The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1848-04-11 00:00:00

THE CANT OF "PROGRESS."
•
(From " Hogg's Weekly Instructor.")
It is an amusing as well as melancholy matter of obser-
vation to note the facility with which, in past or present
times, a few clever charlatans have succeeded in gulling
and deluding the public mind, by ministering to popular
vanity and flattering popular foibles. In John Bull's cha-
racter the love of praise is a prominent feature, and the
only one which can be worked to advantage. Let any
honest man try to point out his errors, or to benefit him
by showing where his weakness and ignorance lie, and
immediately the popular tongue will wag against him, and
wag loudly and long, till it has silenced him • but let him
come with any hocus poem creed, half-mystic,
but eminently adapted to minis er to the infallible wisdom
of " the people" and the vanity of the vulgar, and be that
creed whatever it may, the panderer will find followers,
and his pockets be filled. Few people do think for them-
selves in the honest occupation of the term ; they receive
the thoughts of others into their own minds, without in-
vestigating them, and, provided they do not contradict
prejudices or prepossessions long cherished, cling honestly
by them ; and, so long as this is the case, it is no matter of
objection that they do not understand what those who pro-
fess to guide them may utter. Nay, it seems to us they
prize the incomprehensible all the more because it is so.
Any literary quack who chooses at a little labour to ac-
quire a verbose, unintelligible style, only distinct enough
to show that he feeds popular passions, the " discerning
public" will hunt out and uphold as a man of genius.
Nor does it seem to matter much that they like their
friend the less, although his motives be quite apparent.
The parasite may show he is such, yet the oak cherishes
him all the more. If he has only ability enough to main-
tain the hue and cry, when once raised, his success may be
considered certain. Of course our observations must be
understood with some limitation. There are certain ex-
ploded doctrines that those " earnest souls" now enlight-
ening the reading public may show up, and successfully.
The disadvantages of dirty dwellings and advantages of
fresh air--the necessity of education—the right of private
judgment—the ignorance of superstition, and kindred to-
pics. may all be handled with advantage by those whose
mission it is to hasten the dawn of the "good time coming;"
and as the people are now so far advanced as to recognise
such truths and errors, the philantrophy of their advocates
will be duly rewarded. These, intermitted with a little
superficial dabbling in the sciences, form nearly the limit
of what the public, already having learned, will allow the
propriety of being taught, and beyond these few of the one-
ness-of-purpose men attempt to instruct them in. ro cry
out " you are dirty still ;" " you are ignorant still ;" " you
are socially, morally, and politically retrograding still
" you are feeding on intellectual poison ;" " you are de-
ceiving yourselves"—these oracles, whether they know it
or do not. would never for a moment dream of. Their
craft would be in danger. But instead of dealing thus
honestly, they administer the subtle flattery, "ye shall be
as gods, and not men." The deluded mass is told it is on
the advance to a better condition—helping itself on—in-
formed that in every point of view it is reaching the acm&
of perfection—taught that it is only to struggle and strive
a little longer, as it is now doing, and the good time"
will arrive—that the long dark night of old ignorance and
error under which it has groped, it has now already dis-
pelled, and a glorious light is dawning. Such is the bur-
den of the song, the essence of the philosophy, the trea-
sured truth the mass believe, with much more which nei-
ther we nor they can understand, all comprehended under
the term " Progress."
Now, so long as this word is employed in reference to
literature, or arts and science, we don't object much.
But of the way in which it is generally used, and of those
who do so, we are strongly suspicious. There is a cheap
literature, some of it of older standing, but most of it re-
cently sprung up, more or less advocating it. There are
journals of progress, records of progress, oracles of pro-
gress, and magazines of progress—progress newspapers
and progress pamphlets. No penny periodical seems to
consider itself safe without registering this title. All of
these are more or less rabid on the subject, and the wilder
they are the greater chance of success. It is not good
cheap literature the majority of the public want : they
have no desire for that. In proof of this, there was
" Hunt's London Journal," and Charles Knight with his
second series of the " Penny Magazine;" both refused to
pander to a depraved taste, and both were shamefully ne-
glected. But the dozens f cheap sheets just now issuing
from the London press need only to adopt a few cant
phrases—mystify the lower orders a little—praise them
largely—give them plenty of filthy poison to drink in, and
their success is certain. Does any one question the truth
of these assertions, let him gather from a cheap periodical
shop an armful of such stuff at random, take them home
and read them, and if he be a man possessed of one spark
of genuine honest principle, he will rise saddened from
their perusal. He will find these journals of three classes :
the lowest ministering indirectly to every vile passion,
exhibiting vice tricked out in all the draggled finery that
can captivate a youthful imagination, and serve to deaden
principle and religion in the heart ; the next class avowedly
hostile to Christianity ; and the last, but not the least dan-
gerous, making the melancholy recommendatory boast,
that it has carefully avoided every allusion to religion. The
real teaching of the first is, " 'Whatsoever seemeth good
unto you ;" of the last two " Self-sufficiency." We do not
speak of the talent with which some of these journals are
conducted ; many of them have a fair share of it, and de-
light in displaying some crack names in the list of their
contributors ; but these all advocate progress, and mainly
advocate it. Now it is easily enough observable that, from
whatever source this cock-and-bull story proceeds, the
obvious aim and tendency of one and all is the same—the
exaltation of human nature, and its independence of divine
aid or authority-, .Should any of these. parties stumble at
the last conclusion, and enter a protest against it, we refer
them for proof to their own writings, and ask whether
they do not teach human advancement as wholly depend-
ent upon human sufficiency. That cannot be denied, else
the existence of the sheets and printing is fabulous. And
what else is infidelity—the meanest and most contemptible
species of it too—infinitely far behind the doctrines of
heathen sages or philosophers ?
Like every other species of imposition, this favourite
cry will have its day. So long as it pays the promoters
well enough, they will keep it up. When the profits
cease, the prophesying will cease too. Meanwhile, it an-
swers admirably the end for which it was got up. It is
accommodating enough to clothe any subject and suit any
writer—and, like charity, it covers a multitude of sins.

" I SAID TO MYSELF."—the prosecutrix in a criminal
case at the Suffolk Assizes, resorted to this familiar exple-
tive so frequently as to create some annoyance to counsel,
and merriment in Court. " Mrs. Taylor," said the
Learned Chief Baron, " you must not tell us what you
said to yourself, unless the prisoner was by."
We find many instances of the shrewd sense which al-
ways lay hid under our popular grossness—the real cause
of all our greatness. It never exhibits itself more keenly
than in the detection of cant. Counsellor Wallace once
said to a countryman in a smock-frock who was undergo-
ing his examination in the witness-box, " You in the
smock-frock, how much are you paid for lying ?" " Less
than you are, unfortunately, or you would be in a smock-
frock too."

THE FRENCH EXPERIMENT AND THE DUTY OFEUROPE.
—As the experiment now making in France is new, and
in the highest degree important, so it is to the last degree
to be wished that it may go on undisturbed. The other
powers of Europe cannot be too much on their guard
against it; but no armed intervention should be attempt-
ed, if France retains the pacific attitude she has hitherto
held in regard to other states. The republicans of that
country have never ceased to declare that the first Revo-
lution terminated in internal bloodshed, military despot-
ism, and foreign subjugation, because it was not let alone
—because the Girondists plunged it into war, in order to
provide a vent for the ardent passions and vehement aspi-
rations of the unemployed multitudes in that country.
Lamartine admits, in his celebrated circular, that in 1792
" war was a necessity to France." He disclaims, as
every man of the least knowledge on the subject must do,
the idea that it was provoked by the European powers,
who, it is historically known, were drawn into it when
wholly unprepared, and as unwillingly as a conscientious
father of a family is forced into a duel. Lamartine says
the same necessity no longer exists—that the world has
become pacific, and that internal regeneration, not foreign
conquest, is the end of this revolution. We hope it is so.
We are sure it is ardently desired in this country that
pacific relations should not be disturbed with the great
republic, provided she keeps within her own territory,
and does not seek to assuage her thirst at foreign foun-
tains. By all means let the long-wished-for experiment
be made. Let it be seen how society can get on without
the direction of property and knowledge. Let it be seen
into what sort of ctata_ due do' rives of the Socialists and
St. Simonians, the dictates of the tnides=unionz, am-cla-
mour of the working masses, will speedily reduce society.
Theirs be the glory and the honour if the experiment
succeeds—theirs the disgrace and the obloquy if it fails.
Let all other nations stand aloof, and witness the great
experiment—" a clear stage and no favour" be the uni-
versal maxim. But let every other people abstain from
imitating the example, till it is seen how the experiment
has succeeded in the great parent republic. It will be
time enough to follow its footsteps when experience has
proved it is conducive to human happiness and social
stability. But while, as ardently as any Socialist in ex-
istence, we deprecate the commencement of hostilities by
any European power, and earnestly desire to seethe great
social experiment now making in France broupht to a
pacific issue, in order that its practicability and expedi-
ence may for ever be determined among men, yet it is
evident that things may take a different Issue in that
country. It is possible—though God forbid we should
sty it is probable—that the great republic may, from in-
ternal suffering, be driven to foreign aggression. This,
on Lamartine's own admission, has happened once : it
may happen twice. France has four hundred thousand
regular troops under arms ; and every man capable of
bearing a musket is to be forthwith enrolled in the Na-
tional Guard. Twenty-five thousand of that body have
already been taken into regular and permanent pay, at
thirty sous, or about fifteenpence, a-day, and sent to the
frontier. It is impossible to say how soon this immense
and excited mass, with arms in their hands and little food
in their stomachs, may drive the government, as in 1792
they did that of the Girondists, on Lamartine's admission,
into foreign warfare. It behoves Europe to be on its
guard. Fortunately the course which its governments
should pursue in such an event lies clear and open. They
have only to resume the Treaty of Chaumont, concluded
in 1813, to curb the ambition of the great military repub-
lic of which Napoleon was the head. Let that treaty be
secretly but immediately renewed as a purely defensive
league. Let no one think of attacking France; but the
moment that France invades any other power, let the four
great powers forthwith bring a hundred and fifty thousand
each into the field. Let not the wretched mistake be
again committed, of the others looking tamely on when
one is assailed—" et duet singuli pugnant, universi vin-
cuntur." The moment the French cross the Rhine or
the Alps, the states of Europe must Qtand side by side as
they did at Leip?ic and Waterloo' if they would avoid
anothei long period of oppression by the cepoering re-
publicans.—Blackireed'e_Magazine.