登陆注册
15424600000025

第25章 Chapter I(25)

The tone of the debates,as was said by competent witnesses,was perceptibly raised by his speeches.The accepted leaders,such as Bright and Gladstone,welcomed him cordially,and were doubtless pleased to find that they had been talking so much philosophy without knowing it.The young mell who were then entering public life looked up to him with reverence;and,for a time,even the squires,the embodiments of Tory prejudice,were favourably impressed.That could not be for long.One of the hits to which Mill refers with some glee in the Autobiography(80)gave the nickname of the 'stupid party'to the Conservatives.It expressed his real view a little too clearly.Between him and the typical 'John Bull'a great gulf was fixed.He could never contrive,though he honestly tried,to see anything in the class which most fully represents that ideal,except the embodiment of selfish stupidity generated by class prejudice,And the country-gentlemen naturally looked upon him as their ancestors would have looked upon Sieyes,could the Frenchman have been substituted for Charles Fox.They could dimly understand Whiggism,embodied in a genial,hearty member of their own class;but the flavour of the French philosophy,or its English correlative,was thin,acid,and calculated to set their teeth on edge.They showed the feeling after a time,and Mill retorted by some irritability as well as scorn,He did-not,I fancy,obtain that kind of personal weight which is sometimes acquired by a man who,though he preaches equally offensive doctrines,is more obviously made of the same flesh and blood as his adversaries.(81)Mill took a part in various parliamentary proceedings.He helped to pass the Reform Bill of 1867;he acted as a mediator between the ministers and the Radicals who were responsible for the famous meeting in Hyde Park;and he made a weighty protest on behalf of a generous and thoroughgoing Irish policy.He thought that a separation would be mischievous to both parties;but he advocated a scheme for giving a permanent tenure to existing tenants,with a due regard to vested interests.(82)He obtained little support for a policy which,at least,went to the root of the great difficulty;but the wisdom of his view,whatever its shortcomings,is more likely to be recognised now.The main peculiarity of Mill's position,however,is all that I am able to notice.In spite of his philosophy,he appeared to be a thorough party man.He fully adopted,that is to say,the platform of the Radical wing,and voted systematically with them on all points.

His philosophy led him,as he says,(83)to advocate some measures not popular with the bulk of the Liberal party.Of these the most important were the extension of the suffrage to women and the provision of representation for minorities.Many people,he observes,took these to be 'whims of his own.'Mill,in fact,was contributing to the advance of democracy.In his eyes,these measures were of vital importance as safeguards against democratic tyranny.The democrat was,of course,content to accept his alliance,and to allow him to amuse himself with fanciful schemes,which for the time could make no difference.

Mill,on the other hand,thought that by helping the democrat's immediate purposes,he was also gaining ground for the popularisation of these subsidiary though essential changes.The relation is significant;for,whatever may be the value of Mill's proposals,there can be no doubt that in many ways the democratic changes which he advocated have led to results which he would have thoroughly disapproved.The alliance,that is,for the time,covered very deep differences,and Mill was virtually helping Demos to get into power,in the expectation that,when in power,Demos would consent to submit to restrictions,not yet,if they ever will be,realised.There is the further question,not here debatable,whether,if realised,they would act as Mill supposed.

Anyhow,for the present,the philosopher was really the follower of the partisan.Mill made himself unpopular with a class wider than that which constituted the 'stupid party.'He took a very active part in the agitation provoked by Governor Eyre's action in the Jamaica insurrection.That he was right in demanding a thorough investigation seems to be undeniable.It seems also that a more judicial frame of mind would have restrained him from apparently assuming that such an investigation could have but one result.People of a high moral tone are too apt to show their virtue by assuming that a concrete case comes under a simple moral law when in fact most such cases are exceedingly complex.

Mill,at any rate,and his committee impressed many people besides their strongest opponents as allowing their indignation to swamp their sense of fair play.Governor Eyre appeared to be a victim of persecution instead of a criminal,and there was,though Mill could not see it,a generous element in the feeling that allowance should be made for a man placed in a terribly critical position.

After the dissolution of parliament,Mill incurred further odium by subscribing to the election expenses of Bradlaugh.

同类推荐
热门推荐
  • 裘败

    裘败

    当有一天,天空出现裂痕,无数虫族、丧尸、怪兽等等未知生物降临地球,统称魔物。此时,便会有英雄出现,施展超凡力量对抗魔物,拯救人类,保护地球,而这类人,便被称之为猎魔人——我是猎魔人,我是裘败!(不更新,占书名~)
  • 现世之异王

    现世之异王

    常常会有人能看到超乎科学的东西,常常会有人能接触到平常人都涉及不到的领域。平凡人,称之为——“灵异事件”而我们,称之为——“异界”致谢:墨星小说封面网百度“墨星封面”第一个就是,你也可以拿到免费封面!
  • 唐帝

    唐帝

    在人生最得意的时候,遭遇滑铁卢,所幸天无绝人之路,林萧在杀死背叛自己的女友之后,成功穿越到唐朝,称为李建成的二儿子安陆王李承道。不甘心再次死去的林萧为了活下去,奋起反抗。只是天不随人愿,本想做一个逍遥王爷的林萧不仅没有做成,还背负起了开创贞观盛世的重大责任。且看一个现代人成为大唐储君之后如何收复房玄龄、杜如晦、长孙无忌、程咬金、尉迟敬德、李靖、张公瑾、牛进达这些牛掰人物。大唐的历史将会在林萧手中被改写,大唐的荣耀将会在林萧手中光照四海,大唐的盛世,将会在林萧手中更上一层楼。他是西方国家的上帝,更是亿万百姓心中至高无上的《唐帝》。
  • 落日夕颜

    落日夕颜

    他们的出现只是为了在她的世界打开一个缺口,却不想陷入了她沉淀了千年沧桑的眼眸。洛子轩,那个被世界抛弃了也抛弃了整个世界的男人,把她视为唯一,为她生为她死,完美的守护让她放下了所有的防备;宫廷夜,一代霸王,残忍而又无情的他,曾放任她转入后宫的战争,在她离开后才知道自己爱得有多深;穆慕煜,多年来忍辱负重,誓要夺回皇权的他,为了江上舍弃了美人,终是将自己陷入了一生的思念之中;莫非,曦之大陆第一大战神,誓死守护着穆棱,多年来为穆棱皮甲上阵,在遇到了她之后心却有了动摇;还有他,他,他···多人的真心对待能否换来她对这世界的留念?
  • 心若似幽兰静看彼岸花开

    心若似幽兰静看彼岸花开

    “待君长发及腰,吾娶你可好!”本以为是儿时的一句戏言,谁知他竟当真,对她穷追不舍……她,出生时身怀异香,一双异于常人的紫红异瞳,到每月十五体内魔气便会大涨,一头青丝瞬间变白,为天理所不容……他,万人之上的冰灵国王爷,碧玉萧的手持者,一生放荡不羁,却唯独对她一见倾心……当千年真相浮出水面,当失去的记忆破土而出……原来他们缘分早在千年前已经注定……既然如此,那当我们心若似幽兰,就一起静看彼岸花开……“夫君,快到碗里来……”
  • 至尊狂妃:夫君哪里逃

    至尊狂妃:夫君哪里逃

    前世被劈腿?算了,本姑娘不稀罕。穿越了?没事,本姑娘无亲无故。暗恋的人是双面郎君?没事,反正不是本姑娘喜欢的。他死了?没事,本姑娘和亲去当王妃。本姑娘的和亲对象死了?没事,不是还有后补王爷吗。什么!那个混账居然是假死?本姑娘不发威当我是HelloKitty吗?还不快快出现在本姑娘面前!天涯海角看你哪里逃!
  • Roundabout Papers

    Roundabout Papers

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 大都市里的小道士

    大都市里的小道士

    失恋酒后打架被一个疯疯癫癫的老头给救了,老头非要说和我有师徒缘分,嚷嚷着我是冥阴之命,如果不拜他为师的话就会夜夜被鬼缠,日日倒大霉。我不相信谁愿意听一个老疯子的话。结果悲剧就开始不停上演了,我满城找老疯子,终于在一间郊区破道观找到他,拜其门下从此踏上一条和鬼神打交道的不归路……
  • 郴行录

    郴行录

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 诸子百家之纵横天下

    诸子百家之纵横天下

    这是一个充满纷争的时代,人才辈出的时代,百家争鸣的时代,诸子百家思想的光辉照耀着这个时代的进程,诸子百家的弟子搅动着这个混乱的时代,也无不被这个时代的洪流所淹没,诸子百家何去何从?敬看《诸子百家之纵横天下》。