, 1873-10-12

them thoy aro today no ncaror tito realization
Of their ilca!B Than In 1702. Ever roady to no.
oept splondid phrases aa substitute for plain
aeaBe and practical measures, thoy arc ut ono
tlmo tho sport Of any demagoguo who can voi1
bin aol!lsh ambition undor tha cant Of "puro
dnas," and Mt nnothor the Victims Of any 3oapot
WHO may DO strong enough tv ttn!nplo tho Idool-
ogis!s and their yorbnl solouco under his foot.
THE oosrMoNrLAoEs or POLITICS
In FRANCO, al John gtunrt 11lll Inns Justly OBJ
served. arc largo and awooping practical ,naxms,
from which, aa ultimate pron,!ses, men REASON
downwards to particular applications, and th'H
thoy call being logical md consistent. "For
instance. they aro perpotually arguing that such
aud such measure ought to be adopted, because
tt is b consequence Of tho principle on which the
form Of government 10 fouuled, of tho prln-
ciplo Of legitimacy, or tho principle Of tho
sovereignty Of tho people. 10 which It may
bo answorod TINT, II thoso 10 really practical
principles thoy must rest upon speculative
grounds: tie sovereignty Of tho rooplo (for OK
amplo) must be right foundation for goyern-
mont because government thus constituted
tends to produce certain beneficial ofTocts. In
asmuoh, however, Rs no government produces
a possible beneficial effects, but oil are attenG-
cd with moro or fowor fnconvonlencos, and since
these cannot DO combatad by means drawn
from tho vory cauaes which produce thcm, It
would he ofton = much stronger recommendation
Of soma practical arrangement that 1t doos not
follow from what is called tho general principle
Of tho government, than that 1t doos. Under
government Of legitimacy, tho pro-
sumption Is far rather In favor Of institution
Of u popular origin; and In o demscrscy In
favor Of arrangements tending to check tho
impetus Of popular will. The limo of argumenta-
ton 30 commonly mistaken In France for politl.
cal philosophy tends to the practical conclusion
that wo should exert our utmost efforts to az.
grayate, instead of alleviating, whatovor arc tho
characteristic imperfoctions OF tho eyatom Of
institutions which We prefer, or under which we
! happen to uve."
THE FRENCH 1pEAL1sM
| In government is well characterized By Burke IN
his memorable sketch of tho Abbo sioyeg,
with hla nests Of pigoou-1oes full oil
| constitutions. raady-rnada, tickctca, sorted,
and numbered suited to oyory season and to
every fancy; somo with tho top Of the pattern
at the bottom, and Home with tho bottom at tho
top aomo plain, Homo fowerod; some
with directories, others without direction; somo
with councils Of elders, and councils Of youngors,
and some without any council at all 30
|
from his shop" Yet deplorablo rs woro tho
final results Of the revolution which Sicyca and
his confreres brought about, tho passago OF
this Red Sea was honorable to tho
people, even If thoy did not at onco
enter tho Promised Land. That q whole
nation should havo boon penetrated
with passion for pure reasou, nnd an ardent
desire to have Its prescriptions triumph ia m
extraordinary fact, whom wo consider how rarely
| pure reason moves the masses of men. While
tho Trench thua lire in world Of ideas, the
English, Oh tile other land, haso always hntel
abstract thought, and looked with suspicion or
contempt On nll cndoayors after scientific accura-
cy in political question: or moral Empilic, OK
perinaontal-ofteu bluudering, always uusys-
tclnatic-to-day sleoping in coutented apathy,
tomorrow waking with panic start,-sclf-
contradictory and inconRistent,-now growing
ut tho Hmalloat hardship, now welcoming
tho most outrageous opprcsaon,- over
looking tho growth Of the most fear
ful evils. and anon watching tho slightest
Innovations with microscopic vigilanco,-at
ono timo Indignant almost infuriatod,
If o criminal is harshly treated, or paupcr
poorly fod and then contemplating with stoioal
indifference tho wrctchodncsB Of thousands
they have yet contrivcd to advance with giaut
|
With every generation to Secure a solid and last
ing improvement in tlloir political condition.
Tho legislation of England corresponds to thia
character Of tho people. Selfish 1t may bo md
unonligltened; often 1t betraye extreme l.nYrow-
ness Of ysiou, md incapacity for taking broad
riows but it is always practical, and FREQ from
all that il visionary nnd fancifui. an English
legislator prefers
4 VERY LITTLE ATrA1'AnLE GOOD
to vast amount that is barely possible Of at-
tanmeut; mn acre in Middlesex ho deolna bottor
than principally in Utopa. Tho House Of COM
nous is MI ouineut1y practical body it's members
hate rhetoric aud arc lorcoly intolerant of nb-
stractions. Fine speoehes they cnugh down !;
but cis-information-how awlwnrdlY
communicated, they will listen to with tho pa
tiouco of Job. For all "bunkum k,"-for all
declamations about tho rights Of nlan md tho
eternal fitness Of things,--for all "sprcat-cagle-
i'm" iuvocations of tho shades Of Hampton and
Sidney, aud other such nonsonse,-the l1ayo m
unmitigatcd contempt. Nlnny things which an
An,erican legislator would think it necessary to
provo by aylloglsnls In barbara or Celarcn;, they
take for granted, tins oconomizng tin1o and
luugB. Acts of Parliament aro often awkwardly
/ drawn (and O'Connoll; declared tl'at ho could
. drive coach and four through my Of
those passed in his duy); they aro any
thing but models Of style; but tliey
} generally hit tho grievance between
wind and water. Hencc, d Trench writer has
Justly said Of England and lis own country
"L'Angletorro veut 10 pratiquo, ct sy enfonco /;
Ia franco cllcrche lidoo ct s'y porl." Nothing
can be more superb than tho promptnosa with
which tho English ignore their political doc
trinos the moment thoy are found to bo incon-
yenicnt iu practice. How long waH tho "diyno
right Of Kings iproachod from Protestant pull
: pita l-yat tho moment protcatant Kings car
Biod tho theory out into practice, tue genius OF
tue pooplo as readily cxtemporized divine right