The Sun.
London, England, 1869-09-30 00:00:00

TAR DUTY OF PARLIAMENT.

After some remarks approving of the Ladies' Con-
ference as a means of collating the distinct and inde-
pendent views of a sex which must regard many ques-
tions in a light different from that of men, and strongly
insisting upon the necessity of devising some means
to check the shocking cruelty to cattle which has
recently come before the public notice, the President
concluded by again warning his audience of too much
reliance on legislation. "It would be foolish and even
wrong to neglect the great advantages which we may
derive from the judicious employment of the central
machinery of Government in many even of those matters
hem which it was once an article of the national creed that
the Government should ho jealously excluded. But our
employment of State agcncy should be limited, I think, by
t No considerations. First, we should consider how far by-
i rtrusting the Government with secondary functions we
ran the risk of hindering or embarrassing it in the discharge
of its primary functions ; how far, by making it our agent
f economical, commercial, or social purposes, we place
difficulties in the way of the proper performance of its
political duties. It would be- a very questionable gain if
for the sake of getting our railways more economically
mmaged, or our municipal affairs better regulated, we
were to infuse into our parliamentary elections, and
through them into the selection of our political rulers, a
of commercial jobbery, or to trammel the march of
oar Imperial policy by the necessity cf conciliating local
interests. Secondly, wo should consider whether, by
throwing upon the State responsibilities which we ought to
undertake as individuals, we may not detract something
from the energy of personal character which has done so
much to make our country what she is. I do not wish to
close my eyes to our shortcomings; I do not wish to enrol
myself among the blind worshippers of the British Philis-
tine; I do not deny that we have been led by a spirit of
insular pride and insular prejudice to undervalue the
1e43Q124 which sense foreign nations 'night havo taunt

tri as to the actvuntages Of a more porrOtt organisation
and of a more systematic development of our resources,
or that we aro suffering for our neglect. I do not
doubt that wo have much to learn, and much to de,
in order to keep, perhaps in some respects to recover,
our place among the nations. But while we are bent
on improving our machinery let us take care that we do
not weaken the mainspring of our greatness. The proud
position of England is due not to the accident of circum-
stances, but to the character of her people. If she derives
advantages from her mineral wealth, it is because her sons
have known how to turn it to account ; if she is the home
of manufacturing industry, it is because the ingenuity and
the perseverance of her sons have made her so ; if she
holds the empire of the seas, it is because her sons have
won it for her. She enjoys, it is true, the blessings of a
noble Constitution ; but it is a Constitution of which the
merit lies less in the framework than in the spirit by which
it is animated. It has, indeed, undergone many changes ;
men say that it has been destroyed over and over again ;
none would venture to predict through how many more of
such destructions it is destined to pass. But the spirit of
her people remains unbroken, and in that unbroken spirit
there still lives the greatness of England. Legislate as you
will ; organise, educate, develope the advantages of co-
o2eration, economise labour, shew how skill may be made
t ) do the work of strength ; but amidst all your improve-
me As bear one caution steadily in mind,—Beware of
destroying or of enervating the individual energies of
Eaglishmen."

MISCELLANEOUS NEWS.