The Sun.
London, England, 1862-08-22 00:00:00

one thing I am certain, that no stop can be put to it
by us, or put to what is still more deplorable to con-
template than even the distress from which we our-
selves are snffering—l mean the dreadful state in
which our kinsmen of the United States, or rather
of the disunited States, are placed. I say lam cer-
tain of this, because we find one part of the States
fighting for separation and independence, and the
other part struggling for conquest..-we find them
involved in the unexampled horrors of civil war.
I hope for their sake, as well as for the sake of
France, and England, and Belgium, and the rest of
the world, that this state of affairs is not to have a
very long duration. But I know, I feel confident—
as confident as I have a right in this free country to
think of the past, the present, and the future—that
unless the most absolute neutrality on the part of
England and France—and still more of England
than of FranceL(applanse)—without even inter-
vention by recognising the South, which is an ex-
pedient recommended—is regarded, the greatest
hardships, instead of any good, would be done ; and
the greater likelihood would there be of their con-
tinuing the horrible contest. In the present state of
distress there is a most remarkable and gratifying
circumstance to be reflected upon—the conduct of
the working classes. (Hear, hear, and applause.)
Nothing can exceed the noble determination of those
classes, even when they are suffering the most bit-
terly, to abide by the law, to complain of no one for
not promptly relieving them, to perform- such ope-
rations as they are still enabled to do, to carry into
effect all their means—the means of saving—and
even to combine improvement with saving in order
to keep themselves as long as possible from receiving
relief from the parish. They have done all they can
do to subsist without appealing for aid to the parish,
trusting to Providence to make the duration of their
sufferings as short as possible. Looking back to
thirty or forty years ago, when there were many
cases of distress and evil times, I see now a very dif-
ferent state of things, as for instance in 1822-3
the time of the Luddites. Viewing the conduct
of those men and the admiral conduct of our
fellow-countrymen in Lancashire and the West
Riding at the present time, the contrast is extreme
and most gratifying—(hear, hear)—and I cannot
accoant for the difference or explain it any other
way than by attributing it to the great improve..
ment of the people by education and other
means. As the fast friend of the working classes
all my life—(loud applause)—as the fast friend,
to the extent of my poor powers of the cause of
education and the diffusion of knowledge to
all my fellow men, this result is to me most gratify..
ing. (Renewed applause.) But I may also add,
that if the working classes of Lancashire, and the
West Riding, and parts of Lincolnshire, have con-
ducted themselves in a creditable, an exemplary
manner, the masters—the capitalists—have behaved,
generally speaking, as well as it has been possible
for them to do. The sacrifices which have been
made by numbers of those capitalists in order to
keep their mills open exceed all belief. They de-
serve the greatest credit, and in praising the work-
men let us not forget the masters, for no one is a
real friend of the working classes whois not a friend
of the masters ; and, above all, remember that
there is no more fatal mistake than to suppose that
you raise the position of the working men by taking
their part—as it is called—against that of their
superiors. I really ought to apologise for having
stated things which are too obvious to require
illustration—(a laugh)—but I could not take ad-
vantage of this opportunity to express to you my
deep gratitude for your kindness to me upon this
and all other occasions without troubling you with
these few observations. (The noble lord then re-
sumed his seat amid prolonged applause.)
Sir J. V. JOHNSTONE, Bart., M.P., moved that a
vote of thanks be given to Lord Brougham for the
honour he had conferred upon the institute by his
visit, and for the eloquent and powerful address he
had delivered, and that the meeting rejoiced that
in his venerable person the cause of education had
still a most illustrious patron and foremost advocate.
He took occasion to notice the spread of education,
and the benefits conferred on the people by the
establishment of mechanics' institutes. They had
heard of late years a good deal said about improve_
ments, and in his opinion the country was now be-
ginning to receive the benefit of the reformation in
the laws, and of many noble institutions, with all
of which the name of Henry Brougham was pro-
minently identified. (Applause.)
Dr. MURRAY, the first president of the Scar-
borough Mechanics' Institute, seconded the resolu-
tion, and stated, in the course of an eulogistic
speech, that when he was at college at Edinburgh
there were two students whom it was universally
allowed would rise to great and extraordinary
eminence in after days. Who were those students ?
[hey were Henry Brougham and that distinguished
man, Francis Horner. At that time education had
progressed but little, but soon afterwards Lord
Brougham and others began to interest themselves
for the benefit of the working class, by establishing
the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge.
and by introducing almost every branch of litera-
ture in the most clear and comprehensive style.
(Applause)
The CHAIRMAN put the resolution, which was
carried by acclamation.