On this page
- Departments (1)
- Pictures (1)
-
Text (7)
-
¦s» 1240 &\)t ILt&Xlt X* [Saturday ,
-
<$$m CmtttriL
-
—^ [IN THIS DEPARTMENT, AS ALL OPINIONS,...
-
There is no learned man but will confess...
-
A NEW DAILY PAPER. Birmingham, December ...
-
IS LOUIS NAl'OLKON POPULAR OR NOT? J5oyi...
-
THE POWER OF EDUCATION. Letter V. London...
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
-
-
Transcript
-
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
Additionally, when viewing full transcripts, extracted text may not be in the same order as the original document.
Kncjlisii Sympathy I-'Oil Fllkncie Hkpui...
instance of want of this consideration . A resolution was proposed by those who convened the meeting , which , expressed in firm and decided language the public opinion of the working classes upon the " heartless" means to which the " Friends of Order" in Paris had had recourse . Another resolution was recommended to the meeting , in which the utmost strength of denunciation was employed , and this strength of language was unwise , because liable to be misunderstood , and , indeed , used against the very people it was ostensibly intended to serve . In a time of excitement words do far much more than their strict import warrants , and a man who
uses them is responsible for the sense in which he sees they will be understood when he has employed them . At such times very measured and moderate language will mean more than the most violent exaggerations in calmer periods . The Parisian despots at this moment are justifying themselves by reference to the supposed excesses of their opponents . This is notorious ; and every strong expression of even natural indignation will be interpreted by them into a new sign bf 7 the existence of the fatal spirit to whicl * they pretend to oppose themselves ; and it will seem so to all who cannot know the exact" truth , to all who are timid , to all who believe in the said " Friends of Order . " To employ such language , therefore , as shall afford these persons the pretexts they seek , is ( however honestly intended ) simply to play into
their hands ; is simply to do their work gratuitously . Three or four public men in this country , who from their reputation are supposed to represent the working classes of England , pursuing this course at half a dozen public meetings , will be worth their weight in Itussian gold to the enemies of liberty and democracy on the Continent . 'Their speeches here will be quoted there , and they will serve the same bad cause which was served so well in 1848 , on the 10 th of April , in London , when Chartism before gave Louis Napoleon the opportunity of swaggering with a constable ' s staff . The parties who do this work are not paid for it—they are too honest to admit of that idea —but if those they unwittingly serve were not ungrateful , they would be offered the reward they nevertheless contrive to merit .
Excess of language —that is , the practical excess of language , which has been used , and is likely to be used for some time to come in this country , is also an injustice to the intelligent working class politicians of England , who are temperate in their censures , just in their demands , and , at the same time , / irm in their maintenance of them . Facts at hand might teach us the truth of these representations . Do we not know that the coal whippers of the metropolis are extremely proud of their having turned out to a man , on the 10 th of April , 1818 , and become special constables for the " maintenance of law and order" on the day of the " Chartist Demonstration " ? Yet , observes Mr . Herbert Spencer , it lias been shown that these same unskilled labourers constitute the most immoral
class . The criminal returns prove them to be nine times as dishonest , five times as drunken , and nine times as savage ( shown by assaults ) as the rest of the community . This is said of the- whole class of unskilled labourers of the metropolis , who , aids Mr . Spencer , " instead of entertaining violently dj / mocratic opinions , appear to have no opinions whatever , or if any at all , rather lean towards the maintenance of ' tilings as they are . ' " These are the class of persons who , at this hour , are the strength of despotism in Russia—the . same in Austria—the name in 1 ' aris . Let uh take care that the intelligent , sober , and manly mechanie-pojitieians of England are not confounded with this illiterate class . JJut against this we can only guard by imploring those who stand in the position of leaders , to calculate what will be
the consequence of what they say when they give the rein to mere denunciation . Let these persons but take the precaution to ascertain out of all they might in truth and fairness . say , how much it will be useful and accurate and just to utter . There is , indeed , often humbug in prudence , but there is often greater humbug in measureless passion . The humbug of prudence seldom damages any hut those who employ it , while the humbug of passion ( under the cover of patriotism ) nearly always compromises others The instinct of our enemies ought to enlighten uh . Their emissaries , ngentn , and spies , never counsel prudence -they always incite violent npeeehes , and recommend rash measures . . Let those whom we know tube our friends , not act the part of our eiiemicH . There is { nave reason for these words at thin hour .
Ion . National Ciiautkk Association .- —The Kxee . utive nut on Wednesday . The . suggestion <>» the Delegate Council , tlmt eae . h of " the metropolitan localities shonld elect , one delegate to scrutinize the votes received for the future Mxce . ut . ivo , " was agreed to . In consequence of a passage in Mr . ()' Hrieii ' ii European Notes , the nccretaiy wnu iiiHtructecl to announce that , votes received on his behalf could not he recognized . Ca / iduhitfs ¦ nominated for the future Kreci / . tiiw :- — JhVai'KUH O'Connor , Knicst Joiicn , ( J . J . llolyouke , Thornton Hunt , . Robert . ! . (<¦ JMond , James ( JraHnhy , ( J . F . Nieliolls , T . M . Wheeler , John Slmw , J . J . Bezel , 11 . T . llolyoulce , A . J . Wood , il . Haggis , J . U . Lcno , ijierald Massey , Robert Oliver , A . K . Jhlaforoc , J . M .
Bryson , P . M . M'Douall , W . J . Iinton , John Arnott , and Arthur Trevelyan . N . B . —The names of J . B . O'Brien and James Leach are omitted from the above list , as they have declined to serve . All votes received after Tuesday , December 30 , will be null and void . Redemption Society . — "We intend to open our new lecture-room with a tea party , on New Year ' s Day . The store is doing well so far . We have reached a sale o : £ 25 per week in our third week . The goods supplied from the agency give universal satisfaction . The letters from the estate report all going on favourably there at present . Moneys received for the week : —Leeds , £ 3 Is . 9 d . ; Building-fund , 6 d . ; Propagandist-fund , 3 s . 2 Ad . —J . Henderson , Sec , 5 , Trinity-square , Leeds .
¦S» 1240 &\)T Ilt&Xlt X* [Saturday ,
¦ s » 1240 &\) t ILt & Xlt X * [ Saturday ,
≪$$M Cmtttril
< $$ m CmtttriL
Pc02007
—^ [In This Department, As All Opinions,...
—^ [ IN THIS DEPARTMENT , AS ALL OPINIONS , HOWEVER EXTREME , ARE ALLOWED AN EXPRESSION , THE EDITOR NECESSARILY HOLDS HIMSELF RESPONSIBLE FOR NONE . ]
There Is No Learned Man But Will Confess...
There is no learned man but will confess he hath much profited by reading controversies , his senses awakened , and his judgment sharpened . If , then , it be profitable for him to read , why should it not , at least , be tolerable for his adversary to write . —Milton .
A New Daily Paper. Birmingham, December ...
A NEW DAILY PAPER . Birmingham , December 22 , 1851 . Sir , —I hail with delight the suggestion of Mr . Stevens , in your " Open Council " of last Saturday , for the establishing of a new Daily Paper to be an organ of the People . As it is , to obtain information relative to the stirring events now taking place abroad and at home , the Democrats of England have to go to sources which they cannot trust ; for I believe that , almost without an exception , the daily press only serves its own interest .
Now , I think that it would be quite practicable to start a threepenny Morning Paper , in which the movements on the Continent should be faithfully recorded , and a corps of the most talented writers be employed to comment thereon . But , to give this suggestion anything like a shape , a large fund would be required , for the raising of which there are more ways than one . I will now leave the matter to the consideration of the thoughtful and influential readers of your paper , confident that , when called upon , Birmingham will be ready to give another proof that it will be Birmingham to the end of the chapter . i ~> . M £ , Hill .
Is Louis Nal'olkon Popular Or Not? J5oyi...
IS LOUIS NAl'OLKON POPULAR OR NOT ? J 5 oyii (! - < : ott . ajje ., December : J 0 , 1851 . Sir , —Your Summary of the week ' s news in the Leader of the l . 'Hh ultimo contained a passage or two which must have been read with pleasure ; by every •' good hater" of Despotism . It was where you stated that Louis Napoleon had alread y lost his popularity ; and that , when he rode through the streets in ivc / ose carriage escorted by . soldiers , he was received in dead silence . ; no cry of any kind being raised , no hat taken off , no sign made : this . statement being the result of your own personal observation on the spot .
After this agreeable information , 1 confess I . was not at all prepared to read the following words yesterdny , in a letter from a correspondent well versed in French history , literature , and politics :- - " I have letters from three friends in 1 ' aris . It , is certain that the people is with him ( the President ) . The ouvriers , ho Car from joining the men of the barricades , assisted spontaneously in demolishing them . The confidence in I'aris is absolute ; and the funds ( after all , the piilxc of the nation ) show , by their extraordinary buoyancy , the confidence of the moneyed and mercantile world . "
1 he Name correspondent , upon the authority of a friend in Paris—a naim : eminent in poetry , hud uilorincd me of Louis Napoleon ' s popularity prior to the coup d ' etat , It wan stated that , when in a close carriage ( so that his present mode of conveyance , by the way , is not without precedent ) , bo ninny nosegays and petitions were thrown into the windown that , he could hardly get out . The writer of the letter had lately seen him , laughing and disengaging himself as l ) t Ht he could , in the courtyard of an hotel .
Was it . upon the strength of this popularity that he dared , and succeeded in , Iuh coup d ' etat / Almost every one with whom I converse , to my surprise and Morrow , not to s ; iy disgust , approves and justifies , rather than denounces , thin Huid coup d \ 'tat : und tho
cant phrase , "He has saved society . " iTT ^ ~ lip . If to dragoon a whole people into silencf ^ submission to the will of one man be to save ? - ? its salvation , in my opinion , is hardl y worth thHoS But , be this as it may , what I want to set »} ; * i truth . I want to know if Louis Napoleon be II 11 popular or not . As a lover of the truth , —as one * fearful of confounding the limits of ri ght and wron * as one who will not , and who cannot , extenuft ~~ much less justify , a barefaced and deliberate hreaX of a solemn oath , and a contradiction , in act of ev ! previous liberal profession and declaration ,- ! ! sWiI
Ki « - * - « - > T . 1-rr rrr-l & xm * n -fVi ^ U « V . J- * 0 , _ T 3 1 _ "" OHIO , bitterly grieve to think that the French people cmZ love , or even long tolerate , a forsworn tyrant stain h with the blood of his butchered fellow-countrvm Who that reads of the wholesale seizure of mere ? suspected revolters against his usurped autocraov and of their subsequent massacre in the Cham ™ J ' Mars during two hours of the night , can , without doing violence to their better natures and stifline tnp remonstrances of conscience , find a word to sav in favour of a man who commanded , or , at the verv least , connived at , these atrocities ? Under these
circumstances , any additional arguments or evidence you could adduce to prove that the French are not this base people who are willing to kiss and slaver the foot that spurns and presses them to the ground would be a relief to my mind , and welcome , I should think , to every man who , free himself , wishes nothing more ardently than the freedom and happiness of his fellow-creatures . I am , Sir , your obedient and obliged , Thomas Noel .
The Power Of Education. Letter V. London...
THE POWER OF EDUCATION . Letter V . London , November 27 , 1851 . Sir , —It is so extremely important that the injurious effects of the free-will supposition should be clearly seen , that before concluding these letters I will briefly restate the simple facts which I endeavoured to make obvious in my last . 1 . In respect to the Perceptive powers . Man is made by this error to continue blind to facts of deep moment continually occurring within him and around him ; to look for the causes of human feelings , convictions , and conduct in a false direction ; to be unable to perceive the true causes ; and to believe them to exist in a power which has no existence . It is obvious that while the perceptive powers are thus mystified , misled , and deceived , they must be kept in a weak and very imperfectly developed condition . 2 . In relation to the Reasoning powers . Man is thus made to reason respecting human nature and human proceedings upon false data ; to be unconscious of the discrepancies which exist between these data and facts which to some extent he is obliged to see ; or , when not so unconscious , to believe inconsistencies ; and to judge erroneously on these subjects . It is obvious that his reasoning powers , by being thus mystified and falsely directed , must be much injured , and their usefulness very materially impared .
3 . In relation to the Moral feelings . Man being thus made to infer that his fellow beings have demerit , and deserve vindictive punishments when they are bad , and that they have merit , and deserve artificial rewards when they arc good—he is thereby caused , as a natural and consistent consequence , to be on the one hand uncharitable , unkind , und often cruel in the extreme ; and on the other , self-conceited and arrogant . His moral feelings are thus deeply injured and perverted , and even kind intentions and the disposition to justice are thus made to produce , practically , unkindness and injustice ; and repulsive belingH , disunion , hatred , and anger , are thus
continually created and fomented . 4 . In relation to the practices of society and educational results . A medley of erroneous and lngliiy injurious ideas , feelings , and practices , and ol com - sponding arrangements , is thus produced through ""• society—in religion , morals , laws , education , an general proceeding *); and a society ho constitute ^ naturally reproduces its own image in those who "' educates , modified more or less by peculiarities « individual original constitution , and of indivun external circumstances . And these educations
results must always he produced , unless , ny » . peculiar internal or external chum ; , the individual enabled to obtain a knowledge of the facts wiu « demonstrate the error of the free-will nupi > "Hl a , , the true nature and importance of I lie conne < iu < -ii _ ¦ which emanate ; from thin supposition , and 1 «<> ui knowledge- of the opposite truth . Jhit when society shall have been made to COI * J " of persons poHsessed of this knowledge , and reason , feel , and act in accordance with it , an ( i W , ' in eoiiHcciuence , it . H iiiHtitutions and lirrail ^ Vl"t ' , ] shall have , been made to be corresponding ly ™" <; ju beneficial , such n society will naturally repro"u < - ¦ those whom it educuteH an intellectual i » n < in (
..., character similar to its own ; and the m ( J ! !! " ' i ua ] then rcHultiiiK from peculiuritieH of m < . ilir original constitution , or from nny other ]>< 't eiiuHea , will be only varieties of goodness » intelligence , u » hitherto thoy luivo only hucu ,
-
-
Citation
-
Leader (1850-1860), Dec. 27, 1851, page 20, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse2.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_27121851/page/20/
-