to teach her. All I said was: "It is certainly a moral relief not to + hold the cardinal Christian tenets of faith, as so many preachers + speaking, as they assume to do, in the name of God, explain them. To act + according to conscience and speak according to knowledge, never ceasing to + consider what we can do for the service of others, is the one duty which a + future life, if it comes, will not contradict." + </p> + <p> + Though no one was so well able as herself to write her biography, it was + not in her mind to do it, and she wrote to me to give her the names of + persons I thought might undertake it. I named three: Charles Knight, who + knew more of her life than any one else, eligible to write it; next + Francis William Newman, who, being a many-sided thinker, and largely + coinciding with her views, could justly estimate her earlier and later + convictions. The third was Mr. H. G. Atkinson, who was entirely conversant + with her convictions and career, but who declined with expressions of + diffidence, though I urged him to undertake the work. At length she did it + herself, in a way which showed no one else could have done it so well. She + left instructions in her will that I should receive a copy of her + Autobiography, which appeared in three volumes, and came to me (February + 28, 1877) from Mr. Thomas Martineau, one of her executors. + </p> + <p> + No autobiography produced in its day a greater impression. The treatment + Miss Martineau had received from eminent adversaries astonished a + generation in which greater controversial fairness had come to prevail. + The friends of those who had assailed her felt some consternation at the + imperishable descriptions of their conduct, which would never cease to be + associated with their names, and they made public attempts to explain the + facts away. + </p> + <p> + Her mind was photographic in other respects. She saw social facts and + their influences, their nature and sequences, with a vividness no other + writer of her day did. Her charming romance, the "Feats of the Fiord" + impressed Norwegians with the belief that she was personally familiar with + the country, where she had never been. There was "caller" air in the pages + which made the reader hungry. + </p> + <p> + The autobiography contains a small gallery of statues of contemporaries, + of note in their time, sculptured from life, as perfect in their way as + Grecian statues. Their excellencies are generously portrayed for + admiration, and their defects described for the guidance of survivors. Not + like the false eulogies of the dead, which, by pretending perfection, lie + to the living, where silence on errors or deficiencies are of the nature + of deceit, and sure to be resented when the truth comes to be known. Only + that admiration is lasting which is fully informed. + </p> + <p> + No character of Lord Brougham so striking and true as hers, has ever been + drawn. Eminent biographers and critics, including Carlyle, have delineated + him, but her portrait—drawn twenty years before theirs appeared—Professor + Masson assured me her character of Brougham was the most perfect of all. + </p> + <p> + Her two-sided estimate gave discomfort to those content with obliqueness + in knowledge, but those who have the impartial instinct seek reality, by + which no one is deceived. The light and shade of character, like the light + and shade of a painting, alone give distinctiveness and truth. But whoever + delineates so must suffer no distorting tints of pique, or spite, or + prejudice on his palate. + </p> + <p> + Miss Martineau entered into a correspondence on "Man's Nature and + Development," with Mr. Henry G. Atkinson, which, when published, was + reviewed by her brother, Dr. James Martineau, in the <i>Prospective Review</i> + No. xxvi., Art 4, for which he selected the offensive and ignorant title + of "Mesmeric Atheism." It was misleading, because mesmerism has no + theology. It was ignorant, because neither Mr. Atkinson nor Dr. + Martineau's sister were Atheists. Their disavowal of Atheism was in the + book before him. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0015" id="link2HCH0015"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER XV. HARRIET MARTIN EAU—FURTHER INCIDENTS IN HER SINGULAR + CAREER + </h2> + <p> + If the reader is curious to know what really were the opinions of these + two distinguished offenders (H. Martineau and H. G. Atkinson), I recite + them. In the book Dr. Martineau reviewed, Mr. Atkinson said:— + </p> + <p> + "I am far from being an Atheist I do not say there is no God, but that it + is extravagant and irreverent to imagine that cause a Person." + </p> + <p> + Miss Martineau herself writes in the same series of letters:— + </p> + <p> + "There is no <i>theory</i> of a God, of an author of Nature, of an origin + of the universe, which is not utterly repugnant to my faculties; which is + not (to my feelings) so irreverent as to make me blush; so misleading as + to make me mourn." + </p> + <p> + Yet Dr. Martineau wrote of his sister and her friend in terms which + seemed, to the public, of studied insult and disparagement, which, in + educated society, would be called brutal. It was merely spiritual + malignity, of which I had in former years sufficient experience to render + me a connoisseur in it. + </p> + <p> + All the while Dr. Martineau had heresies of his own to answer for, yet he + wrote words of his sister which no woman of self-respect could condone, + unless withdrawn. During her long illness of twenty years Dr. Martineau, + her brother, never wrote to her nor addressed one word of sympathy to one + who had loved him so well. He had told the world that the "subtle, + all-penetrating spirit of Christ has an inspiring nobleness philosophy + cannot reach, nor science, nor nature impart." Then how came Dr. Martineau + to miss it? The nobleness of mind of his illustrious sister all the world + knew—before the world knew him—and Mr. Atkinson was a + gentleman of as pure a life and of as good a position in society as Dr. + Martineau himself. O Theology, into what crookedness dost thou twist the + straightest minds! I have seen in a "Life of Dr. Martineau" that Professor + Newman assented to what Dr. Martineau wrote of his sister. This fact I + ought not to withhold from the reader. + </p> + <p> + But Mr. Newman only knew what Dr. Martineau told him. + </p> + <p> + Mr. Atkinson was the son of a London architect who left him an income + which enabled him to devote himself to philosophy, which was his taste. He + was personally conversant, as visitor or guest, with a wide range of + distinguished thinkers and writers of his time. He was full of curious + knowledge and notable sayings gathered in that opportune intercourse. With + a mind devoid of prejudice, he looked on scientific discoveries as a + veteran and seasoned spectator. No new idea surprised him, no expression + of thoughtful opinion awakened in him resentment. He cared only for truth, + in whatever form or quarter it appeared. He had none of the indifference + of the arm-chair philosopher, but aided struggling opinion to assert + itself. Once I was his guest in Boulogne. To my surprise I was the only + passenger in the packet boat The quay of Boulogne was deserted. At + Hughes's Hotel I was the only guest in the dining-room. On inquiring the + reason, I learned that Gilbert a'Beckett had died a few days before of + diphtheria, and that Douglas Jerrold had left for England since. Mr. + Atkinson, not expecting me, had gone for a day's sea trip to Calais. On + his return we spent pleasant hours at a cafe. He had no idea of leaving + the hotel where he had rooms. Some years later Mr. Atkinson died in + Boulogne, where he had resided many years. Personally he was tall, of good + presence and refined manners. He was clean shaven, and might be taken for + an Evangelical Bishop. Save a mobile expression, his face was as + shadowless as one of Holbein's portraits. The object of his letters to + Miss Martineau was to ascertain if there could be found a real basis of a + science of mind. The common idea in those days was that mind was a "vital + spark" which shone at will—originating without conditions—acting + of its own caprice and obeying no law. Only the theological spirit could + see harm in this investigation. + </p> + <p> + Not only fidelity, but chivalry towards her friends was a characteristic + of Miss Martineau. When W. J. Linton, for whom I had great regard, as + appears in what I have written of him in the "Warpath of Opinion," had + become vindictive—because I had obtained 9,000 shillings for + European Freedom from readers of the <i>Reasoner</i> at the request of + Mazzini, Mr. Linton—equally desirous and equally devoted, had not + succeeded—wrote to the <i>Liberator</i> of New York, edited by Lloyd + Garrison, assailing me politically and personally, whereupon Miss + Martineau sent to the <i>Liberator</i> the following generous letter—which, + though it be counted egotism in me to cite, I accept the risk, since such + friendship was without parallel in my experience:— + </p> + <p> + "Dear Sir,—I see with much surprise and more concern an attack in + your paper upon the character of Mr. G. J. Holyoake, signed by Mr. W. J. + Linton. I could have wished, with others of your readers, that you had + waited for some evidence, or other testimony, before committing your most + respected paper to an attack on such a man from such a quarter. Of Mr. + Linton it is not necessary for me to say anything, because what I say of + Mr. Holyoake will sufficiently show what I think of his testimony. + </p> + <p> + "I wish I could give you an idea of the absurdity that it appears to us in + this country to charge Mr. Holyoake with sneaking, with desiring to + conceal his opinions, and get rid of the word 'Atheism.' His whole life, + since he grew up, has been one of public advocacy of the principles he + holds, of weekly publication of them under his own signature, and of + constant lecturing in public places. One would think that a man who has + been tried and imprisoned for Atheism, and has ever since continued to + publish the opinions which brought him into that position, might be + secure, if any man might, from the charge of sneaking. The adoption of the + term Secularism is justified by its including a large number of persons + who are not Atheists, and uniting them for action which has Secularism for + its object, and not Atheism. On this ground, and because by the adoption + of a new term a vast amount of impediment from prejudice is got rid of, + the use of the name Secularism is found advantageous; but it in no way + interferes with Mr. Holyoake's profession of his own unaltered views on + the subject of a First Cause. As I am writing this letter, I may just say + for myself that I constantly and eagerly read Mr. Holyoake's writings, + though many of them are on subjects—or occupied with stages of + subjects—that would not otherwise detain me, because I find myself + always morally the better for the influence of the noble spirit of the + man, for the calm courage, the composed temper, the genuine liberality, + and unintermitting justice with which he treats all manner of persons, + incidents, and topics. I certainly consider the conspicuous example of Mr. + Holyoake's kind of heroism to be one of our popular educational advantages + at this time. + </p> + <p> + "You have printed Mr. Linton's account of Mr. Holyoake. I request you to + print mine. I send it simply as an act of justice. My own acquaintance + with Mr. Holyoake is on the ground of his public usefulness, based on his + private virtues; and I can have no other reason for vindicating him than a + desire that a cruel wrong should be as far as possible undone. And I do it + myself because I am known to your readers as an Abolitionist of + sufficiently long standing not to be likely to be deceived in regard to + the conduct and character of any one who speaks on the subject, + </p> + <p> + "I am, yours very respectfully, + </p> + <p> + "Harriet Martineau. + </p> + <p> + "London, November 1, 1855." + </p> + <p> + Born June 12, 1802, at Norwich, she died June 27, 1876, at Ambleside. In + 1832, when she was twenty-eight, Lucy Atkin wrote to tell Dr. Channing + that "a great light had arisen among women," which shone for forty-four + years. When she was a young woman, Lord Melbourne offered her a pension, + which she declined on the ground that a Government which did not represent + the people had no right to give away their money—an act of integrity + so infrequent as to be always fresh. In her case it explains a career. + </p> + <p> + Two of the greatest women in Europe, George Sand and Harriet Martineau, of + nearly equal age, died within a few weeks of each other. "Passed away" is + the phrase now employed, as though the writer knew that a journey was + intended, and was in progress, whereas as Barry Cornwall wrote:— + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + "A flower above and a mould below + Is all the mourners ever know." +</pre> + <p> + Mrs. Fenwick Miller relates that Miss Martineau began writing for the + Press, like the famous novelist mentioned, under a man's name, + "Deciphalus." Once when at Mr. W. E. Forster's, at Burley, it fell to me + to take Mrs. Forster down to dinner. Being in doubt as to what was + etiquette in such cases, preferring to be thought uncouth than familiar, I + did not offer my hostess my arm. Afterwards I asked Miss Martineau what I + might have done. She answered that "a guest was an equal, and any act of + courtesy permissible in him was permissible in me," but in better terms + than I can invent. Recurring to the subject at another time, she said, "I + was well pleased at your consulting me as you did. It would save a world + of trouble and doubt and energy, if we all asked one another what the + other is qualified to tell. I, who have to be economical of energy and + time, always do it. I ask, point blank, what it is important for me to + know, from any one who can best tell me, and I like to be inquired of in + the same way. I hope no guest will feel puzzled in my house, but ask, and + what I can answer I will." The readiness with which she placed her wisdom + at the service of her friends might have given Matthew Arnold (as she was + a frequent visitor at Fox Howe) his idea of "Sweetness and Light." + </p> + <p> + Greater than the difficulty of deafness was the fact that Miss Martineau + wrote on the side of Liberalism. Tory writers dipped their pens in the + best preparation of venom sold by Conservative chemists. The Church and + King party, which burnt down Dr. Priestley's house, soon discovered that + Miss Martineau was guilty of the further crime of being a Unitarian. + Nevertheless, she abandoned no principle, nor apologised for maintaining + what she believed to be true. Spinoza, as Renan has told us, gave great + offence to his adversaries by the integrity of his life, as it did not + give them a fair opportunity of attacking him, for the enormity of his + conduct in believing less than they believed. This was the case with + Harriet Martineau, who had said in one of her books, "A parent has a + considerable influence over the subsistence fund of his family, and an + absolute control over the numbers to be supported by that fund." The <i>Quarterly + Review</i>, "written by gentlemen for gentlemen," added, "We venture to + ask this maiden sage the meaning of this passage." Why not ask the Rev. + Thomas Maithus, whose words Miss Martineau merely repeated? All that was + meant was "deferred marriages." The reviewer put an obscene construction + upon it, and imputed to her his own malignant inference. This was a common + rascality of logic alike in theology and politics in those days. + </p> + <p> + The intrepid authoress happened to believe there was some truth in + mesmerism. Dr. Elliotson, who thought so too, told me that his temerity + that way cost him £7,000 a year in fees. This mesmeric episode brought the + doctors upon the poor lady, who never forgave her being alive when they + said she ought to be dead. Eminent physicians predicted that she would + sink down in six months. When, instead of sinking down, she rode on a + camel to Mount Sinai and Petra, and on horseback to Damascus, they said + "she had never been ill!" + </p> + <p> + She had the unusual capacity which the gods only are said to give—that + of seeing herself as others saw her. She saw her own life and intellectual + power in its strength and in its limitation, as though she stood away from + them and looked at them; she saw them, as it were, palpable and apart from + herself. Of imagination, which sheds sunshine over style, she had little. + Her pictures were etchings rather than paintings. Her strength lay in + directness of expression and practical thought She saw social facts and + their influences, their nature and sequences, with a vividness no other + writer of her day did. When she had completed the translation of Comte's + "Positive Philosophy," she placed at my disposal twenty-five copies to + give to persons unable to buy them, but able to profit by them; and to + extend the knowledge of its principles. She offered me the publication of + an edition of "Household Education." No book like it had been written + before, and none since. Four hundred copies were sold by my arrangement. + The book was mainly intended for women. The review of it for the <i>Reasoner</i>* + was written by my wife, as I advocated that women should take their own + affairs in the press into their own hands, and give their own opinion on + what concerned them. Miss Martineau's object in writing "Household + Education" was, she told me, "to indicate that, in her opinion, education + should be on a philosophical basis," adding: "I should see the great point + of it is ignoring rank in so important a matter as the development of + human beings. It was written for Buckingham Palace and the humblest + cottage where life is decently conducted." Miss Martineau lived twenty-two + years after receiving prognostications of early decease. Had she not been + a woman of courage she would have died, as was suggested to her. She + understood that she must accept new conditions of life. She had a bed made + in a railway carriage, and went down with her maids to Ambleside, and + never left her house except to take air and get the relief which the + smoking of a cigarette gave her, as she sat on summer evenings just + outside the open windows of her sitting-room. She might have given herself + greater liberty, for she did not die of heart ailment after all. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * Reasoner, vol. vi. pp. 378-9 and 390. +</pre> + <p> + As I have seen in women of thought, Harriet Martineau, like George Eliot, + grew handsomer as she grew older, and acquired that queenly dignity, such + as is seen in George Richmond's painting of Miss Martineau in mature + years. + </p> + <p> + She devoted all her diversified genius to inspire public affairs with + loftier aims and persistent purpose. She was one of those Christians + mentioned by Shakespeare who "mean to be saved by believing rightly."* + Harriet Martineau did, and these words of Flavius might be her epitaph. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * "Twelfth Night," act iii., scene 2. +</pre> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0016" id="link2HCH0016"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER XVI. THE THREE NEWMANS + </h2> + <p> + <a name="linkimage-0006" id="linkimage-0006"> + <!-- IMG --></a> + </p> + <div class="fig" style="width:80%"> + <img src="images/newmans.jpg" alt="Newman " width="100%" /><br /> + </div> + <p> + In one of the last conversations I had the pleasure to hold with Mr. + Gladstone, I referred to the "three Newmans" and their divergent careers. + He said he never knew there were "three." He knew John Henry, the Cardinal + (as he afterwards became), at Oxford. He knew Francis William there, who + had repute for great attainments, retirement of manner, and high + character; but had never heard there was a third brother, and was much + interested in what I had to tell him. The articles of Charles Newman I + published in the <i>Reasoner</i>, and their republication by the late J. + W. Wheeler, were little known to the general public, who will probably + hear of them now for the first time. + </p> + <p> + Though I name "three Newmans," this chapter relates chiefly to the one I + best knew, Francis William, known as Professor Newman. The eldest of the + three was John Henry, the famous Cardinal. The third brother, Charles, was + a propagandist of insurgent opinion. Francis was a pure Theist, John was a + Roman Catholic, and Charles a Naturist, and nothing besides; he would be + classed as an Agnostic now. Francis William was the handsomest He had + classical features, a placid, clear, and confident voice, and an + impressive smile which lighted up all his face. John Henry manifested in + his youth the dominancy of the ecclesiastic, and lived in a priestly world + of his own creation, in which this life was overshadowed by the terrors of + another unknown. Francis believed in one sole God—not the head of a + firm. His Theism was of such intense, unquestioning devotion, of such + passionate confidence, as was seen in Mazzini and Theodore Parker, of + America. Voltaire and Thomas Paine were not more determined Theists. In + all else, Francis was human. Charles believed in Nature and nothing more. + In sending me papers to print in the <i>Reasoner</i> on "Causation in the + Universe," he would at times say, "My mind is leaving me, and when it + returns a few months hence, I will send you a further paper." Like Charles + Lamb's poor sister, Mary, who used to put her strait waistcoat in her + basket and go herself to the asylum, when she knew the days of her + aberration were approaching, Charles Newman had premonition of a like + kind. He had the thoroughness of thought of his family. The two brothers—the + Cardinal and the Professor—united to supply Charles with an income + sufficient for his needs. The Cardinal, though he knew Charles' opinions, + readily joined. + </p> + <p> + When some questioning remark on Professor Newman was made incidentally in + the House of Commons, in consequence of his uncompromising views, the + Cardinal wrote saying that "for his brother's purity he would die," which, + considering their extreme divergence of opinion, was very noble in the + Cardinal. + </p> + <p> + Professor Newman, I believe, wrote more books, having regard to their + variety and quality, than any other scholar of his time. Science, history, + poetry, theology, political economy, mathematics, travel, translations—the + Iliad of Homer—among them a Sanscrit dictionary. He wrote many + pamphlets and spoke for the humblest societies, regardless of the + amazement of his eminent contemporaries and associates. On questions + relating to marital morality, he did not hesitate to publish leaflets. I + published a series of letters for him in the <i>Reasoner</i>—now + some fifty years ago, so we were long acquainted. These earlier + communications came to me at a time when the authorities of University + College in London, where he was Professor of Latin, were being called upon + to consider whether his intellectual Liberalism might deter parents from + sending their sons there. But it was bravely held that the University had + no cognisance of the personal opinions of any professor. Like Professor + Key, Mr. Newman took an open interest in public affairs. Though variedly + learned, Professor Newman's style of speech, to whomever addressed by + tongue or pen, was fresh, direct, precise, and lucid. + </p> + <p> + Mr. Newman's quarto volume on Theism, written in metre, is the greatest + compendium of Theistical argument published in my time, and until Darwin + wrote, no entirely conclusive answer was possible. + </p> + <p> + Francis Newman had a travelling mind. From the time when I published his + "Personal Narrative" of his early missionary experience at Aleppo, he + grew, year by year, more rationalistic in his religious judgment. In one + of his papers, written in the year of his death, he said: "It may be + asked, 'Is Mr. Newman a disciple of Jesus?' I answer, 'Of all nations that + I know, that have a religion established by law, I have never seen the + equal to what is attributed to Jesus himself. But much is attributed to + Him—I disapprove of.' On the whole, if I am asked, 'Do you call + yourself a Christian?' I say, in contrast to other religions, 'Yes! I do,' + and so far I must call myself a Christian. But if you put upon me the + words Disciple of Jesus, meaning the believing all Jesus teaches to be + light and truth I cannot say it, and I think His words variously + unprovable. Now all disciples, when they come to full age, ought to seek + to surpass their masters. Therefore, if Jesus had faults, we, after more + than two thousand years' experience, ought to expect to surpass Him, + especially when an immense routine of science has been elaborately built + up, with a thousand confirmations all beyond the thought of Jesus." + </p> + <p> + What a progressive order of thought would exist now in the Christian world + had Mr. Newman's conception of discipleship prevailed in the Churches! + </p> + <p> + Mr. Newman's words about myself, occurring in his work on "The Soul," I + remember with pride. They were written at a time when I had an ominous + reputation among theologians. When residing at Clifton as a professor, Mr. + Newman came down to Broadmead Rooms at Bristol, and took the chair at one + of my lectures, and spoke words on my behalf which only he could frame. + But he was as fearless in his friendship as he was intrepid in his faith. + He wrote to me, April 30, 1897, saying: "I appeal to your compassion when + I say, that the mere change of opinion on a doubtful fact has perhaps cost + me the regard of all who do not know me intimately." The "fact" related to + the probability of annihilation at death. He regretted the loss of + friendship, but never varied in his lofty fidelity to conscience. Whatever + might be his interest in a future life, if it were the will of God not to + concede it, he held it to be the duty of one who placed his trust in Him + to acquiesce. The spirit of piety never seemed to me nobler, than in this + unusual expression of unmurmuring, unpresuming resignation. + </p> + <p> + His first wife, who was of the persuasion of the Plymouth Brethren, had + little sympathy with his boldness and fecundity of thought. Once, when he + lived at Park Village, Regent's Park, his friend, Dr. James Martineau, + came into the room; she opened the window and stepped out on to the lawn, + rather than meet him. Mr. Newman was very tender as to her scruples, but + stood by his own. When I visited him, he asked me, from regard to her, to + give the name of "Mr. Jacobs"—the name I used when a teacher in + Worcester in 1840, where I lectured under my own name and taught under + another. + </p> + <p> + On February 12, 1897, Mr. Newman wrote:—"Mv dear Holyoake,—I + am not coming round to you, though many will think I am. On the contrary, + I hope you are half coming round to me, but I have no time to talk on + these matters." He then asked my advice as to his rights over his own + publications, then in the hands of Mr. Frowde, printer, of Oxford; but + with such care for the rights of others, such faultless circumspection as + to the consequences to others in all he wished done, as to cause me + agreeable surprise at the unfailing perspicacity of his mind, his + unchanging, scrupulous, and instinctive sense of justice. + </p> + <p> + He regarded death with the calmness of a philosopher. He wrote to me April + 30, 1897: "Only those near me know how I daily realise the near approach + of my own death (he was then ninety-three). I grudge every day wasted by + things unfinished which remain for me to do." No apprehension, no fear, + and he wished I could "appear before him, with a document drawn up," by + which he could consign to me the custody of all the works under his + control. At the time, as he said, he might "easily be in his grave" before + I could accomplish his wishes. He says in another letter that his "wife, + like himself, abhorred indebtedness." He provided for the probable cost of + everything he wished done. His sense of honour remained as keen as his + sense of faith. He was a gentleman first and a Christian afterwards. + </p> + <p> + Mr. Gladstone told me he was under the impression that he had, in some way + unknown to himself, lost the friendship of Mr. Newman, from whom he had + not heard for several years; and Mr. Newman was under an impression that + Mr. Gladstone's silence was occasioned by disapproval of his published + views of the "Errors of Jesus"—an error of assumption respecting Mr. + Gladstone into which Mr. Newman might naturally, but not excusably, fall; + for Mr. Newman should have known that Mr. Gladstone had a noble tolerance + equal to his own, or should personally have tested it, by letter or + otherwise, before nurturing an adverse conjecture. I mentioned the matter + to Mr. Gladstone, and found Mr. Newman's surmise groundless. At the same + time I gave him a copy of Mr. Francis Newman's "Secret Songs" (as one copy + given to me was called) which revealed to Mr. Gladstone a devotional + spirit he did not, as he said, imagine could co-exist in one whose faith + was so divergent to his own. + </p> + <p> + The following letter, which has autobiographical value, may interest the + reader:— + </p> + <p> + "Norwood Villa, 15, Arundel Crescent, + </p> + <p> + "Weston-super-Mare. + </p> + <p> + "March 22, 1893. + </p> + <p> + "Dear Mr. George Jacob Holyoake,—I had no idea of writing to Mr. + Gladstone, yet am glad to hear that you gave him my 'Secret Hymns.' + Probably my contrast to my brother, the late Cardinal, always puzzled him. + That we were in painful opposition ever since 1820 had never entered his + mind, much less that this opposition made it impossible to me to endure + living in Oxford, which also would have been my obvious course. + </p> + <p> + "I did send my 'Paul of Tarsus' to Mr. Gladstone, which partially opened + his eyes. For my brother's first pretentious religious book was against + the Arians, which I <i>think</i> I read at latest in 1832. Mr. Gladstone + has <i>written</i> that my brother's secession to Rome was the greatest + loss that the English Church ever suffered. Of what kind was the loss my + little book on 'Paul' indirectly states, in pointing out that, as our + English New Testament shows, Paul in his own episode plainly originated + the doctrine, three centuries later <i>called</i> Arianism, and held by + all the Western Church until young Athanasius introduced his new and + therefore 'false' doctrine. + </p> + <p> + My brother, with Paul's epistle open before him, condemned the doctrine of + Arian, and did not know that it was the invention of Paul, and thereby + prevailed in the whole Western Church. Moreover, I read what I cannot + imagine met Mr. Gladstone's eyes, that 'It is not safe to quote any + Pre-Athanasian doctrines concerning the Trinity, since the <i>Church</i> + had not yet taught them how to express themselves.' After this, <i>could</i> + Mr. Gladstone, as a decent scholar, mourn over my brother's <i>loss</i> to + the Church? I hope Mr. Gladstone can now afford time to read something of + the really early Christianity. He will find the Jerusalem Christianity + perishing after the Roman revolt, and supplanted by Pauline fancies (not + Christian at all) and by Pauline morality, often better than Christian. To + me our modern problem is to eschew Pauline fancies and further to improve + on Pauline wisdom. + </p> + <p> + "But since I have reached the point of being unable to take Human + Immortality as a Church axiom, I cannot believe that the problem is above + fully stated, or that Christianity deserves to become coetaneous with + man's body. + </p> + <p> + "Perhaps I ought to thank you more, yet I may have said too much.—Yours + truly, + </p> + <p> + "F. W. Newman." + </p> + <p> + One day as Mr. Newman was leaving my room in Woburn Buildings, he looked + round and said: "I did not think there were rooms so large in this place"; + and then descending the stairs, as though the familiarity of the remark + was more than an impulse, he said: "Do you think you could join with me in + teaching the great truth of Theism?" Alas! I had to express my regret that + my belief did not lie that way. Highly as I should think, and much as I + should value public association with Mr. Newman, I had to decline the + opportunity. If the will could create conviction, I should also have + accepted Mazzini's invitation—elsewhere referred to—for Theism + never seemed so enchanting in my eyes as it appeared in the lives of those + two distinguished thinkers who were inspired by it. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0017" id="link2HCH0017"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER XVII. MAZZINI IN ENGLAND-INCIDENTS IN HIS CAREER + </h2> + <p> + <a name="linkimage-0007" id="linkimage-0007"> + <!-- IMG --></a> + </p> + <div class="fig" style="width:80%"> + <img src="images/mazzini.jpg" alt="Mazzini " width="100%" /><br /> + </div> + <p> + Giuseppe Mazzini, whom Englishmen know as Joseph Mazzini, was born in + Genoa, June 22, 1805, and died in Pisa, March 10, 1872. He spent the + greater part of forty years of his marvellous life in London. * Some + incidents of his English career, known to me, may increase or confirm the + public impression of him. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * First in Devonshire Street, Queen Square; in Chelsea; in + Brompton; in earlier years in penury. Where he had command + of a sitting-room, birds were flying about. Uncaged freedom + was to Mazzini the emblem of Liberty. +</pre> + <p> + Never strong from youth, abstemious, oft from privation, and always from + principle, he was as thin as Dumas describes Richelieu. Arbitrary + imprisonment, which twice befel him, and many years of voluntary + confinement, imposed upon himself by necessity of concealment—living + and working in a small room, whence it was dangerous for him to emerge by + day or by night—were inevitably enervating. When he first came to + London in 1837, he brought with him three exiles, who depended upon his + earnings for subsistence. The slender income supplied him by his mother + might have sufficed for his few wants,* but aid for others and the + ceaseless cost of the propaganda of Italian independence, to which he + devoted himself, had to be provided by writing for reviews. At times + cherished souvenirs had to be pledged, and visits to money-lenders had to + be made. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * Of Mazzini's great abstemiousness it was written later in + life: + + "A cheaper world no one can know, + Where he who laughs grows fat; + Man wants but little here below— + Mazzini less than that." +</pre> + <p> + It was the knowledge all his countrymen had that he sought nothing for + himself, never spared himself in toil or peril, that was the source of his + influence. He wrote: "We follow a path strewn with sacrifices and with + sorrows." But all the tragedies of his experience we never knew until + years after his death, when his incomparable "Love Letters" were published + in the <i>Nineteenth Century</i>, No. 219, May, 1895. + </p> + <p> + He appeared to others to have "the complexion of a student," the air of + one who waited and listened. As Meredith said, it was not "until you meet + his large, penetrating, dark eyes, that you were drawn suddenly among a + thousand whirring wheels of a capacious, keen, and vigorous intellect." + </p> + <p> + Mr. Bolton King has published a notable book on the great Italian, + containing more incidents in his career than any other English writer has + collected. I confine myself mainly to those within my knowledge. + </p> + <p> + When anything had to be done, in my power to do, I was at his command. I + had numerous letters from him. His errorless manuscript had the appearance + of Greek writing. Two letters "t" and "s," such as no other man formed, + were the signs of his hand and interpreters of his words. Of all the + communications I ever received from him or saw, none had date or address, + save one letter which had both. Many sought for conversation, if by chance + they were near him, or by letter, or interview—for ends of their + own. But no one elicited any information he did not intend to give. His + mind was a fortress into which no man could enter, unless he opened the + door. + </p> + <p> + Kossuth astonished us by his knowledge of English, but he knew little of + the English people. Louis Blanc knew much; but Mazzini knew more than any + foreigner I have conversed with. Mazzini made no mistake about us. He + understood the English better than they understood themselves—their + frankness, truth, courage, impulse, pride, passions, prejudice, + inconsistency, and limitation of view. Mazzini knew them all. + </p> + <p> + His address to the Republicans of the United States (November, 1855) is an + example of his knowledge of nations, whose characteristics were as + familiar to him as those of individuals are to their associates, or as + parties are known to politicians in their own country. There may be seen + his wise way of looking all round an argument in stating it. No man of a + nature so intense had so vigilant an outside mind. + </p> + <p> + He knew theories as he knew men, and he saw the theories as they would be + in action. There was no analysis so masterly of the popular schools—political + and socialist—as that which Mazzini contributed to the <i>People's + Journal</i>, His criticisms of the writings of Carlyle, published in the + <i>Westminster Review</i>, explained the excellencies and the pernicious + tendencies—political and moral—of Carlyle's writing, which no + other critic ever did. But Mazzini wrote upon art, music, literature, + poetry, and the drama. To this day the public think of him merely as a + political writer—a sort of Italian Cobbett with a genius for + conspiracy. + </p> + <p> + The list of his works fills nearly ten pages of the catalogue of the + British Museum. + </p> + <p> + Under other circumstances his pen would have brought him ample + subsistence, if not affluence. Much was written without payment, as a + means of obtaining attention to Italy. It was thus he won his first + friends in England. + </p> + <p> + No one could say of Mazzini that he was a foreigner and did not understand + us, or that the case he put was defective through not understanding our + language. The <i>Saturday Review</i>, which agreed with nobody, said, on + reading Mazzini's "Letter to Louis Napoleon," which was written in + English, "The man can write." The finest State papers seen in Europe for + generations were those which Mazzini, when a Triumvir in Rome, wrote—notably + those to De Tocqueville. De Tocqueville had a great name for political + literature, but his icy mystifications melted away under Mazzini's fiery + pen of principle, passion, and truth. This wandering, homeless, penniless, + obscure refugee was a match for kings. + </p> + <p> + Some day a publisher of insight will bring out a cheap edition of the five + volumes of his works, issued by S. King and Co., 1867, and "dedicated to + the working classes" by P. A. Taylor, which cost him £500, few then caring + for them. Mrs. Emilie Ashurst Venturi was the translator of the five + volumes, which were all revised by Mazzini. The reader therefore can trust + the text. + </p> + <p> + Mazzini did me the honour of presenting to me his volume on the "Duties of + Man," with this inscription of reserve: "To my friend, G. J. Holyoake, + with a very faint hope." Words delicate, self-respecting and suggestive. + It was hard for me, with my convictions, to accept his great formula, "God + and the People." It was a great regret to me that I could not use the + words. They were honest on the lips of Mazzini. But I had seen that in + human danger Providence procrastinates. No peril stirs it, no prayer + quickens its action. Men perish as they supplicate. In danger the people + must trust in themselves. + </p> + <p> + Thinking as I did, I could not say or pretend otherwise. + </p> + <p> + Mazzini one day said to me, "A public man is often bound by his past. His + repute for opinions he has maintained act as a restraint upon avowing + others of a converse nature." This feeling never had influence over me. + Any one who has convictions ought to maintain a consistency between what + he believes, and what he says and does. But to maintain to-day the + opinions of former years, when you have ceased to feel them true, is a + false, foolish, even a criminal consistency. To conceal the change, if it + concerns others to know it, is dishonest if it is misleading any persons + you may have influenced. The test, to me, of the truth of any view I hold, + is that, I can state it and dare the judgment of others to confute it. Had + I new views—theistical or otherwise—that I could avow with + this confidence, I should have the same pleasure in stating them as I ever + had in stating my former ones. When I look back upon opinions I published + long years ago, I am surprised at the continuity of conviction which, + without care or thought on my part, has remained with me. In stating my + opinions I have made many changes. Schiller truly says that "Toleration is + only possible to men of large information." As I came to know more I have + been more considerate towards the views, or errors, or mistakes of others, + and have striven to be more accurate in my own statement of them, and more + fair towards adversaries. That is all. Mazzini understood this, and did + not regard as perversity the prohibition of conscience. + </p> + <p> + In his letter to Daniel Manin, which I published in 1856, Mazzini + described as a "quibble" the use of the word "unification" instead of + "unity." "Unification" is not a bad thing in itself, though very different + from unity. To put forth unification as a substitute for unity was + forsaking unity. It was a change of front, but not "quibbling." The + Government of Italy were advised to contrive local amelioration, as a + means of impeding, if not undermining, claims for national freedom. + Mazzini condemned Manin for concurring in this. All English insurgent + parties have shown similar animosity against amelioration of evil, lest it + diverted attention from absolute redress. Yet it is a great responsibility + to continue the full evil in all its sharpness and obstructiveness, on the + grounds that its abatement is an impediment to larger relief. Every + argument for amelioration is a confession that those who object to + injustice are right What is to prevent reformers continuing their demand + for all that is necessary, when some of the evil is admitted and abated? + Paramount among agitators as I think Mazzini, it is a duty to admit that + he was not errorless. High example renders an error serious. + </p> + <p> + The press being free in England, there needed no conspiracy here. An + engraved card, still hanging in a little frame in many a weaver's and + miner's house in the North of England, was issued at a shilling each on + behalf of funds for European freedom, signed by Mazzini for Italy, Kossuth + for Hungary, and Worcell for Poland. When editing the <i>Reasoner</i> I + received one morning a letter from Mazzini, dated 15, Radnor Street, + King's Road, Chelsea, June 12, 1852. This was the only one of Mazzini's + letters bearing an address and date I ever saw, as I have said. It began:— + </p> + <p> + "My dear Sir,—You have once, for the Taxes on Knowledge question, + collected a very large sum by dint of sixpences. Could you not do the + same, if your conscience approved the scheme, for the Shilling + Subscription [then proposed for European freedom]? I have never made any + appeal for material help to the English public, but once the scheme is + started, I cannot conceal that I feel a great interest in its success. A + supreme struggle will take place between Right and Might, and any + additional strength imparted to militant Democracy at this time is not to + be despised. Still, the <i>moral</i> motive is even more powerful with me. + The scheme is known in Italy, and will be known in Hungary, and it would + be extremely important for me to be able to tell my countrymen that it has + not proved a failure. + </p> + <p> + "Ever faithfully yours, + </p> + <p> + "Joseph Mazzini." + </p> + <p> + I explained to the readers of the <i>Reasoner</i> the great service they + might render to European freedom at that time by a shilling subscription + from each. Very soon we received 4,000 shillings. Later (August 3, 1852) + Mazzini, writing from Chelsea, said:— + </p> + <p> + "My dear Sir,—I have still to thank you for the noble appeal you + have inserted in the <i>Reasoner</i> in favour of the Shilling + Subscription in aid of European freedom. My friend Giovanni Peggotti, + fearing that physical and moral torture might weaken his determination and + extort from him some revelations, has hung himself in his dungeon at + Milan, with his own cravat. State trials are about being initiated by + military commissions, and General Benedek, the man who directed the + wholesale Gallician butcheries, is to preside over them. At Forli, under + Popish rule, enforced by Austrian bayonets, four working men have been + shot as guilty of having defended themselves against the aggression of + some Government agents. The town was fined in a heavy sum, because on that + mournful day many of the inhabitants left it, and the theatres were empty + in the evening. + </p> + <p> + "Faithfully yours, + </p> + <p> + "Joseph Mazzini." + </p> + <p> + People of England have mostly forgotten now what Italians had to suffer + when their necks were under the ferocious heel of Austria. + </p> + <p> + In a short time I collected a further 5,000 shillings, making 9,000 in + all, and I had the pleasure of sending to Mazzini a cheque for £450.* + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * The expenses of collection I defrayed myself. +</pre> + <p> + A shilling subscription had been previously proposed mainly at the + instigation of W. J. Linton, which bore the names of Joseph Cowen, George + Dawson, Dr. Frederic Lees, George Serle Phillips, C. D. Collet, T. S. + Duncombe, M.P., Viscount Goderich, M.P. (now Marquis of Ripon), S. M. + Hawks, Austin Holyoake, G. J. Holyoake, Thornton Hunt, Douglas Jerrold, + David Masson, Edward Miall, M.P., Professor Newman, James Stansfeld, M.P. + Some of these names are interesting to recall now. But it was not until + Mazzini asked me to make an appeal in the <i>Reasoner</i> that response + came. Its success then was owing to the influence of Mazzini's great name. + Workmen in mill and mine gave because he wished it. + </p> + <p> + I published Weill's "Great War of the Peasants," the first and only + English translation, in aid of the war in Italy. The object was to create + confidence in the struggle of the Italian peasantry to free their country, + and to give reasons for subscriptions from English working men to aid + their Italian brethren. Madame Venturi made the translation, on Mazzini's + suggestion, for the <i>Secular World</i>, in which I published it. + </p> + <p> + In 1855 wishing to publish certain papers of 'azzini s, I wrote asking him + to permit me to do so, when he replied in the most remarkable letter I + received from him: + </p> + <p> + "Dear Sir,—You are welcome to any writing or fragment of mine which + you may wish to reprint in the <i>Reasoner</i>. Thought, according to me, + is, as soon as publicly uttered, the property of <i>all</i>, not an <i>individual</i> + one. In this special case, it is with true pleasure that I give the + consentment you ask for. The deep esteem I entertain for your personal + character, for your sincere love of truth, perseverance, and nobly + tolerant habits, makes me wish to do more; and time and events allowing, I + shall. + </p> + <p> + "We pursue the same end—progressive improvement, association, + transformation of the corrupted medium in which we are now living, + overthrow of all idolatries, shams, lies, and conventionalities. We both + want man to be not the poor, passive, cowardly, phantasmagoric unreality + of the actual time, thinking in one way and acting in another; bending to + power which he hates and despises, carrying empty Popish, or thirty-nine + article formulas <i>on</i> his brow and none within; but a fragment of the + living truth, a real individual being linked to collective humanity, the + bold seeker of things to come; the gentle, mild, loving, yet firm, + uncompromising, inexorable apostle of all that is just and heroic—the + Priest, the Poet, and the Prophet. We widely differ as to the <i>how</i> + and <i>why</i>. I do dimly believe that all we are now struggling, hoping, + discussing, and fighting for, is a <i>religious</i> question. We want a + new intellect of life; we long to tear off one more veil from the ideal, + and to realise as much as we can of it; we thirst after a deeper knowledge + of <i>what</i> we are and of the <i>why</i> we are. We want a <i>new + heaven</i> and a <i>new earth</i>. We may not all be now conscious of + this, but the whole history of mankind bears witness to the inseparable + union of these terms. The clouds which are now floating between our heads + and God's sky will soon vanish and a bright sun shine on high. We may have + to pull down the despot, the arbitrary dispenser of <i>grace</i> and <i>damnation</i>, + but it will only be to make room for the Father and Educator. + </p> + <p> + "Ever faithfully yours, + </p> + <p> + "Joseph Mazzini." + </p> + <p> + Another incident has instruction in it, still necessary and worth + remembering in the political world. In 1872 I found in the <i>Boston Globe</i>, + then edited by Edin Ballou, a circumstantial story by the <i>Constitutional</i> + of that day, setting forth that Sir James Hudson, our Minister at Turin, + begged Cavour to accord an interview to an English gentleman. When Cavour + received him, he was surprised by the boldness, lucidity, depth, and + perspicacity of his English visitor, and told him that if he (Cavour) had + a countryman of like quality, he would resign the Presidency of the + Council in favour of him, whereupon the "Englishman" handed Cavour his + card bearing the name of Joseph Mazzini, much to his astonishment. + </p> + <p> + There are seven things fatal to the truth of this story received and + circulated throughout Europe without question:— + </p> + <p> + 1. Sir James Hudson could never have introduced to the Italian Minister a + person as an Englishman, whom Sir James knew to be an Italian. + </p> + <p> + 2. Nor was Mazzini a man who would be a party to such an artifice. + </p> + <p> + 3. Cavour would have known Mazzini the moment he saw him. + </p> + <p> + 4. Mazzini's Italian was such as only an Italian could speak, and Cavour + would know it. + </p> + <p> + 5. Mazzini's Republican and Propagandist plans were as well known to + Cavour as Cobden's were to Peel; and Mazzini's strategy of conspiracy was + so repugnant to Cavour, that he must have considered his visitor a wild + idealist, and must have become mad himself to be willing to resign his + position in Mazzini's favour. + </p> + <p> + 6. Cavour could not have procured his visitor's appointment in his place + if he had resigned. + </p> + <p> + 7. Mazzini could not have offered Cavour his card, for the reason that he + never carried one. As in Turin he would be in hourly danger of arrest, he + was not likely to carry about with him an engraved identification of + himself. + </p> + <p> + Nevertheless, the <i>Pall Mall Gazette</i> of that day (in whose hands it + was then I forget) published this crass fiction without questioning it. + </p> + <p> + The reader will rightly think that these are the incredible fictions of a + bygone time, but he will conclude wrongly if he thinks they have ceased. + </p> + <p> + Lately, not a nameless but a known and responsible person, one Sir Edward + Hertslet, K.C.B., a Foreign Office official, published a volume in which + he related that in 1848 (the 10th of April year, when no political + historian was sane) a stranger called at the Foreign Office to inquire for + letters for him from abroad. A colleague of Sir Edward's suggested that he + should inquire at the Home Office. The strange gentleman replied + indignantly, "I will not go to the Home Office. <i>My name is Mazzini</i>." + This answer Sir Edward put in quotation marks, as though it was really + said. Sir Edward has been in the Diplomatic service. He has been a Foreign + Office librarian, and is a K.C.B., yet for more than fifty years he has + kept this astounding story by him, reserved it, cherished it, never + suspected it, nor inquired into its truth. + </p> + <p> + Mazzini was not a man to give his name to a youth (as Sir Edward was then) + at the Foreign Office. He never went there. It is doubtful whether any + letter ever came to England bearing his name. He was known among his + friends as Mr. Flower or Mr. Silva. When the late William Rathbone Greg + wished to see him, he neither knew his name nor where he resided, and his + son Percy—who was then writing for a journal of which I was editor—was + asked to obtain from me an introduction, and it was only to oblige me that + Mazzini consented to see Mr. W. R. Greg. Sir James Graham never opened any + letter addressed to Mazzini, for none ever came. He opened letters of + other persons, as every Foreign Secretary before him and since has done, + in which might be enclosed a communication for Mazzini. Was it conceivable + that the Foreign Office, then known to secretly open Mazzini's letters, + would be chosen by the Italian exile as a receiving house for his letters, + and have communications sent to its care, and addressed in his name? Was + it conceivable that Mazzini would go there and announce himself when the + Foreign Office was acting as a spy upon his proceedings in the interest of + foreign Governments? This authenticated Foreign Office story would be too + extravagant for a "penny dreadful," yet not too extravagant, in Sir Edward + Hertslet's mind, to be believable by the official world now, and was sent + or found its way to Foreign Embassies and Legations for their delectation + and information. Yet Sir Edward was not known as a writer of romance, or + novels, or theological works, nor a poet, or other dealer in imaginary + matters. His book was widely reviewed in England, and nowhere questioned + save in the <i>Sun</i> during my term of editorship in 1902. + </p> + <p> + Mazzini preached the doctrine of Association in England when it had no + other teacher. Much more may be said of him—but Sir James Stansfeld + is dead, and Madame Venturi and Peter Alfred Taylor. Only Jessie White + Mario and Professor Masson remain who knew Mazzini well. But this chapter + may give the public a better conception than has prevailed of Mazzini's + career in England. + </p> + <p> + <a name="linkimage-0008" id="linkimage-0008"> + <!-- IMG --></a> + </p> + <div class="fig" style="width:80%"> + <img src="images/mario.jpg" alt="Mario " width="100%" /><br /> + </div> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0018" id="link2HCH0018"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER XVIII. MAZZINI THE CONSPIRATOR + </h2> + <p> + There have been many conspirators, but Mazzini appears to have been the + greatest of them all. In one sense, every leader of a forlorn hope is a + conspirator. Prevision, calculation of resources, plans of campaign—mostly + of an underground kind—are necessary to conspiracy. The struggles of + Garrison and Wendell Phillips for the rescue and sustentation of fugitive + slaves are well-known instances of underground conspiracy. There the + violence of the slave-owner made conspiracy inevitable. In despotic + countries, without a free platform and a free press, the choice lies + between secret conspiracy and slavery. When Mazzini began to seek the + deliverance of Italy he had to confront 600,000 Austrian bayonets. How + else could he do it than by conspiracy? + </p> + <p> + Those are very much mistaken who think that the occupation of promoting or + taking part in a forlorn hope is a pastime to which persons disinclined to + business or honest industry, betake themselves. The spy, for instance, who + is a well-known instrument in war, takes the heroism out of it. The + sinister activity of the spy turns the soldier into a sneak. Honourable + men do, indeed, persuade themselves that if by deceit they can obtain + knowledge of facts which may save the lives of many on their own side, it + is right. At the same time they also betray to death many on the other + side, including some who have trusted the spy in his disguise. But + whatever success may attend the deceit of the spy, he can never divest + himself of the character of being a fraud; and a fraud in war is only a + little less base than a fraud in business. But it is the perils of even + the patriotic spy, which are so often under-estimated. If discovered by + the enemy, he is sure to be shot; and he runs the risk of being killed on + suspicion by friends on his own side—too indignant to inquire into + the nature of the suspicions they entertain. The spy dare not communicate + the business he is upon to his friends. Somehow it would get out; then the + spy would surely walk the plank, or hang from the gallows as Andre did. + The spy's own friends being ignorant of the secret duty he has undertaken, + observe him making the acquaintance of the enemy—hear of him being + seen in communication with them—and he becomes distrusted and + disowned by those whom he perils his life to serve. Mazzini detested the + Cabinets, or the Generals, who employed spies. He made war by secrecy—open + war being impossible to him—but never by treachery. Some who had + suffered and were incensed by personal outrage or maddening oppression, + would act as spies in revenge. Because these were done on the side of + Italian independence, Mazzini was accused of inspiring them and employing + them. + </p> + <p> + Mazzini had another difficulty. Like Cromwell, he sought his combatants + among men of faith. Mazzini was, as has been said, a Theist, like Thomas + Paine, or Theodore Parker, or Francis William Newman, he was that and + nothing more; and, as with them, his belief was passionate. He did not + believe that political enthusiasm could be created or sustained without + belief in God. He seemed unable to conceive that a sense of duty could + exist separately from that belief. Hence his motto always was "God and the + People," which limited his adherents largely to Theists, and implied a + propaganda to convert persons to a belief in Deity, before they could, in + his opinion, be counted upon to fight for Italian independence. Yet there + were contradictions; but contradictions seldom disturb passionate + convictions, and Mazzini himself could not deny that he had often been + faithfully served by men who were not at all sure that God would fight on + their side, if disaster overtook them. One night at a crowded Fulham party + Mazzini was contending, as was his wont, that an Atheist could not have a + sense of duty. Garibaldi, who was present, at once asked, "What do you say + to me? I am an Atheist. Do I lack the sense of duty?" + </p> + <p> + "Ah," said Mazzini, playfully, "you imbibed duty with your mother's milk"—which + was not an answer, but a good-natured evasion. Garibaldi was not a + philosophical Atheist, but he was a fierce sentimental one, from + resentment at the cruelties and tyrannies of priests who professed to + represent God. To disbelieve unwillingly from lack of evidence, and to + disbelieve from natural indignation is a very different thing. + </p> + <p> + All the many years Mazzini was in London, Madame Venturi was constantly in + communication with him, and was present at more conversations than any one + else. Had she possessed the genius of Boswell, and put down day by day + criticisms she heard expressed, the narratives of his extraordinary + adventures, and such as came to her knowledge from correspondence, now no + longer recoverable, we might have had as wonderful a volume of political + and ethical judgment as was Boswell's "Johnson." Sometimes I expressed a + hope that she was doing this. Nevertheless, we are indebted to her for the + best biography of him that appeared in her time. I add a few sayings of + his which show the quality of his table talk:— + </p> + <p> + "Falsehood is the art of cowards. Credulity without examination is the + practice of idiots." + </p> + <p> + "Any order of things established through violence, even though in itself + superior to the old, is still a tyranny." + </p> + <p> + "Blind distrust, like blind confidence, is death to all great + enterprises." + </p> + <p> + "In morals, thought and action should be inseparable. Thought without + action is selfishness; action without thought is rashness." + </p> + <p> + "The curse of Cain is upon him who does not regard himself as the guardian + of his brother." + </p> + <p> + "Education is the bread of the soul." + </p> + <p> + "Art does not imitate, it interprets." + </p> + <p> + Only those who were in the agitation for Italian freedom can understand + the exhausting amount of labour performed by those who were adherents or + sympathisers. How much greater was the labour of the commander of the + movement, who had to create the departments he administered, to provide + the funds for them, to win and inspire its adherents, and correspond + incessantly with agents scattered over Europe and America, and to + vindicate himself against false accusations rained upon him by a hostile, + ubiquitous European press. + </p> + <p> + Orsini was a man of invincible courage, and could be trusted to execute + any commission given him. No danger deterred him, but in enterprises + requiring prevision of contingencies, he was inadequate. Mazzini thought + so; and Orsini secretly contrived to plot against the French usurper, to + extort from Mazzini the confession that he (Orsini) could carry out an + independent enterprise. All the same, the adversaries of Italian freedom + made Mazzini responsible for it. + </p> + <p> + A writer in the press, who did not give his name (and when a writer does + not do that, he can say anything), published, in editorial type, this + passage: "By the way, I remember that Orsini, the day before he left + England to make his attempt upon the life of Napoleon III., had a solemn + discussion with Joseph Cowen and Mazzini, as to the justice of + tyrannicide." Mazzini being then dead, I sent the paragraph to Mr. Cowen + and asked him if there was any truth in it, who replied:— + </p> + <p> + "Blaydon-on-Tyne, March 2, 1891. + </p> + <p> + "My dear Holyoake,—I have no idea where the writer of the enclosed + paragraph gets his information. I cannot speak as to Orsini having a + conversation with Mazzini, but I should think it is in the highest sense + improbable, because long before Orsini went to France, Mazzini and he had + not been in friendly intercourse. There was a difference between them + which kept them apart. I had repeated conversations with Orsini about + tyrannicide—a matter in which he seemed interested—but I did + not see him for some weeks before he went to France. + </p> + <p> + "Yours truly, + </p> + <p> + "Joseph Cowen." + </p> + <p> + Mazzini always repudiated the dagger as a political weapon. It answered + the purpose of his adversaries in his day and since, to accuse him of + advocating it. He pointed out that calumny was a dagger used to + assassinate character, but to that form of assassination few politicians + made objection. Sometimes partisans of Mazzini would supply a colourable + presumption of the truth of this accusation. + </p> + <p> + A circumstantial story appeared in the "Life of Charles Bradlaugh" (vol. + i. p. 69), signed W. E. Adams, as follows:— + </p> + <p> + "The year 1858 was the year of Felice Orsinis attempt on the life of Louis + Napoleon. I was at that time, and had been for years previously, a member + of the Republican Association, which was formed to propagate the + principles of Mazzini. When the press, from one end of the country to the + other, joined in a chorus of condemnation of Orsini, I put down on paper + some of the arguments and considerations which I thought told on Orsini's + side. The essay thus was read at a meeting of one of our branches; the + members assembled earnestly urged me to get the piece printed. It occurred + to me also that the publication might be of service, if only to show that + there were two sides to the question of 'Tyrannicide.' So I went to Mr. G. + J. Holyoake, then carrying on business as a publisher of advanced + literature. Mr. Holyoake not being on the premises, his brother, Austin, + asked me to leave my manuscript and call again. When I called again Mr. + Holyoake returned me the paper, giving, among other reasons for declining + to publish it, that he was already in negotiation with Mazzini for a + pamphlet on the same subject. 'Very well,' said I, 'all I want is that + something should be said on Orsini's side. If Mazzini does this, I shall + be quite content to throw my production into the fire.'" + </p> + <p> + It is true that the pamphlet was brought to me by Mr. Adams, entitled, + "Tyrannicide: A Justification." What really took place on my part, as I + distinctly remember, was this. I said: "I was unwilling to publish a + pamphlet of that nature which did not bear the name of the writer," which + the MS. did not. The author answered that "a name added no force to an + argument; besides, his name was unimportant, if put on the tide-page," + which was reasonably and modestly said. My reply was, "That in an affair + of murder, 'Justification' was a recommendation, and that any one acting + on his perilous suggestion ought to know who was his authority." Nothing + more was said by me. The writer made no offer to add his name to his MS., + nor to meet my objection by a less assertive title. As any prosecution for + publishing it would be against me, and not against him, I thought I had a + right to an opinion as to the title and authorship of the work I might + have to defend. It was afterwards issued by Mr. Truelove, a bookseller of + courage and public spirit, but who suggested the very changes I had + indicated to the author; and by Mr. Truelove's desire the author not only + gave his name, but changed the title into "Tyrannicide: Is it + Justifiable?" which was quite another matter. It asked the question; it no + longer decided it. + </p> + <p> + As to Mazzini, it is impossible I could have said what is imputed to me. I + was not "in negotiation with Mazzini" "to write anything upon the Orsini + affair. I knew he would not do so. Orsini, as I have said, concealed his + plot from Mazzini, who never incited it, never approved it, never + justified it—he deplored it. Only enemies of Mazzini sought to + connect him with it. If I left this story uncontradicted, it might creep + into history that, in spite of the disclaimers of Mazzini's friends, he + actually "entered into negotiation" to write in defence of Orsini's + attempt, which must imply concurrence with the deplorable method Orsini + unhappily took; and, moreover, that a publisher, regarded as being in + Mazzini's confidence, had, in an open, unqualified way, told a writer on + assassination of it. The publisher was speedily arrested on the issue of + the pamphlet, as I should have been, but that would not have deterred me + from publishing it in a reasonable and responsible form. + </p> + <p> + Soon after I printed and published a worse pamphlet by Felix Pyat, which + was signed by "A Revolutionary Committee." The Pyat pamphlet was under + prosecution at the time I voluntarily published it. As what I did I did + openly—I wrote to the Government apprising them of what I was doing. + </p> + <p> + Besides, I commenced to issue serial "Tyrannicide Literature," commencing + with pamphlets written by Royalist advocates of assassination. Because I + did not publish the Adams Tyrannicide pamphlet right off without inquiry + or suggestion, I was freely charged with refusing to do it from fear. No + one seems to have been informed of the reasons I gave for declining. No + one inquired into the facts. Adversaries of those days did not take the + trouble. But, as I had to take the consequences of what I did, I thought I + had a right to take my own mode of incurring them. + </p> + <p> + On the last night of Orsini's life, Mazzini and a small group of the + friends both of Orsini and himself, of which I was one, kept vigil until + the morning, at which hour the axe in La Roquette would fall. + </p> + <p> + The favourite charge of the press against the great conspirator was that + he advised others to incur danger, and kept out of it himself. This was + entirely untrue—but it did not prevent it being said. The principle + these critics go upon is, that whoever is capable of advising and + directing others, should do all he can to get himself shot—a + doctrine which would rid the army of all its generals, and the offices of + all newspapers of their editors. Upon Mazzini's life the success of twenty + small cohorts of patriots depended, ready to give their lives for Italy. + Mazzini was not only the commander of the army of Liberation, but, as has + been indicated, the provider of its reserves, its commissariat and + recruits. His life was also of priceless value to other struggling + peoples. He was the one statesman in Europe who had a European mind—who + knew the peoples of the Continent, whose knowledge was intimate, and whose + word could be trusted. So far from avoiding danger, he was never out of + it. With a price set upon his head in three countries, hunted by seven + Governments, with spies always following him and by assassins lying in + ambush, his life for forty years passed in more peril than any other + public man of his time. Yet it was fashionable to charge him with want of + courage whose whole "life," to use his own phrase, "was a battle and a + march." + </p> + <p> + Could there be a doubt of the intrepidity of a man who, with the slender + forces of insurgent patriots, confronted Austria with its 600,000 + bayonets. + </p> + <p> + No sooner was Garibaldi in Rome than Mazzini was there in the streets + inspiring its defenders. What dangers he passed through to reach Rome, + knowing well that his arrest meant death! + </p> + <p> + Rome was not a safe place for Mazzini, neither was London. His life was + never safe. I have been asked by his host to walk home with him at night + from a London suburban villa where he dined, because a Royalist assassin + was known to be in London waiting to kill him. + </p> + <p> + Mazzini died at Pisa, March 10, 1872, from chill by walking over the Alps + in inclement weather, intending to visit his English friends once more. A + few of his English colleagues protested against his embalmment. I was not + one. Gorini, the greatest of his profession, undertook to transform the + body into marble, and for him Mazzini had friendship. Dr. Bertani, + Mazzini's favourite physician, approved embalming. It could not be done by + more reverent hands. How could England—who disembowelled Nelson and + sent his body home in a cask of rum; who embalmed Jeremy Bentham, and took + out O'Connell's heart, sent it to one city, and his mutilated remains to + another—reproach Italy for observing the national rites of their + illustrious dead? + </p> + <p> + The personal character of Mazzini never needed defence. In private life + and state affairs, honour was to him an instinct. He saw the path of right + with clear eyes. No advantage induced him to deviate from it. No danger + prevented his walking in it. + </p> + <p> + Carlyle, whom few satisfied, said he "found in him a man of clear + intelligence and noble virtues. True as steel, the word, the thought of + him pure and limpid as water." + </p> + <p> + It may be by experience that a nation is governed, but it is by rightness + alone that it is kept noble. It was to promote this that Mazzini walked + for forty years on the dreary highway between exile and the scaffold. It + was from belief in his heroic and unfaltering integrity that men went out + at his word, to encounter the dungeon, torture, and death, and that + families led all their days alarmed lives, and gave up husbands and sons + to enterprises in which they could only triumph by dying. No one save + Byron has depicted the self-denial incidental to Mazzini's career, which + involved the abnegation of all that makes life worth living to other men. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + "Such ties are not + For those who are called to the high destinies + Which purify corrupted commonwealths. + We must forget all feeling save the <i>One</i> + We must resign all passions, save our purpose. + We must behold no object, save our country. + And only look on death as beautiful + So that the sacrifice ascend to heaven, + And draw down freedom on her evermore."* + + * "Marino Faliero." +</pre> + <p> + Mazzini left a name which has become one of the landmarks, or rather + mindmarks, of public thought, and, though a bygone name, there is + instruction and inspiration in it yet. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0019" id="link2HCH0019"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER XIX. GARIBALDI—THE SOLDIER OF LIBERTY + </h2> + <p> + <a name="linkimage-0009" id="linkimage-0009"> + <!-- IMG --></a> + </p> + <div class="fig" style="width:80%"> + <img src="images/garibaldi.jpg" alt="Garibaldi " width="100%" /><br /> + </div> + <p> + Dining one day (June 29, 1896) at Mr. Herbert Spencer's, thirty years + after Garibaldi left England, Professor Masson, who was a guest of Mr. + Spencer, told me that Garibaldi said to Sir James Stansfeld that "the + person whom he was most interested in seeing in England was myself." This + Garibaldi said at a reception given by Mr. Stansfeld to meet the General—as + we had then begun to call him. I was one of the party; but Mr. Stansfeld + did not mention the remark to me, and I never heard of it until Professor + Masson told me. Of course I should have been gratified to know it We had + met before, but it was years earlier, and Garibaldi had forgotten it. The + vicissitudes and battles of his tumultuous career may well have effaced + the circumstance from his mind. The first occasion of my meeting Garibaldi + was at an evening party at the Swan Brewery, Fulham, when I was asked to + accompany him to Regent Street, where he was then residing. My name would + be given to him at the time, which he might not distinctly hear, as is + often the case when an unfamiliar name is heard by a foreign ear, as + occurs when a foreign name is mentioned to an English ear. On our way he + asked me "how it was that the English people had accorded such + enthusiastic receptions to Kossuth, and yet they appeared to have done + nothing on behalf of Hungary?" I explained to him that "our Foreign Office + was controlled by a few aristocratic families who had little sympathy with + and less respect for the voteless voices of the splendid crowds who + greeted Kossuth with generous acclaim. That was why large and enthusiastic + concourses of people in the streets produced so little effect upon the + English Government" The great Nizzard insurgent had been mystified by the + impotence of popular enthusiasm. In such plain, brief and abrupt sentences + as I thought would be intelligible, I explained that "he must distinguish + between popular sympathy and popular power. He might find himself the + subject of the generous enthusiasm of the streets, but he must take it as + the voice of the people, not the voice of the Government." Kossuth, who + had a better knowledge of English literature and the English press, never + made the distinction, which led him into mistakes and caused him + needlessly to suffer disappointments. To this day the House of Lords is an + alien power in England. + </p> + <p> + It was at the party which we left that night that I was first struck with + the natural intrepidity of Garibaldi. His square shoulders and tapering + body I had somehow come to associate with military impassableness, and the + easy, self-possessed way in which he moved through the crowd in the room + confirmed my impression. I was told afterwards by one of his fellow + combatants that unconscious courage was his characteristic on the field. + Calmness and imperturbable modesty were attributes of his mind, as seen in + his heroic acts, deemed utterly impossible save in romance. He had + received the triumphal acclamation of people he freed, whose forefathers + had only dreamed of liberation. + </p> + <p> + Since the time of that casual acquaintanceship, Garibaldi had heard of me + from Mazzini, from Mr. Cowen, and as acting secretary of the Committee who + sent out the British Legion to him. We had collected a considerable sum of + money for him, which was lying in unfriendly hands, but which his + treasurer had been unable to obtain. I had sent him other help, when help + was sorely needed by his troops. Besides, I had defended him and his cause + under the names of "Landor Praed," "Disque," and my own name, in the + press. Garibaldi sent me one of the first photographs taken of himself + after his victorious entry into Naples, on which he had written the words, + "Garibaldi, to his friend, J. G. Holyoke." He had got name and initials + transposed in those eventful days. After the affair of Micheldever,* he + charged his son Menotti to show me personal and public attention on his + visit to the House of Commons. To the end of his life he saw every visitor + who came to him with a note from me. + </p> + <p> + * See "Sixty Years," chap, lxxix. + </p> + <p> + When Menotti Garibaldi died, the family wished that the flag which the + "Thousand" carried when they made their celebrated invasion of the + Neapolitan kingdom, should be borne at the funeral. They therefore + telegraphed to the mayor of Marsala, who was supposed to be the guardian + of the relic. The mayor replied that he had not got it, but that it was at + Palermo; so the mayor of Palermo was telegraphed to. He also replied that + he had not got it, and said it was in the possession of Signor Antonio + Pellegrini, but that its authenticity was very doubtful. General Canzio, + one of the survivors of the expedition, says that the flag possessed by + Signor Pellegrini is nothing like the real one, which was merely a + tricolor of three pieces of cotton nailed to a staff. At the battle of + Calatafimi the standard-bearer was shot and the flag lost. It was said to + have been captured by a Neapolitan sub-lieutenant, but all traces of it + have now disappeared. The wonder is not that the flag has disappeared, but + that so many official persons should declare it to exist elsewhere, of + which they had no knowledge. The flag of the <i>Washington</i> would have + been lost had it not been taken possession of by De Rohan. The last flag + carried by the Mazzinians, which was shot through, would have been lost + also had not Mr. J. D. Hodge sought for it before it was too late. Both + flags are in my possession. + </p> + <p> + Walter Savage Landor sent me (August 20, 1860) these fine lines on + Garibaldi's conquest of the Sicilies:— + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + "Again her brow + Sicaria rears + Above the tombs—two thousand years, + Have smitten sore her beauteous breast, + And war forbidden her to rest + + Yet war at last becomes her friend, + And shouts aloud + Thy grief shall end. + Sicaria! hear me! rise again! + A homeless hero breaks thy chain." +</pre> + <p> + How often did I hear it said, in his great days of action, that had + Garibaldi known the perils he encountered in his enterprises, he would + never have attempted them. No one seemed able to account for his success, + save by saying he was "an inspired madman." His heroism was not born of + insanity, but knowledge. His wonderful march of conquest through Italy was + made possible by Mazzini. In every town there was a small band, mostly of + young heroic men, who were inspired by Mazzini's teaching, who, like the + brothers Bandiera, led forlorn hopes, or who were ready to act when + occasion arose. I well remember when seeking assistance for Mazzini, how + friends declined to contribute lest they became accessory to the fruitless + sacrifice of brave men. There was no other way by which Italy could be + freed, than by incurring this risk. Mazzini knew it, and the men knew it, + as Mazzini did not conceal it from those he inspired. + </p> + <p> + The following letter to me by one of the combatants was published at the + time in the <i>Daily Telegraph</i>, It is a forgotten vignette of the war, + drawn by a soldier on the battlefield who had been wounded five times + before, fighting under Garibaldi:— + </p> + <p> + "Dear Sir,—Just time to say that we are in full possession, after + streams of blood have flowed. Fights 'twixt brothers are deadly. + </p> + <p> + "We want money; we want, as I told you, a British steamer chartered, with + revolving rifles and pistols of Colt's (17, Pall Mall), also some cannon + <i>raye</i> but for the sake of humanity and liberty do hurry up the + subscriptions. The sooner we are strong the less the chance of more + fighting. We muster now some 30,000 all told, though not all armed. We + want arms and ammunition, and caps—Minie rifles. Or the rifle corps + pattern the General would as soon have. He is well and radiant with joy + and hope, though sighing over the necessity to shed blood. Oh! will the + world never learn to value the really great men of the earth until the + grave has closed over them? Garibaldi has written only one or two of all + the things published over his name. The rest are the inventions of enemies + or over-zealous friends. + </p> + <p> + "Messina must capitulate. If the King grant a constitution, all will be + lost. The Bourbons must be driven from Italy, for it will never be quiet + without. Warn the papers against trusting the so-called letters, etc., + from Garibaldi. He writes little or none, and dislikes to be made + prominent. + </p> + <p> + "Do try and urge on the subscriptions. The English admiral here has + behaved bravely, and Lord John Russell's praises are in every one's mouth; + but he must not falter or hesitate. + </p> + <p> + "The Royal Palace was burned down, and the fighting was desperate indeed. + </p> + <p> + "Of all the defeats imputed to the 'insurgents' not one has really taken + place. The General was at times obliged to sacrifice some lives for + strategical purposes. + </p> + <p> + "Now, pray use your influence for England not to allow Naples to patch up + a peace, for I tell you it is useless. Garibaldi and his friends will + never consent to anything short of 'Italy for the Italians.' + </p> + <p> + "You may communicate this as 'official' if you wish to the <i>Times</i> or + <i>News</i>, reserving my name, Yours truly, in great haste, + </p> + <p> + "——————- + </p> + <p> + "G. J. Holyoake, Esq. + </p> + <p> + "P.S.—I need hardly say this will have to take its chance of getting + to you. I trust it to a captain whom I have given the money to pay the + postage in Genoa, where he is going. Will you let me hear from you?" + </p> + <p> + He did hear from me. Whether it is good to die "in vain," as George Eliot + held, I do not stay to determine. Certainly, to die when you know it to be + your duty, whether "in vain" or not, implies a high order of nature. Sir + Alfred Lyall has sung the praise of those English soldiers captured in + India, who, when offered their lives if they would merely pronounce the + name of the Prophet, refused. It was only a word they had to patter, and + Sir Alfred exclaims, "God Almighty, what could it matter?" But the brave + Englishmen died rather than be counted on the side of a faith they did not + hold. Dying for honour is not dying in vain, and I thought the Italians + entitled to help in their holy war for manhood and independence. + </p> + <p> + When Garibaldi was at Brooke House, Isle of Wight, I was deputed by the + Society of the Friends of Italy to accompany Mazzini to meet Garibaldi. + Herzen, the Russian, who kept the "Kolokol" ringing in the dominions of + the Czar, met us at Southampton. The meeting with Garibaldi took place at + the residence of Madame Nathan. The two heroes had not met in London when + the General was a guest of the Duke of Sutherland. As soon as Garibaldi + saw Mazzini, he greeted him in the old patois of the lagoons of Genoa. It + affected Mazzini, to whom it brought back scenes of their early career, + when the inspiration of Italian freedom first began. + </p> + <p> + Mrs. Nathan, wife of the Italian banker of Cornhill, was an intrepid lady, + true to the freedom of her country, who had assisted Garibaldi and Mazzini + in many a perilous enterprise. After the interview at her house, she had + occasion to consult Garibaldi on matters of moment. Misled or deterred by + aspersion, which every lady had to suffer, suspected of patriotic + complicity, Mrs. Nathan was not invited to Brooke House. Under these + circumstances she could not go alone to see the General, and she asked me + to take her. Offering her my arm, we walked through the courtyard and + along the corridors of the house to Garibaldi's rooms. Going and returning + from her interview, I was much struck by the queenly grace and + self-possession of Mrs. Nathan's manner. There was neither disquietude nor + consciousness in her demeanour of the disrespect of not being invited to + Brooke House, though her residence was known. + </p> + <p> + On the night of Garibaldi's arrival at Brooke House, Mr. Seely, the + honoured host of the General, invited me to join the dinner party, where I + heard things said on some matters, which the speakers could not possibly + know to be true. Garibaldi showed no traces of excitement, which had dazed + so many at Southampton that afternoon. The vessel which brought him there + was immediately boarded by a tumultuous crowd of visitors. All the + reporters of the London and provincial press were waiting for the vessel + to be sighted, and they were foremost in the throng on the ship. Before + them all was Mrs. Colonel Chambers, with her beseeching eyes, large, + luminous and expressive, and difficult to resist. Garibaldi gave instant + audience to Joseph Cowen, whose voice alone, or chiefly, influenced him. + Years before, when Garibaldi was unknown, friendless, and penniless, he + turned his bark up the Tyne to visit Mr. Cowen, the only Englishman from + whom he would ask help. Garibaldi's first day at Southampton was more + boisterous than a battle. Everybody wanted him to go everywhere. Houses + where his name had never been heard were now open to him. Mr. Seely was + known to be his friend. The Isle of Wight was near. Brooke House lay out + of the way of the "madding crowd," and there his friends would have time + to arrange things for him. The end of his visit to England was sudden, + unforeseen, inexplicable both to friend and foe, at the time and for long + after. + </p> + <p> + He had accepted engagements to appear in various towns in England, where + people would as wildly greet him as the people of London had done. When it + was announced that he had left England, it was believed that the Emperor + of the French had incited the Government to prevail upon Garibaldi to + leave the country. Others conjectured that Mr. Gladstone had whispered + something to him which had caused the Italian hero to depart. I asked + about it from one who knew everything that took place—Sir James + Stansfeld—and from him I learned that no foreign suggestion had been + made, that nothing whatever had been said to Garibaldi. His leaving was + entirely his own act. He had reason to believe that Louis Napoleon was + capable of anything; but with all his heroism, Garibaldi was imaginative + and proud He fancied his presence in England was an embarrassment to the + Government. He being the guest of the nation, they would never own to it + or say it. But his departure might be a relief to them, nevertheless. And + therefore he went. His sensitiveness of honour shrank from his being a + constructive inconvenience to a nation to whom he owed so much and for + whom he cared so much. It was an instance of the disappointment + imagination may cause in politics.* + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * Some who read Mr. Morley's account of "Garibaldi's + Departure" in his "Life of Gladstone" will think that + Garibaldi did not require much imagination to see that he + was not wanted to stay in England. He heard, even from Mr. + Gladstone, words of solicitude for his health, if he visited + the many towns he had promised—and not one suggestion that + he should limit the number, which could do him no harm. + There could be but one inference from this and Garibaldi + drew it. +</pre> + <p> + But Garibaldi was a poet as well as a soldier. Like the author of the + "Marseillaise," Korner and Petofe, he could write inspiring verse, as + witness his "Political Poem" in reply to one Victor Hugo wrote upon him, + which Sir Edwin Arnold, the "Oxford Graduate" of that day, translated in + 1868. Those do not understand Garibaldi who fail to recognise that he had + poetic as well as martial fire.* + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * Both poems, the one by Hugo and Garibaldi's in reply, were + published with a preface by the present writer. +</pre> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0020" id="link2HCH0020"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER XX. THE STORY OF THE BRITISH LEGION—NEVER BEFORE TOLD + </h2> + <p> + General de Lacy Evans is no longer with us, or he might give us an + instructive account of the uncertainty and difficulty of discipline in a + patriotic legion which volunteers its services without intelligently + intending obedience. When I became Acting Secretary for sending out the + British Legion to Garibaldi, I found no one with any relevant experience + who knew what to expect or what to advise. Those likely to be in command + were ready to exercise authority, but those who were to serve under them + expected to do it more or less in their own way. The greatest merit in a + volunteer legion is that they agree in the object of the war they engage + in. They do not blindly adopt the vocation of murder—-for that is + what military service means. It means the undertaking to kill at the + direction of others—without knowledge or conviction as to the right + and justice of the conflict they take part in. + </p> + <p> + General De Lacy Evans being a military man of repute, and marching with + his Spanish Legion, had disciplinary influence over them. Two of my + colleagues in other enterprises of danger were among the Spanish + volunteers, but they were not at hand—one being in America and the + other in New Zealand—otherwise I might have had the benefit of their + experience. + </p> + <p> + The project of sending out to Garibaldi a British Legion came in the air. + It was probably a suggestion of De Rohan's, who had gathered in Italy that + British volunteers would influence Italian opinion; be an encouragement in + the field; and, if sent out in time, they might be of military service. Be + this as it may, the Garibaldi Committee found themselves, without + premeditation, engaged in enlisting men, at least by proxy. It was a new + business, in which none of us were experts. We knew that men of generous + motive and enterprise would come forward. At the same time, we were + opening a door to many of whom we could not know enough to refuse, or to + trust. However, the army of every country is largely recruited from the + class of dubious persons, over whom officers have the power to compel + order—which we had not. + </p> + <p> + As I was the Acting Secretary, my publishing house, 147, Fleet Street, was + crowded with inquirers when the project of the Legion became known. Many + gave their names there. For convenience of enrolment, a house was taken at + No. 8, Salisbury Street, Strand, where the volunteers, honest and + otherwise, soon appeared—the otherwise being more obtrusive and + seemingly more zealous. Among them appeared a young man, wearing the + uniform of a Garibaldian soldier, of specious manners, and who called + himself "Captain Styles"—a harmless rustic name, but he was not at + all rustic in mind. Being early in the field, volunteers who came later + took it for granted he had an official position. It was assumed that he + had been in Italy and in some army, which was more than we knew. His + influence grew by not being questioned. Without our knowledge and without + any authority, he invented and secretly sold commissions, retaining the + proceeds for his own use. To avoid obtruding our military objects on + public attention, I drew up a notice, after the manner of Dr. Lunn's + tourist agency, as follows:— + </p> + <p> + EXCURSION to SICILY and NAPLES.—All persons (particularly Members of + Volunteer Rifle Corps) desirous of visiting Southern Italy, and of AIDING + by their presence and influence the CAUSE of GARIBALDI and ITALY, may + learn how to proceed by applying to the Garibaldi Committee, at the + offices at No. 8, Salisbury Street, Strand, London. + </p> + <p> + The Committee caused, on my suggestion, applicants to receive notice of + two things:— + </p> + <p> + (1) That each man should remember that he goes out to represent the sacred + cause of Liberty, and that the cause will be judged by his conduct. His + behaviour will be as important as his bravery. + </p> + <p> + (2) Those in command will respect the high feeling by which the humblest + man is animated—but no man must make his equal patriotism a pretext + for refusing implicit obedience to orders, upon which his safety and + usefulness depend. There no doubt will be precariousness and privation for + a time, which every man must be prepared to share and bear. + </p> + <p> + Further, I wrote an address to the "Excursionists" and had a copy placed + in the hands of every one of them. It was to the following effect:— + </p> + <p> + Before leaving Faro, Garibaldi issued an address to his army, in which he + said:—"Among the qualities which ought to predominate among the + officers of an Italian army, besides bravery, is the amiability which + secures the affection of soldiers—discipline, subordination, and + firmness necessary in long campaigns. Severe discipline may be obtained by + harshness, but it is better obtained by kindness. This secret the numerous + spies of the enemy will not discover. It brought us from Parco to + Gibil-Rosa, and thence to Palermo. The honourable behaviour of our + soldiery towards the inhabitants did the rest. Of bravery, I am sure!" + exclaims the General. "What I want is the discipline of ancient Rome, + invariable harmony one with another—the due respect for property, + and above all for that of the poor, who suffer so much to gain the scanty + bread of their families. By these means we shall lessen the sacrifice of + blood and win the lasting independence of Italy." To this address was + added the following paragraph:— + </p> + <p> + "In these words the volunteer will learn the quality of companionship he + will meet with in the field, and the spirit which prevails among the + soldiers of Italian independence." + </p> + <p> + When we had collected the Legion, the thing was to get it out of the + country—international law not being on the side of our proceedings. + As many as a thousand names* were entered on the roll of British + volunteers for Italy. The Great Eastern Railway was very animated. + </p> + <p> + When they were about to set out at a late hour for Harwich, a "Private and + Confidential" note was sent to each saying:— + </p> + <p> + "As the arrangements for the departure of the detachment of Excursionists + are now complete, I have to request your attendance at Caldwell's Assembly + Rooms, Dean Street, Oxford Street, at three o'clock precisely, on + Wednesday, the 26th instant (September, 1860), when you will receive + information as to the time and place of departure, which will be speedy. + </p> + <p> + "(Signed) E. Styles, Major." + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * I have preserved all letters of application for curiosity + and conjecture. They might be of interest in the future. + Some joined personally. +</pre> + <p> + By this times the "Captain" had blossomed into a "Major." Owing to urgency + the Committee had to acquiesce in many things. Garibaldi being in the + field, and often no one knew where, it was futile to ask questions and + impossible to get them answered. + </p> + <p> + The Government no doubt knew all about the expedition. Captain De Rohan, + or, as he styled himself, "Admiral De Rohan," was in command of the + "Excursionists." He marched up and down the platform, wearing a ponderous + admiral's sword, which was entirely indiscreet, but he was proud of the + parade. By this time he had assumed the title of "Rear" Admiral. De Rohan + was not his name, but he was, it was said, paternally related, in an + unrecognised way, to Admiral Dalgren, of American fame. Of De Rohan it + ought to be said, that though he had the American tendency to + self-inflation, he was a sincere friend of Italy. Honest, disinterested, + generous towards others—and the devoted and trusted agent of + Garibaldi, ready to go to the ends of the earth in his service. When the + English Committee finally closed, and they had a balance of £1,000 left in + their hands, they were so sensible of the services and integrity of De + Rohan that they gave it to him, and on my introduction he deposited it in + the Westminster Bank. He was one of those men for whom some permanent + provision ought to be made, as he took more delight in serving others than + serving himself. In after years, vicissitude came to him, in which I and + members of the Garibaldi Committee befriended him. + </p> + <p> + As our Legion was going out to make war on a Power in friendly relation to + Great Britain, Lord John Russell was in a position to stop it. The vessel + (the <i>Melazzo</i>) lay two days in the Harwich waters before sailing. + There were not wanting persons who attempted to call Lord John's attention + to what was going on, but happily without recognition of their efforts. No + one was better able than Lord John to congeal illicit enthusiasm. + </p> + <p> + Mr. E. H. J. Craufurd, M.P., chairman of the Committee, myself, my brother + Austin,—who was unceasing in his service to the Committee and the + Legion—W. J. Linton, and other members of the Committee, travelled + by night with the Legion to Harwich. Mr. George Francis Train went down + with us and explained to me vivaciously his theory, that to obtain + recognition by the world was to make a good recognition of yourself. Train + did this, but all it gave him was notoriety, under which was hidden from + public respect his great natural ability and personal kindness of heart. + When I last met him, I found him—as was his custom—sitting on + the public seat in a New York square, interesting himself in children, but + ready to pour, in an eloquent torrent, the story of his projects into the + ear of any passer-by who had time to listen to him. + </p> + <p> + It was early morning when we arrived at Harwich. As the ship lay some + distance out, it took some time to embark the men, and it was the second + day before she set sail. To our disappointment De Rohan did not go with + the troops, which we thought it was his duty to do, but suddenly left, + saying he would meet them at Palermo. He alone had real influence over the + men. No one being in authority over them, feuds and suspicions were added + to their lack of discipline. + </p> + <p> + The vessel was well provisioned, even to the pleasures of the table. There + was that satisfaction. + </p> + <p> + It may interest readers who have never sailed in a troopship to read the + regulations enforced:— + </p> + <p> + 1. The men will be allotted berths and divided into messes, regularly by + companies, and their packs are to be hung up near their berths. + </p> + <p> + 2. With a view to the general health and accommodation of the men, they + will be divided into three watches, one of which is to be constantly on + deck. + </p> + <p> + 3. A guard, the strength of which is to be regulated by the sentries + required, is to mount every morning at nine o'clock. + </p> + <p> + 4. The men of each watch are to be appointed to stations. + </p> + <p> + 5. The men not belonging to the watch are to be ordered below, when + required by the master of the ship, in order that they may not impede the + working of the vessel. + </p> + <p> + 6. In fine weather every man is to be on deck the whole day. + </p> + <p> + 7. The whole watch is to be constantly on deck, except when the rain + obliges them to go down for shelter. + </p> + <p> + 8. Great attention is to be paid to the cleanliness of the privies. + Buckets of water are to be thrown down frequently. + </p> + <p> + 9. The bedding is to be brought on deck every morning, if the weather will + permit, by eight o'clock, and to be well aired. + </p> + <p> + 10. The men are to wash, comb, and brush their heads every morning. + </p> + <p> + 11. At sunset the bedding is to be brought down, and at any time during + the day on the appearance of bad weather. + </p> + <p> + 12. At ten o'clock in the evening, every man is to be in his berth, except + the men on guard and of the watch. + </p> + <p> + 13. The chief of the watch is to be careful that no man interferes with + the windsails, so as to prevent the air from being communicated. + </p> + <p> + 14. The men are strictly forbidden sleeping on deck, which they are apt to + do, and which is generally productive of fevers and flushes. + </p> + <p> + With a view of preventing accidents from fire, a sentry will be constantly + placed at the cooking place or caboose, or one on each side, with orders + not to allow fire of any kind to be taken without leave. + </p> + <p> + 1. No lights are to be permitted amongst the men except in lanterns. All + are to be extinguished at ten o'clock at night, except those over which + there may be sentries. + </p> + <p> + 2. No smoking on any account to be permitted, except on upper deck. + </p> + <p> + 3. No lucifer or patent matches to be allowed. + </p> + <p> + 4. The officers are strictly charged to trace when going their rounds + between decks, and to report instantly any man who shall presume either to + smoke there, or to use any lights except in lanterns. + </p> + <p> + Every possible precaution is to be taken to prevent liquor being brought + on board ship. + </p> + <p> + Regularity and decency of conduct are peculiarly required on board ship. + It is the duty of those in command to repress, by the most decided and + summary measures, any tendency to insubordination, to check every species + of immorality and vice, and to discountenance to the utmost of their power + whatever may disturb the comfort of others, or interrupt the harmony and + good understanding which should subsist on board. + </p> + <p> + We had trouble in London. One day at a Committee, held at my house, an + applicant, who was contracting to supply 900 rifles, attended to show + certificates of their efficiency. The legal eye of the chairman (Mr. + Craufurd, M.P., one of the prosecuting counsel of the Mint), detected them + to be forgeries. On his saying so, the applicant snatched them from his + hand. The chairman at once seized the knave, when a struggle ensued to + obtain the false credentials. As it was not prudent in us to prosecute the + presenter and have our proceedings before a court, we let him go. + </p> + <p> + There being no legal power to enforce order was the cardinal weakness of + the British Legion. A competent commander should at least have been + appointed, and an agreement of honour entered into by each volunteer, to + obey his authority and that of those under him, on penalty of dismissal, + and a certain forfeiture of money. These conditions, though not of legal + force, would be binding on men of honour, and place the turbulent without + honour at a disadvantage. + </p> + <p> + At the Queenwood community, in Robert Owen's day, no contract of this kind + was thought of, and any one who declined to leave could defy the governor, + until he was ejected by force—a process which did not harmonise with + "Harmony Hall." + </p> + <p> + De Rohan met the Excursionists at Palermo on their disembarkation. + "Captain Styles" was prudently absent, and no more was heard of him. The + spurious commissions could not be recognised, and commotion naturally + arose among those who had been defrauded. Captain Sarsfield, Colonel + Peard, known as "Garibaldi's Englishman," De Rohan, Captain Scott, and + others on the spot, with colourable pretensions to authority, took + different views of the situation. Appeals were made to the Committee in + London, on whose minutes stormy telegrams are recorded. Mr. Craufurd, + though he had the prudent reticence of his race, would sometimes fall into + impetuous expressions. Yet the second statement of his first thought would + be faultless. This quality was so conspicuous that it interested me. + </p> + <p> + The first man of the Legion killed was young Mr. Bontems, only son of a + well-known tradesman in the City of London—a fine, ingenuous fellow. + He was shot by the recklessness of a medical student of the London + University, as Bontems stood in a mess-room at Palermo. It was said not to + be the first death caused by the criminal thoughtlessness of the same + person. Mr. Southall, another London volunteer like young Bontems, was a + man of genuine enthusiasm, character, and promise. He became an orderly + officer to Garibaldi, by whom he was trusted and to whom he gave the black + silk cravat he wore on entering Naples.* + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * Southall forwarded it to me. A revolver and case was sent + me by request of a soldier who died on the field. +</pre> + <p> + When Garibaldi retired to his island home, he sent to England the + following testimony of the services and character of the Excursionists:— + </p> + <p> + "Caprera, + </p> + <p> + "Jan. 26, 1861. + </p> + <p> + "... They [the British Legion] came late. But they made ample amends for + this defect, not their own, by the brilliant courage they displayed in the + slight engagements they shared with us near the Volturno, which enabled me + to judge how precious an assistance they would have rendered us had the + war of liberation remained longer in my hands. In every way the English + volunteers were a proof of the goodwill borne by your noble nation towards + the liberty and independence of Italy. + </p> + <p> + "Accept, honoured Mr. Ashurst, the earnest assurance of my grateful + friendship, and always command yours, + </p> + <p> + "G. Garibaldi." + </p> + <p> + Allowing for Garibaldi's generosity in estimating the services of the + Legion, it remains true that the majority deserved this praise. Many were + of fine character. Many were young men of ingenuousness and bright + enthusiasm, prompt to condone lack of military knowledge by noble + intrepidity in the field. + </p> + <p> + The Legion cost the Italian Government some expense. Claims were + recognised liberally. The men were sent back to England overland, and each + one had a provision order given him to present at every refreshment + station at which the trains stopped. Count Cavour was a better friend of + Italian freedom than even Mazzini knew. It was only known after Cavour's + death, how he had secretly laboured to drag his country from under the + heel of Austria. Cavour had the friendly foresight to give orders that the + members of the English Legion were to be supplied on their journey home + with double rations, as Englishmen ate more than Italians. The Cavourian + distinction was much appreciated. + </p> + <p> + The sums due to the men until their arrival in England were paid by the + Sardinian Consul (whose office was in the Old Jewry), on a certificate + from me that the applicant was one of the Legion. + </p> + <p> + A request came to me from Italy for a circumstantial history of the Legion + and such suggestions as experience had furnished. The story made quite a + book, which I sent to Dr. Bertani. When after his death I was in Milan, I + learned from a member of his family that no one knew what had become of + it. And so I briefly tell the story again, as there is no one else to tell + it Bertani was the confidant and favourite physician of Mazzini and + Garibaldi. No one knew so well or so much as he who were the makers of + Italian Unity. What has become of his papers? + </p> + <p> + Among friends of Italy who appeared at our council in London was Captain + Sarsfield, the son of the Duke of Somerset. Pallid, with an expression of + restrained energy, handsome beyond any face I had seen, it might have been + carved by a Grecian sculptor. His high breeding struck me before I knew + who he was. He took out for me an important letter to Garibaldi, who had + then no postal address. On Sarsfield's return home, he took, as was his + delight, a furious ride in a high wind. Washington did the same, and it + killed him, as it did Captain Sarsfield. Difficulty of breathing ensued, + and it was necessary that Dr. Williams should be called in to perform an + operation—all in vain. The Duchess of Somerset lay all night on the + carpet-floor by the dead body of her son, for whom she grieved + exceedingly. In her distress she said Dr. Williams had been wanting in + promptness or in skill. His great reputation could not be affected by an + accusation made in agony, and his own explanation would vindicate him. But + he took the brutal course of dragging the distressed and distracted mother + into the law courts. In consequence of remarks I published upon this + unfeeling and egotistic outrage, the Duchess sent me a letter of thanks, + and requested me to call at her residence. So much for the two men who + mainly made Italy a nation. What Castelar said to the Italian patriots in + general, he might have addressed to Garibaldi and Mazzini individually:— + </p> + <p> + "That which Julius II. could not effect with his cannon, nor Leo X. with + his arts, that which Savonarola could not make a reality by giving himself + to God, nor Machiavelli by giving himself to the Devil, has been done by + you. You have made Italy one, you have made Italy free, you have made + Italy independent." + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0021" id="link2HCH0021"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER XXI. JOHN STUART MILL, TEACHER OF THE PEOPLE + </h2> + <p> + <a name="linkimage-0010" id="linkimage-0010"> + <!-- IMG --></a> + </p> + <div class="fig" style="width:80%"> + <img src="images/mill.jpg" alt="Mill " width="100%" /><br /> + </div> + <p> + One reason for commencing with the remark that John Stuart Mill was born + on May 20, 1806, at No. 13, Rodney Street, Islington, London, is to notify + the coincidence that Gladstone, another man of contemporaneous + distinction, was born in Rodney Street, Liverpool, three years later. + Rodney Street, London, where Mill was born, was a small, narrow, + second-rate, odd, out-of-the-way suburban thoroughfare. But in those days + Islington had the characteristics of a rural retreat A little above this + Rodney Street, in what is now known as the Pentonville Road, stood the + "Angel," a favourite hostelry, where Thomas Paine wrote part of one of his + famous books, near the period of Mill's birth. + </p> + <p> + The familiar books concerning J. S. Mill,* treat mainly of his eminence as + a thinker. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * Notably those of Professor A. Bain and Mr. Courtney. +</pre> + <p> + I concern myself with those personal characteristics which won for him the + regard and honour of the insurgent industrial classes—insurgent, not + in the sense of physical rebellion against authority, but of intellectual + rebellion against error, social inferiority and insufficiency of means. + Mill regarded the press as the fortress of freedom. All his life he gave + money to establish such defences, and left the copyright of his works to + Mr. John Morley, to be applied in aid of publications open to the + expression of all reasoned opinion, having articles signed by the names of + the writers. Mr. Mill was the first who made provision for the expression + of unfriended truth. It would be a surprising biography which recorded the + causes he aided and the persons whom he helped. He was not one of those + philosophers, "selfish, cold and wise," who, fortunate and satisfied with + their own emancipation from error, leave others to perish in their + ignorance. Mill helped them,* as did Place, Bentham, Grote, Roebuck, + Molesworth, and other leaders of the great Utilitarian party. For ten + years I knew Mr. Mill to receive and write letters of suggestion from the + India House. He would see any one, at any hour, interested in the progress + of the people. As Mr. John Morley has said in the <i>Fortnightly Review</i>, + "It was easier for a workman than for a princess to obtain access to him." + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * Like Samuel Morley, he took trouble to aid honest + endeavour, often irrespective of agreement with it. +</pre> + <p> + A pamphlet by me on the "Liberal Situation" in 1865* being sent to Mr. + Mill, he wrote me the following letter:— + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * It was in the form of a letter addressed to Joseph Cowen. +</pre> + <p> + "Avignon, + </p> + <p> + "April 28, 1865. + </p> + <p> + "Dear Sir,—I have received your pamphlet (the 'Liberal Situation') + which I think is one of the best of your writings, and well calculated to + stir up the thinking minds among the working classes to larger views of + political questions. So far as I am myself concerned I cannot but be + pleased to find you in sympathy with some of the most generally unpopular + of my political notions. For my own part, I attach for the present more + importance to representation of minorities, and especially to Mr. Hares + plan, combined with opening the suffrage to women, than to the plural + voting which, in the form proposed by Mr. Buxton, of attaching the + plurality of votes directly to property, I have always thoroughly + repudiated. But I think what you say of it likely to be very useful by + impressing on the working people that it is no degradation to them to + consider some people's votes of more value than others. I would always (as + you do) couple with the plurality the condition of its being accessible to + any one, however poor, who proves that he can come up to a certain + standard of knowledge.—I am, yours truly, + </p> + <p> + "J. S. Mill. + </p> + <p> + "G. J. Holyoake." + </p> + <p> + One night when a great Reform League meeting was held in the Agricultural + Hall, Islington, I accompanied him from the House of Commons to it. There + were rumours of danger in attending it. This did not deter him. The + meeting itself was ill spoken of by the press—still he went. The + crowd about the place made it perilous for one so fragile-looking as he, + to force a way in. He never hesitated to try it When we arrived on the + thronged platform, it was a struggle to get to the front. The vast + amphitheatre, with its distant lights and dense crowds—the horsepit + presenting a valley of faces, the higher ground hills of men, the iron + rafters overhead were alive with hearers who had climbed there—was a + strange Miltonic scene. No sooner did the stout voice of Manton—which + alone all could hear—announce the arrival of Mr. Mill than every man + was silent; though few would catch the low, wise, brave words he uttered. + Afterwards I returned to the House of Commons with him, he being + interested in an expected division. + </p> + <p> + The Islington meeting that night had been denounced as illegal. He went to + justify the right of public meeting by his presence, and to share the + responsibility of those who convened it. What man eminent as a thinker, + save he, or Mr. John Morley, would incur the odium, peril, and discomfort + of attending, for such a purpose, a workman's meeting such as that? + </p> + <p> + The first time he made a speech at a public meeting was at the Whittington + Club, before a gathering of co-operators. I asked him to address them. I + was as glad as surprised when he consented. Had it not been for the + presence of women taking interest in co-operative economy, he probably had + not spoken then. In a sentence he defined the higher co-operation. He + never spoke in vain. + </p> + <p> + When in business in Fleet Street I signed bills for the convenience of a + city friend, who, like William Ellis—Mill's early associate—was + a munificent supporter of progressive endeavour. By putting my name on his + bills I incurred a liability beyond my means of meeting. My more than + imprudence was indefensible because it involved the business in which the + money of others was invested. Learning that my resources fell short by £70 + of the amount for which I was answerable, Mr. Mill sent me the £70 from + himself and a friend. When the bills were repaid me from the estate of him + for whom I had signed them, I sent the £70 to Mr. Mill, who returned me + half as a gift, on the condition that I did not sign another bill, which I + never did, unless I was able to pay it if my friend did not, and I was + willing to pay it if he could not. + </p> + <p> + Mr. Mill had quoted portions of my "History of the Rochdale Pioneers," in + his "Political Economy," which was a great advantage to a cause whose + success I much desired. In many ways I was much indebted to his + friendship, and have never changed in my regard for him. Yet this did not + involve spontaneous acquiescence in all his views. Upon the ballot I + dissented from him. It seemed to me a just condition that the people + should be, for one minute in seven years, free to vote for their political + masters (as members of Parliament are) without control, intimidation, or + fear of resentment Mr. Bright himself and Mr. Berkeley were impressed by + my view as stated to a meeting of the Reform League. Mill thought it + conduced to manliness that the elector should withstand adverse influences + at whatever peril—which assumed the universal existence of a heroic + spirit of self-sacrifice. Since the elector by his vote subjects his + fellow-citizens, it may be, to perilous mastership, Mill inferred every + man had a right to know from whose hand came the blessing or the blow. + There is still force in Mill's view which commands respect. On the other + hand, secret voting is not without its disadvantages. The citizen may be + surrounded by disguised adversaries. The fair-seeming dissembler he trusts + may stab him at the poll. The independence given by the ballot may betray + the State, and the traitors be shielded from responsibility. The secret + vote also rests on a vast assumption—that of the universal + paramountcy of conscience and honesty in electors—which paramountcy + is as scarce as political heroism. Those who so trust the people incur the + greater and ceaseless responsibility of educating them in political + honour. They who have shown their trust in the people, alone have the + right of claiming their fidelity. Mr. Mill was foremost in teaching the + duty of independent thought, and, to do him justice, my dissent from a + principle he had come to hold strongly, made no difference in his + friendship. He was once a believer in the ballot himself. + </p> + <p> + Mr. Mill was an instance which shows that even the virtues of a + philosopher need, as in lesser men, good sense to take care of them, lest + the operation of lofty qualities compromise others. His unguarded + intrepidity in defence of the right cost him his seat for Westminster. + Things were going well for him, on his second candidature, when one + morning it appeared in the newspapers that he had sent £10 to promote the + election of Mr. Bradlaugh. That £10 was worth £10,000 to his Tory + opponent, and cost Mill's own committee the loss of £3,000, which was + contributed to promote his election. When I was a candidate in the Tower + Hamlets, Mr. Mill sent a similar sum to promote my election; but I + prohibited the publication of an intrepid act of generosity, which might + prove costly to Mr. Mill At his first election Dean Stanley nobly urged + Christian electors to vote for Mr. Mill; but at the second election, when + it became known that Mr. Mill was subscribing to bring an Atheist into + Parliament, most Christians were persuaded Mr. Mill was himself an + Atheist, and only the nobler sort would vote for him again. It was right + and honourable in Mr. Mill to stand by his opinion, that an Atheist had as + much right as a Christian to be in Parliament, and that ecclesiastical + heresy was no disqualification for public or Parliamentary service. To + maintain your opinions at your own cost is one thing, but to proclaim them + at the cost of others, without regard to time, consent or circumstance, is + quite a different matter. + </p> + <p> + Mr. Mill had refused on principle to contribute to the expense of his own + election, on the ground that a candidate should not be called upon to pay + for his own election to a place of public service, I though it was + perfectly consistent that he should contribute to the election of others. + But his committee could not convert the electorate to this view. There is + nothing so difficult as the election of a philosopher. Mr. Mill was in + favour of the civil equality of all opinions, but it did not follow that + he shared all opinions himself. But the electors could not be made to see + this after the £10 sent to Northampton became known, and England saw the + most famous borough in the land handed over for unknown years to a Tory + bookseller, without personal distinction of his own, and a book writer of + the highest order rejected by the electors in favour of a mere bookseller. + </p> + <p> + Mr. Mill's father, openly advocating the limitation of families in the + interest of the poor, bequeathed to his son a heritage of disadvantage—of + liability to frenzied imputation. No man is to be held responsible save + for what he himself says and what he himself does. No man is answerable, + or ought to be held answerable, for the construction others put upon his + conduct, or for their inference as to his opinions. No writer ever guarded + his words and conduct more assiduously than J. S. Mill. Yet few have been + more misrepresented by theological and Conservative writers. Upon the + question of "limitation of families," Mr. Mill never wrote other or more + than this:— + </p> + <p> + "No prudent man contracts matrimony before he is in a condition which + gives him an assured means of living, and no married man has a greater + number of children than he can properly bring up. Whenever this family has + been formed, justice and humanity require that he should impose on himself + the same restraint which is submitted to by the unmarried."* + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * "Principles of Political Economy," Book ii. +</pre> + <p> + Further instruction of the people upon this subject J. S. Mill might not + deprecate, but he never gave it He never went so far as Jowett, who wrote: + "That the most important influences on human life should be wholly left to + chance, or shrouded in mystery, and instead of being disciplined or + understood, should be required to conform to an external standard of + propriety, cannot be regarded by the philosopher as a safe or satisfactory + condition of human things."* + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * "Dialogues of Plato." Introduction to "Republic," vol. ii. +</pre> + <p> + Mill's views, or supposed views, naturally excited the attention of wits. + Moore's amusing exaggeration, which, like American humour, was devoid of + truth, yet had no malice in it, was:— + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + "There are two Mr. Mills, too, whom those who like reading + What's vastly unreadable, call very clever; + And whereas Mill senior makes war on <i>good</i> breeding, + Mill junior makes war on all <i>breeding</i> whatever." +</pre> + <p> + The way in which opinions were invented for Mill is shown in the instance + of the London Debating Club (1826-1830), which was attended by a set of + young men who professed ultra opinions. Mr. J. A. Roebuck was one. It was + rumoured that at a meeting at which Mr. Mill was present, a pamphlet was + discussed entitled, "What is Love?" attributed to a man of some note in + his day, and of | unimpeachable character in private life. Mr. Mill might + have been present without knowledge of the | subject to be brought + forward, and may have been a listener without choice. + </p> + <p> + But in those days (and down to a much later period) the conventional + fallacy was in full vogue—that civility to an opponent implied a + secret similarity of opinion. Courtesy was regarded as complicity with the + beliefs of those to whom it was shown. He who was present at an + unconventional assembly was held to assent to what took place there—though + neither a member, nor speaker, nor partisan. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0022" id="link2HCH0022"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER XXII. JOHN STUART MILL, TEACHER OF THE PEOPLE + </h2> + <h3> + (continued) + </h3> + <p> + Mill was so entirely serious in his pursuit of truth, and entirely + convinced of the advantages of its publicity, that he readily risked + conventional consequences on that account. He held it to be desirable that + those who had important convictions, should be free to make them known, + and even be encouraged to do so. In thinking this he was in no way + compromised by, nor had he any complicity with, the convictions of others. + But this did not prevent him being made answerable for them, as in the + case of the distribution of papers sent to him by friends in his company. + A copy of it came into my possession which assuredly he did not write, and + the terms of which he could never have approved, had they been submitted + to him. On one occasion he sent to me a passionate repudiation of + concurrence or recommendation in any form, of methods imputed to him. + </p> + <p> + These eccentricities of imputation, supposed to have died by time, were + found to be alive at Mills death. + </p> + <p> + The chief resurrectionist was one Abraham Hay-ward, known as a teller of + salacious stories at the Athenaeum. He was a man of many gifts, who wrote + with a bright, but by no means fastidious, pen. In some unexplained, + inconsistent, and inexplicable way, Mr. Gladstone was on friendly terms + with him. No sooner was Mill dead, and illustrious appreciators of the + great thinker were meditating some memorial to his honour, than Mr. + Hayward sent an article to the <i>Times</i>, suggesting intrinsic + immorality in his opinions. He also sent out letters privately to deter + eminent friends of Mill from giving their names to the memorial committee. + He sent one to Mr. Stopford Brooke, upon whom it had no influence. He sent + one to Mr. Gladstone, upon whom it had, and who, in consequence, declined + to join the committee. + </p> + <p> + Hayward was, in his day, the Iago of literature, and abused the confiding + nature of our noble Moor.* Yet, when Mr. Mill lost his seat for + Westminster, Mr. Gladstone had written these great words: "We all know Mr. + Mill's intellectual eminence before he entered Parliament. What his + conduct principally disclosed to me was his singular moral elevation. Of + all the motives, stings and stimulants that reach men through their + egotism in Parliament, no part could move or even touch him. His conduct + and his language were in this respect a sermon. For the sake of the House + of Commons, I rejoiced in his advent and deplored his disappearance. He + did us all good, and in whatever party, in whatever form of opinion, I + sorrowfully confess that such men are rare." + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * My little book, "John Stuart Mill, as the Working Classes + Knew Him," was written to show Mr. Gladstone the answer that + could be given to Hayward. +</pre> + <p> + There was no tongue in the House of Commons more bitter, venomous, or + disparaging of the people than that of Lord Robert Cecil, afterwards Lord + Salisbury; yet I record to his honour he subscribed £50 towards the + memorial to Mr. Mill. One of the three first persons who gave £50 was Mr. + Walter Morrison. The Duke of Argyll, the Earl of Derby, the Duke of + Devonshire, Sir Charles and Lady Dilke, Mr. and Mrs. P. A. Taylor were + also among the subscribers of £50 each. Among those who gave large but + lesser sums were Mr. Herbert Spencer, Stopford Brooke, Leonard H. + Courtney, Frederic Harrison, G. H. Lewes, W. E. H. Lecky. Sir John + Lubbock, G. Croome Robertson, Lord Rosebery, Earl Russell, Professor + Tyndall, and Professor Huxley. So Mr. Mill had his monument with honour. + It stands on the Thames Embankment, and allures more pilgrims of thought + than any other there. + </p> + <p> + Purity and honour, there is reason to believe, were never absent from + Mill's mind or conduct; but trusting to his own personal integrity, he + assumed others would recognise it His admiration of Mrs. Taylor, whom he + frequently visited, and subsequently married, was misconstrued—though + not by Mr. Taylor, who had full confidence in Mr. Mill's honour. No + expression to the contrary on Mr. Taylor's part ever transpired. It might + be due to society that Mr. Mill should have been reserved in his regard. + But assured of his own rectitude, he trusted to the proud resenting maxim, + "Evil be to him who evil thinks," and he resented imputation—whether + it came from his relatives or his friends. Any reflection upon him in this + respect he treated as an affront to himself, and an imputation upon Mrs. + Taylor, which he never forgave. A relative told me after his death, that + he never communicated with any of them again who made any remark which + bore a sinister interpretation. If ever there was a philosopher who should + be counted stainless, it was John Stuart Mill. + </p> + <p> + In the minds of the Bentham School, population was a province of politics. + It would seem incredible to another generation—as it seems to many + in this—that a philosopher should incur odium for being of Jowett's + opinion, that the most vital information upon the conduct of life should + not be withheld from the people. To give it is to incur conventional + reprehension; as though it were not a greater crime to be silent while a + feeble, half-fed, and ignorant progeny infest the land, to find their way + to the hospital, the poor house, or the gaol, than to protest against this + recklessness, which establishes penury and slavery in the workman's home. + Yet a brutal delicacy and a criminal fastidiousness, calling itself public + propriety, is far less reputable than the ethical preference for + reasonable foresight and a manlier race. + </p> + <p> + Mr. Mill's success in Parliament was greater than that of any philosopher + who has entered in our time. Unfortunately, very few philosophers go + there. The author of "Mark Rutherford" (W. Hale White) writing to me + lately, exclaimed: "Oh for one session with Mill and Bright and Cobden in + the House! What would you not give to hear Mill's calm voice again? What + would you not give to see him apply the plummet of Justice and Reason to + the crooked iniquities of the Front Benches? He stands before me now, just + against the gangway on the Opposition side, hesitating, pausing even for + some seconds occasionally, and yet holding everybody in the House with a + kind of grip; for even the most foolish understood more or less dimly that + they were listening to something strange, something exalted, spoken from + another sphere than that of the professional politician." + </p> + <p> + Mr. Christie relates that in the London Debating Society, of which Mill + was a member when a young man, it used to be said of him in argument, "He + passed over his adversary like a ploughshare over a mouse." Certainly many + mice arguers heard in Parliament, who made the public think a mountain was + in labour, ended their existence with a squeak when Mr. Mill took notice + of them. + </p> + <p> + The operation of the suffrage and the ballot, questions on which Mill + expressed judgment, are in the minds of politicians to this day, and many + reformers who dissented from him do not conceal their misgivings as to the + wisdom of their course. "Misgivings" is a word that may be taken to mean + regret, whereas it merely signifies occasion for consideration. The + extension of the franchise and the endowment of the ballot have caused + misgivings in many who were foremost in demanding them. The wider suffrage + has not prevented an odious war in South Africa, and the ballot has sent + to the House of Commons a dangerous majority of retrograde members. John + Bright distrusted the vote of the residuum. John Stuart Mill equally + dreaded the result of withdrawing the vote of the elector from public + scrutiny. I agreed with their apprehensions, but it seemed to me a + necessity of progress that the risk should be run. While the Ballot Act + was before the House of Lords, I wrote to the <i>Times</i> and other + papers, as I have elsewhere related, to say that the Ballot Act would + probably give us a Tory government for ten years—which it did. I + thought that the elector who had two hundred years of transmitted + subjection or intimidation or bribery in his bones, would for some time go + on voting as he had done—for others, not for the State. He would not + all at once understand that he was free and answerable to the State for + his vote. New electors, who had never known the responsibility of voting, + would not soon acquire the sense of it Mr. Mill thought it conduced to + manliness for an elector to act in despite of his interest or resentment + of his neighbours, his employer, his landlord, or his priest, when his + vote became known. At every election there were martyrs on both sides; and + it was too much to expect that a mass of voters, politically ignorant, and + who had been kept in ignorance, would generally manifest a high spirit, + which maintains independence in the face of social peril, which + philosophers are not always equal to. No doubt the secrecy of the vote is + an immunity to knaves, but it is the sole chance of independence for the + average honest man. The danger of committing the fortune of the State to + the unchecked votes of the unintelligent was an argument of great power + against a secret suffrage. Lord Macaulay, though a Whig of the Whigs, gave + an effective answer when he brought forward his famous fool, who declared + "he would never go into the water until he had learnt to swim." The people + must plunge into the sea of liberty before they can learn to swim in it. + They have now been in that sea many years, and not many have learned the + art yet. Then was found the truth of Temple Leader's words, that "if the + sheep had votes, they would give them all to the butcher." Then when + reformers found that the new electors voted largely for those who had + always refused them the franchise, the advocates of it often expressed to + me their misgivings as to its wisdom. Lord Sherbrooke (then Robert Lowe) + saw clearly that if liberty was to be maintained and extended, the State + must educate its masters. + </p> + <p> + But has this been done? Has not education been impeded? Have not electoral + facilities been hampered? Has not the franchise been restricted by onerous + conditions, which keep great numbers from having any vote at all? Has not + the dual vote been kept up, which enables the wealthy to multiply their + votes at will? Before reformers have misgivings concerning the extension + of liberty to the masses, they must see that the poor have the same + opportunity of reaching the poll as the rich have. George Eliot, who had + the Positivist reluctance to see the people act for themselves, wrote: + "Ignorant power comes in the end to the same thing as wicked power."* But + there is this difference in their nature. "Ignorant power" can be + instructed, and experience may teach it; but "wicked power" has an evil + purpose, intelligently fixed and implacably determined. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * "Felix Holt," p 265. Blackwood's stereotyped edition. +</pre> + <p> + Does any reflecting person suppose, that when the vote was given to the + mass of the people, they would be at once transmuted into intelligent, + calculating, and patient politicians—that their passions would be + tamed, and their vices extinguished—that they would forthwith act + reasonably? Much of this was true of the thoughtful working men. But for a + long time the multitude must remain unchanged until intelligence extends. + We have had renewed experience that— + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + "Religion, empire, vengeance, what you will, + A word's enough to rouse mankind to kill. + Some cunning phrase by fiction caught and spread, + That guilt may reign, and wolves and worms be fed." +</pre> + <p> + But the reformer has one new advantage now. He is no longer scandalised by + the excesses of ignorance, nor the perversities of selfishness. Giving the + vote has, if we may paraphrase the words of Shakespeare, put into + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + "Every man's hands + The means to cancel his captivity." +</pre> + <p> + It is no mean thing to have done this. There is no reason for misgiving + here. If the people misuse or neglect to use their power, the fault is + their own. There is no one to reproach but themselves. + </p> + <p> + Abolitionists of slavery may, if supine, feel misgivings at having + liberated the negroes from their masters, where they were certain of + shelter, subsistence, and protection from assault of others, and exposed + them to the malice of their former owners, to be maltreated, murdered at + will, lynched with torture on imaginary or uninvestigated accusations. + Those who aided the emancipation of the slaves are bound to ceaseless + vigilance in defending them. But despite the calamities of liberty, + freedom has added an elastic race (who learn the arts of order and of + wealth) to the family of mankind, and misgivings are obsolete among those + who have achieved the triumphs and share the vigils and duties of + progress. + </p> + <p> + Mr. Mill was essentially a teacher of the people. He wished them to think + on their own account—for themselves, and not as others directed + them. He did not wish them to disregard the thoughts of those wiser than + themselves, but to verify new ideas as far as they could, before assenting + to them. He wished them not to take authority for truth, but truth for + authority. To this end he taught the people principles which were pathways + to the future. He who kept on such paths knew where he was. Herbert + Spencer said he had no wrinkles on his brow because he had discovered the + thoroughfares of nature, and was never puzzled as to where they led. Mr. + Mill was a chartmaker in logic, in social economy, and in politics. None + before him did what he did, and no successor has exceeded him. By his + protest against the "subjection of women," he brought half the human race + into the province of politics and progress. They have not all appeared + there as yet—but they are on the way. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0023" id="link2HCH0023"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER XXIII. ABOUT MR. GLADSTONE + </h2> + <p> + Mr. Gladstone's career will be the wonder of other generations, as it has + been the astonishment of this. Mr. Morley's monumental "Life" of him will + long be remembered as the greatest of all contributions to the education + of the British politician. It is a life of Parliament as well as of a + person. Those who remember how Carpenter's "Political Text Book" was + welcomed will know how much more this will be valued. + </p> + <p> + Never before was a biography founded on material so colossal. Only one man + was thought capable of dealing with a subject so vast and complicated. + Great expectations were entertained, and were fulfilled in a measure which + exceeded every anticipation. The task demanded a vaster range of knowledge + than was ever before required of a biographer. Classic passages, not + capable of being construed by the general reader, are translated, so that + interest is never diverted nor baffled by flashes of learned darkness. + When cardinal and unusual terms are used, which might be dubiously + interpreted, definitions are given which have both delight and + instruction. He who collects them from Mr. Morley's pages would possess a + little dictionary of priceless guidance. A noble action or a just idea is + recognised, whoever may manifest it Some persons, as Mr. Gladstone said of + Kinglake's famous book, "were too bad to live and too good to die." + Nevertheless, their excellence, where discernible, has its place in this + biographical mosaic Thus unexpected pieces of human thought emerge in the + careers of the historic figures who pass before the reader, by which he + becomes richer as he proceeds from page to page. Illuminating similes + abound which do not leave the memory—such fitness is there in them. + Historic questions which interested those who lived through them, are made + clear, by facts unknown or unregarded then. Men whom many readers detested + in their day are discovered to have some noble feature of character, + unrevealed to the public before. Mr. Morley is a master of character—a + creator of fame by his discernment, discrimination, impartiality, and + generosity to adversaries, from which the reader learns charity and wisdom + as he goes along. Knowledge of public life, law, and government, come as + part of the charm of the incidents related. Memorable phrases, unexpected + terms of expression, like flashes of radium, gleam in every chapter. The + narrative is as interesting as the adventures of Gil Bias—so full is + it of wisdom, wonder, and variety. From all the highways, byways, and + broadways of the great subject, the reader never loses sight of Mr. + Gladstone. All paths lead to him. Like Bunyan's Pilgrim, the biographer + goes on his shining way, guiding the reader to the shrine of the hero of + the marvellous story. Mr. Gladstone moves through Mr. Morley's pages as a + king—as he did among men. He sometimes fell into errors, as noble + men have done in every age, but there was never any error in his purpose. + He always meant justly, and did not hesitate to give us new and ennobling + estimates of hated men. His sense of justice diffused, as it were, a halo + around him. Mr. Morley's pages give us the natural history of a political + mind of unusual range and power which was without a compeer. As Mr. + Gladstone began, he advanced, listening to everybody, to use one of Mr. + Morley's commanding lines: "He was flexible, persistent, clear, practical, + fervid, unconquerable." + </p> + <p> + In "Vivian Grey," Disraeli foreshadowed his bright and vengeful career. In + the same way, Mr. Gladstone wrote the whole spirit of his life in his + first address to the electors of Newark. His career is in that manifesto, + which has never been reprinted. The reader will be interested in seeing it + Here it is:— + </p> + <p> + To the Worthy and Independent Electors of the Borough of Newark. + </p> + <p> + "Gentlemen,—Having now completed my canvass, I think it my duty as + well to remind you of the principles on which I have solicited your votes + as freely to assure my friends that its result has placed my success + beyond a doubt. I have not requested your favour on the ground of + adherence to the opinions of any man or party, further than such adherence + can be fairly understood from the conviction that I have not hesitated to + avow that we must watch and resist that uninquiring and un-discriminating + desire for change amongst us, which threatens to produce, along with + partial good, a melancholy preponderance of mischief, which I am persuaded + would aggravate beyond computation the deep-seated evils of our social + state, and the heavy burthens of our industrial classes; which, by + disturbing our peace, destroys confidence and strikes at the root of + prosperity. This it has done already, and this we must, therefore, believe + it will do. + </p> + <p> + "For a mitigation of these evils we must, I think, look not only to + particular measures, but to the restoration of sounder general principles—I + mean especially that principle on which alone the incorporation of + Religion with the State in our constitution can be defended; that the + duties of governors are strictly and peculiarly religious, and that + legislatures, like individuals, are bound to carry throughout their acts + the spirit of the high truths they have acknowledged. Principles are now + arrayed against our institutions, and not by truckling nor by temporising, + not by oppression nor corruption, but by principles they must be met. + Among their first results should be sedulous and especial attention to the + interests of the poor, founded upon the rule that those who are the least + able to take care of themselves ought to be most regarded by others. + Particularly it is a duty to endeavour by every means that labour may + receive adequate remuneration, which unhappily, among several classes of + our fellow-countrymen, is not now the case. Whatever measures, therefore, + whether by the correction of the Poor Laws, allotment of cottage grounds, + or otherwise, tend to promote this object, I deem entitled to the warmest + support, with all such as are calculated to secure sound moral conduct in + any class of society. + </p> + <p> + "I proceed to the momentous question of slavery, which I have found + entertained among you in that candid and temperate spirit which alone + befits its nature, or promises to remove its difficulties. If I have not + recognised the right of an irresponsible Society to interpose between me + and the electors, it has not been from any disrespect to its members, nor + from any unwillingness to answer their or any other questions on which the + electors may desire to know my views. To the esteemed secretary of the + Society I submitted my reasons for silence, and I made a point of stating + those views to him in his character of a voter. + </p> + <p> + "As regards the abstract lawfulness of slavery, I acknowledge it simply as + importing the right of one man to the labour of another; and I rest upon + the fact that Scripture—paramount authority on such a point—gives + directions to persons standing in the relation of master to slave for + their conduct in that relation; whereas, were the matter absolutely and + necessarily sinful, it would not regulate the manner. Assuming sin is the + cause of degradation, it strives, and strives most effectually, to cure + the latter by extirpating the former. We are agreed that both the physical + and moral bondage of the slave are to be abolished. The question is as to + the order and the order only; now Scripture attacks the moral evil before + the temporal one, and the temporal through the moral one, and I am content + with the order which Scripture has established. + </p> + <p> + "To this end I desire to see immediately set on foot, by impartial and + sovereign authority, an universal and efficient system of Christian + instruction, not intended to resist designs of individual piety and wisdom + for the religious improvement of the negroes, but to do thoroughly what + they can only do partially. As regards immediate emancipation, whether + with or without compensation, there are several minor reasons against it, + but that which weighs most with me is, that it would, I much fear, + exchange the evils now affecting the negro for others which are weightier—for + a relapse into deeper debasement, if not for bloodshed and internal war.* + Let fitness be made the condition of emancipation, and let us strive to + bring him to that fitness by the shortest possible course. Let him enjoy + the means of earning his freedom through honest and industrious habits, + thus the same instruments which attain his liberty shall likewise render + him competent to use it; and thus, I earnestly trust, without risk of + blood, without violation of property, with unimpaired benefit to the negro + and with the utmost speed which prudence will admit, we shall arrive at + the exceedingly desirable consummation, the utter extinction of slavery. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * Isaiah could not have prophesied more definitely. Friends + of the slaves stoutly denied that the Scriptures sanctioned + their bondage. They were afraid the fact would go against + Christianity. It was true nevertheless, and the American + preachers pleaded this for their opposition and supineness + towards abolition. +</pre> + <p> + "And now, gentlemen, as regards the enthusiasm with which you have rallied + round your ancient flag, and welcomed the humble representative of those + principles whose emblem it is, I trust that neither the lapse of time nor + the seductions of prosperity can ever efface it from my memory. To my + opponents my acknowledgments are due for the good humour and kindness with + which they have received me, and while I would thank my friends for their + zealous and unwearied exertions in my favour, I briefly but emphatically + assure them that if promises be an adequate foundation of confidence, or + experience a reasonable ground of calculation, our victory is sure. I have + the honour to be, gentlemen, your obliged and obedient servant, + </p> + <p> + "W. E. Gladstone. + </p> + <p> + "Clinton Arms, Newark, Tuesday, Oct, 9, 1832." + </p> + <p> + The sincerity, the intrepidity, the sympathy with those who labour, the + candour of statement, the openness of mind, the sentiments of piety and + freedom (so rarely combined) of his life, are all there. His whole career + is but a magnificent enlargement of that address. I have lingered before + the hotel in the market-place, where he stayed and from which he made + speeches to the electors. There is no one living in Newark now who heard + them. Byron lived in the same hotel when he came to Newark with his early + poems, which he had printed at a shop still standing in the market-place. + The township is enlarged, but otherwise unchanged as the Conservatism he + then represented. I have thrice walked through all the streets along which + he passed, for he visited the house of every elector. What a splendid + canvasser he must have been, with his handsome face, his courtesy, his + deference, his charm of speech, and infinite readiness of explanation! + </p> + <p> + I first saw him in the old House of Commons in 1842. Mr. Roebuck had + presented a petition from me that sitting, and I remained to witness + subsequent proceedings. I only remember one figure, seemingly a + young-looking man, tall, pallid-faced, with dark hair, who stood well out + in the mid-space between the Ministerial benches and the table, and spoke + with the fluency and freedom of a master of his subject Every one appeared + to pay him attention. I was told the speaker was Mr. Gladstone. + </p> + <p> + When he visited the Tyne in 1862, I did not need to be told his name. At + that time I was connected with the <i>Newcastle Chronicle</i>, and it fell + to me to write the leaders on Mr. Gladstone. The miners were told, when + they came up from the pits on that day, they would see a sight new in + England, which they might not soon see again—a Chancellor of the + Exchequer who was known to have a conscience. Other holders of the same + office may have had that commodity about them, but not employing it in + public affairs, its existence had not been observed. The penny paper which + gave the miners that information, we told them would not exist but for Mr. + Gladstone. Thousands of miners came up from the pits of Durham and + Northumberland, and great numbers succeeded in shaking hands with Mr. + Gladstone as he approached the <i>Harry Clasper</i>, named after the + well-known oarsman of the Tyne, who was on the river with Bob Chambers, + who had won a hundred contests. Clasper and Chambers were always named + together. Men swam before Mr. Gladstone's vessel a considerable distance, + as though they were the water gods of the Tyne, preparing the way for + their distinguished and unwonted visitor. And what a journey it was! + Twenty-two miles of banks, counting both sides, were lined with people. + The works upon the Tyneside, with their grim piles high in the air, + crowned with clouds of blackest smoke, out of which forks of sulphurous + flames darted, revealing hundreds of persons surmounting roofs and + pinnacles, cheering in ringing tones, above, while cannon boomed at their + feet below. Amid it all you could see everywhere women holding up their + children to see the great Chancellor of the Exchequer go by. The Tyne has + seen no other sight like this. + </p> + <p> + It was of this visit that I first wrote to Mr. Gladstone. The arrangements + for his wonderful reception were the work of Mr. Joseph Cowen, jun. His + father was Chief Commissioner for the Tyne—in person taller than Mr. + Gladstone, with a gift of speech which sincerity made eloquent. His son, + who had organised the reception, never came in sight of Mr. Gladstone from + first to last. As I knew Mr. Gladstone liked to know what was below the + surface as well as upon it, I sent him two informing notes. + </p> + <p> + "Going to and fro in the land "—not with inquisitive malice as a + certain sojourner mentioned in Job is reputed to have done—on + lecturing purpose bent, sometimes on political missions, I knew the state + and nature of opinion in many places. The soul and Liberalism of the + country was Nonconformist and religious. Many in Parliament thought that + London newspapers, published mainly for sale, and which furnished ideas + for music-hall politicians—represented English opinion at large. At + times I wrote to members of Parliament that this was not so. Mr. Walter + James (since Lord Northbourne) was one who showed my reports to Mr. + Gladstone. + </p> + <p> + One day in 1877 Mr. Gladstone sent me a postcard, inviting me to breakfast + with him. He was as open in his friendship as in his politics. In all + things he was prepared to dare the judgment of adversaries. Incidentally I + mentioned the invitation to two persons only, but next day a passage + appeared in a newspaper—much read in the House of Commons at that + time—to the effect that Mr. Gladstone was inviting unusual persons + to his house, who might be useful to him in his campaign on the Eastern + question, so anxious was he to obtain partisan support in the agitation in + which he was engaged. There was no truth whatever in this, as Mr. + Gladstone never referred to the subject, nor any of his guests. But I took + care at that time not to mention again an invitation lest it should + occasion inconvenience to my host. The visit to the Tyne had some + picturesque incidents. By happy accident, or it might be from thoughtful + design, Mrs. Gladstone wore an Indian shawl having a circle in the centre, + by which she was distinguishable. Every person whom thousands come out to + see, should have some individual mark of dress, and should never be + surrounded by friends, when recognition is impossible and disappointing to + the crowd. + </p> + <p> + At Middlesboro', Mrs. Gladstone was taken to see molten metal poured into + moulds. I knew the ways of a foundry, and that if the mould happened to be + damp, a shower of the liquid iron would fall upon those near. The + gentlemen around her seemed to think it an act of freedom to warn her of + her danger, so I stepped up to her and told her of the risk she ran. She + said in after years, that if I did not save her life, I saved her from + great possible discomfort. + </p> + <p> + Middlesboro* was then in a state of volcanic chaos. Mr. Gladstone + predicted that it would become what it is now, a splendid town. It was in + the grey of a murky evening, when blast furnaces were flaming around him, + that Mr. Gladstone began in a small office—the only place available—a + wonderful comparison between Oxford and the scene outside. Alas! the + dull-minded town clerk stopped him, saying that they wished him to make + his speech in the evening—not knowing that Mr. Gladstone had twenty + speeches in him at any time. The evening came, but the great inspiration + returned no more. + </p> + <p> + The night before he had spoken in Newcastle, when he made the + long-remembered declaration on the war then raging in America, the + reporter of the Electric Telegraph Company had fallen ill, and Mr. Cowen + asked me to take his place. It is easier to report Mr. Gladstone verbatim + than to summarise his speech as he proceeded on his rapid, animated, and + unhesitating way. So I condensed the famous passage in these words: + "Jefferson Davis had not only made a navy, he had made a nation + (Sensation)." The word was too strong. There was no "sensation;" there was + only a general movement as of unexpectedness, and "surprise" would have + been a more appropriate word; but it did not come to me at the moment, and + there was no time to wait for it, and the "sensational" sentence was all + over London before the speech was ended. The next night he recurred to the + subject at Middlesboro' with qualifications, but the Press took no notice + of them. The "sensation" appended to the sentence had set political + commentators on fire. + </p> + <p> + A notable speech was made by the Mayor of Middlesboro'. In presenting + addresses to Mr. Gladstone, local magnates complimented him upon his + distinction in Greek, which none of them were competent to appraise. The + Mayor of Middlesboro', an honest, stalwart gentleman, said simply, "Mr. + Gladstone, if I could speak as well as you can speak, I should be able to + tell you how proud we are to have you among us." No speech made to him was + more effective or relevant, or pleased him more. + </p> + <p> + By the courtesy of Mr. Bright, who procured me a seat in the Speaker's + gallery when there was only one to be had, I heard Mr. Gladstone deliver, + at midnight, his famous peroration, when, with uplifted hand, he said, + "Time is on our side." + </p> + <p> + I remember the night well. The Duke of Argyll came into the gallery, where + he stood four or five hours. I would gladly have given him my seat, but if + I did so I must relinquish hearing the debate, as I must have left the + gallery, as no stranger is permitted to stand. So I thought it prudent to + respect the privileges of the peerage—and keep my seat. + </p> + <p> + In the years when I was constantly in the House of Commons, I was one day + walking through the tunnel-like passage which leads from Downing Street + into the Park, I saw a pair of gleaming eyes approaching me. The passage + was so dark I saw nothing else. As the figure passed me I saw it was Mr. + Gladstone. On returning to "The House," as Parliament is familiarly + called, I mentioned what I had seen to Mr. Vargus, who had sat at the + Treasury door for fifty years. "Yes," he answered, "there have been no + eyes enter this House like Mr. Gladstone's since the days of Canning." + </p> + <p> + Yet those eyes of meteoric intensity so lacked quick perception that he + would pass by members of his party in the Lobby of Parliament without + accosting them, fearing to do so when he desired it, lest he should + mistake their identity and set up party misconceptions. Mr. Gladstone + ignored persons because he did not see them. It should not have been left + to Sir E. Hamilton to make this known after Mr. Gladstone's death. The + fact should have been disclosed fifty years before. + </p> + <p> + To disappointed members with whom I came in contact, I used to explain + that Mr. Gladstones apparent slightingness was owing to preoccupation. He + would often enter the House absorbed by an impending speech—which + was true—and thought more of serving his country than of + conciliating partisans. Lord Palmerston was wiser in his generation, who + knew his followers would forgive him betraying public interest, if he paid + attention to them. attention to them. + </p> + <div style="height: 6em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + + + + + +End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Bygones Worth Remembering, Vol. 1 (of +2), by George Jacob Holyoake + +*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BYGONES WORTH REMEMBERING *** + +***** This file should be named 36795-h.htm or 36795-h.zip ***** +This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: + http://www.gutenberg.org/3/6/7/9/36795/ + +Produced by David Widger + +Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions +will be renamed. + +Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no +one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation +(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without +permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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