New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1873-05-31
JOHN STUART MILL.

| TTRoM rHK REGuLAR CORRESPONDENT THE TRIBUNE. !
| LONDON, May 17-Mr. Mills life and death
| have been much commented on during the week by
journals OF every shade Of opinion On the whole some
thing like Justice has been done him, The Times still re-
naming the conspcuous exception. The notice in that
paper-of which have before spoken-eeiteda protest
even from the pulpit of the most eminent Of Lon
| don cergymen the Rev. stOpford A. Brooke, Robert
sons bographer referring to 1t last Sunday in very
| plain terms. What be said stung the writer OF The
TY1es's article into attempting defense hysheet
signed by that individual has been circulated In the
| clubs and elsewhere The best defense the suthor
could think Of was a fresh attack Mr.. MIL and the
fresh attack is simply too indecent to bear quoting.
Among all the weekly papers, The Examiner has made
the greatest effort to do honor 10 Mr.. Mps memory
II publishes what might be called a memorial number
containing fun sketch OF his life by H. r Fox Bourne
followed by accounts Of particular parts OF his career
and estimates or his genius in particular directions
| written by men who stood in such relation 10 Mr.
| Min as enabled them best 20 judge him. Mr. W. T.
Thornton his best known colleague, describes his
ton In the India House. Some notion OF the amount
OF official work Mr.. Mil performed may be gathered
| from the following extract
In 1928 he was promoted be Assistant Examiner and
IN 1856 succeeded the post OF Chief Examiner after
which his duty consisted rather in supervising what his
assistants had written than in writing himself Dnt Tor
mediate charge OF the political department, aud had
written almost every polucal dispatch OF any iln-
princes OF Leadenhllst. 10 their proconsnls IN Asia
OF the quality Of these documents IL is sufficient to say
that they were John Milps but IN respect 70 their
quantity, it may be worth mentioning that de-
scriptiye catalogue Of them completely Ills small
ouaTto volume OF between 800 and 400 pages in their
authors handwriting, which now lies before me also
that the share OF the Court OF directors IN the core
spOndence between themselves and the indian Govern
used 70 average clnua ~ about 10 huge vellnm
bound volumes foolscap size and nye or SIX inches hes
and Of these Volumes year for more than ~
years running. exclusively OF MllPs composition
this too az times when ne was engaged upon voun
try guTE "a
Economy"
Iis known that Mr. Mill drew the celebrated pet-
ton against transfer OF the governing functions OF
the East India Company. but the petition itself Is not
known, though described by Earl Grey as the aDest
state paper he ever read Mr. Thornton quoses what he
well STYLES an effective antthesis from ts opening:
Your petitioners. their expense, and by the
agency Of their own civil and military servants OIlg-
in the East Tire foundations of this Empire were lad
by your petitioners at that time neither Suea h1t con
troied By Parliament at the same period at which
succession or administrations under the control OF far
another great Empire on the opposite side OF TIE Aln
tic.
Mr. Thornton adds that he is himself the possessor OF
the original Ms. OF this admirable composition the
authorship OF which once denied III an extraordi-
nary way, OF which this account Is given:
On Que OF the last OF the gathering together
OF the propretOrs Of East India Stock, could scarcely
believe my ears, when one OF the Directors, aung 20
the petition, spoke OF 1t as having been written ~ GER
tain other official who Was sttnS Dy MS sue 1 h
"A
dersiood. Mr.. MIL" likewise present. As soon as tue
Court broke up burst INTO Mills room, boiling over
with indignation, ana exclaming wat an infamous
shame! anu no doubt adding good deal more that
followed in natural sequence on such an e1Jrdun;
get . word in. NJ 0he Direct0D was quite Hght:
The petition the JOINT WORK OF = aud my sci.
know that know you wrote every word OF IL" " No.
rejOned MILL you are mistaken; one Whsie Inc on the
second page was put IN by -"
All who knew anything Of Mr.. Mill, knew the
usually intimate relations which existed between him
and Mr. Thornton. The latter tells rs that no owed
his appointment Assistant Examiner in the India
House TO Br. Mill and owed the retention OF 1t TO him
afterward in circumstances which illustrate MI MAIs
ready aud tender devotion to his freuds-a side OF MS
character OF which enough has been said. Within
short time after taking this post Mr. Thornton lapsed
into q state Of nervous weakness which made mental
labor impossible to him. This lasted for nearly year.
aud but for Mr.. MIL he would have been compelled to
retire from office. This sacrifice Mr.. Mill ayerted by
taking upon himself the whole Of Mr. Tnorntous duties
in addition to his own dischargIng them during tho
whole period OF the illness Mr. Herbert Spencer who
contributes paper Mr. Mils moral character tells
story OF perhaps equal generosity, though differing in
kind Soma seven years ago, Mr.. Spencer found he
could DO longer the losses entaied on him by the
nuhlicatou OF his System OF Philosophy" and gave
notice 70 his subscribers that the volume then III pro-
gross ust be the Mr. Mill, shortly after wrote him.
expressing his regret and after suggesting means for
say:
In the next place what propose is. that you
sbond write the next Of your treatss and that sloud
guarantee the publisher agaInstl0ss O. should engage
after snc6 length of time as may agreed on, to make
good any deficiency that may occur, NOT exceeding
gwen SUN, that sum being such AS the puOiIsher may
think sufficient 70 secure him.
To this proposal Mr. Spencer did not feel that he could
assent but he was all OF must be- impressed pro-
founGy with Mr.. Mrs nobility Of feehag. He points
out Furthermore how much the generosity Of the ofr
a. 49, auItf a.rtif
the publication Of which Mr.. Mill desired 10 insure was
Fundamentally different from his Mr. Spencer had.
both directly and by implication. cOmbated that form OF
the experimental theory Of human knowledge which
characterzes Mr.. Mns philosophy in UNFOLDING Real
ism be had opposed In decided ways those metaphysical
systems 10 which Dir. Ms Ideaism was closely allied
and the two had long carried controversy respect
ing the test of truth which Mr. Spencer had attacked
Mr. Muls positions outspokeny. How many other phi
osonhers and controversiasts would have volunteered
TO supply formidable antagonist with funds to con-
tinue such a warfaret
But men of real emnence are at least, seldom slow 10
acknowledge each others merits Mr. Spencer, apart
from his personal relations ana obligations TO Mr. M,
bas spoken Of him great thinker ought to speak or
anotbar tn date upon his TO insist upon
the ,depess OF his influence the thought OF his
time seams 20 Mr. Spencer scarcely needfui the facts
pe sufiepty obvious, and recognized he declares
bv ALI who know anything about the progress Of opinion
during the last half century. MY own estimate OF
him" adds Mr. Spencer, intellectually considered has
been enphatioaly though briefly given on an occasion
Of controversy between by expressing my regret at
having 10 contend against the doctrine OF one whose
agreement should value than that OF any other
thinker" Il is a surprise TO me TO find Mr.. Spencer
speaking of the rapid advance OF age in Mr. Mil as hay
ing been conspicuous for years past and as pre-
pairing the way for somewhat premature DEATH This
rapid he regards as the outcome OF theory Oh
Tgf bfch Ia
too exclusively considered He too little regarded his
hoan, urn1tnre erclairna Mr. Snencer which unhappY,