New-York tribune., 1882-03-05

makes its barreuness only the more conspicuous.
With all the supplementary matter furnished py
the combined activities of the ablest men OF lts
school il is rather monument of the poverty Oh
thought and superfciality of analysis TO whch ',o
cerebral and associationalist theory Is lne''""iS
doomed-and from which the evolutionary 'r"n-
scendentalism of Herbert Spencer can reuecih ~
only by Disgusting its slender resources
The leading public movement IN which ho was
interested toward the end of his life was hc passage
Of the Reform bill in 1881 His principal activities
in authorship were expended in the Lonaon ana
Westminster Reviews, which were subsequently
un,ted One of the most characteristic and oiien-
sive and We may almost add the most ineXpHcaDIe'
contributions of his pen an article on Church
Reform which as an old mans uttcTance Ill respect
70 The ordinances of worship which he deemed suit
able for the English people is simply insane IN SEN
timent and worse than insane in temper and taste.
The following year 1886 he died. His biographer
sums up this elaborate but dry history OF his lie
and writings 10y formal but just view OF his char-
acteristIcS, concluding with remark which no
one can deny: lie was at all events born leader
"A king of men,
Professor Balm calls his work upon John Stuart
Mill "a Criticism with personal recolIectlohS'
Taken by itself it is far more satisfactory as Lie
than the work which he calls Biography of the
IL
Mills autobiography, it gives us as satisfactory
portrait Of the inner and outer life OF It's notaoie
subject as we ought to expect perhaps TO desire
When both are used to interpret the scanty deln-
cations of the father they give us stronger ana more
definite impressions OF his inner and outer HE thah
we can hone for from any other source. WINE tne
father rs delineatcd by the son, repels us by his
severity and postivencSs the son, as portrayed by
himself attracts us by his gcntleneSs and pllable-
ness That as a boy he was offensive as an over
educated and positive prig-and even more offensive
for certain extreme ndecorums of applied radical
ism-may he true but as we him at a later
period break from the CALLING chains OF parental
tyranny opening his mind TO new influences, consort-
ing with some OF the ablest men of his time, though
scorucd IN the radical school and above all acknow
lcdrinc that his heart had wants and aspirations
which his intellect might well regard he gains m
mpnsrly upon our sympathy and Our respect. We
trace the influence of this more liberal spirit in all
his subsequent writings-in his candor, his com
prehenslve reading his readiness to concede points
tna were sometimes fatal to his own positions, ana
n general cathoCity of spirit, which were utterly
alien to the fierce and fiery dogmatlsm of his ia
natical father Ii is true there were certain incl
dents in his later life which it is not easy to eX-
plain or to reconcile with any other than the scme-
what flexible social creed of his school, but that
he was IN sense as patient and candid seeker after
trntb rs could easily be looked for on a basis so
narrow and treacherous as his fundamental intel
ectual and practical theories would allow will be
conceded by all fairminded men. Indeed his
writings are as valuable for the weaknesses IN his
postions which his fairness and frankness led him
to disclose H for the positive additions lie has made
| 10 phllosophic thought Professor Bain's estimate
of Mills mental equipment is specially interesting
The general cast Of his mental powers was high
IN NH The regions of mind. With Il predomlnance
| of intellect he had great power OF III, ana I'M
| usual depth of Feeling. lie had preemlnentIy the
sanguine tcmperament Whenever the general syS-
fem was in working order, enjoyment was Win MN
| tlc natural result. He was, think born Tor Il
happy life if he had got only tOerably lalr pay
II was not the fault of nature that he was so often
! i'm the DEPTHS: his power OF recovery attests thc
| vital force of the system. ,..-
! or his Intellect. These were soon brought out hy
hi, early education, so tar as books could 90 IL.
! Every species OF literature was presented 10 MS
! mind. and while he imbbCd something OF all, IL
soon became evident that science was ms Jote ne
had an intellect for the abstract ana the loSl'al;
ont of all proportion TO his hOd Ol the concrete, anu
the poeical. His attempts AT writing poetry cOuid
be little more than memory working upon the DOCKS
that hc had read. while thcr impression was fresh.
lie never attained TO pcturesquencss in the smallest
degree: he could DO doubt have succeeded by SET
purpose. but be had other matters to attend TO- ne
! was but moderately endowed with the faculty Of
anpuage rs such; the undOubted excellence OF MS
| mature style arrived at by series OF efforts
| that may well be celebrated among tIluuphs Oh
! perseverance.
Tubod not much memory for detail of any kind.
lie had read vast quantity of history. OF lcton, Of
| troyris and incidents: and yOu would not be aware
of the fact from his conversation or from his writ
| ings Neither in the illustration OF doctrines nor
fnr fguratiyc aiusons was he ready at reproducing
! facts i'm the concrete. lie was as a youth, Wcll
| read in the Greek and Roman classics but ne
scarcely made happy origlnal q'iotaiioh' ny
! express study, and frequent reference ne liad
! amas.pd a store of facts hearing on pollllcal OF
sociological doctrines; and these he had at Iuli
| command. ,.. -. I.,l-
study iuterfered with his activity aS an observer OF
! facts at first hand. whether IN the physical or IN
| the mental world. He did, nevertheless, snow a
| considerable wakeuness to what went on Nllniii
his circle yet with decided limitations. lie could
| have imbibed physical facts with ayldity, II MS
! circumstances had been favorable; but his 0Pp0r-
| tunIties were very few. lie was perhaps all the
! more disposed to notice mental and social facis;
and it wonderful how .many OF these lie LOOK
! hold Of in the remlssOns OfhOok study or course
tbc larger mass of sociological details had to he
! gathered through books; yet a certain quantity OF
personal observation was needed as basis Tor COM
prchcnding those that came ny ihe olher oou'rGN'
Ills power of psychological observation was also
| good and served him both as theoretical psychol-
| Ggist and as practical philosopher, IloIe osPcVF
ally in ethics ana ID pOlllles'
Mill laid up in his capqcious mind a variety OF
things; uut. with all his getting, ne got thlH SlcIIa
| understanding-the understanding OF principles
II Won wanted, AT any time, to commend youIseI u
! his favorable regards you had but to start doc
| trinal dscussion-tO bring new toJoS TO his VieW'
He was exceedingly temperate rs regarded thf
| table: there was nothing of the gOurnand super
| added to his healthy appetite. To have seen hl'
! sImpe breakfast at the India House. ana 10 coupe
/ with that his entire abstinence from eating Ol
drinking till his plain dinner at 6 o'cock,-wouio
bc decisive of his moderation IN the pleasures OF
the palate
OF his pleasures through the ear and the eye, not
much can be said until take into account all tn,
| associated circumstances that render these iWt
srusa, tbe avenues of the greater part OF OuI chic
Qualifications He had a musical ear. and gave
some attention to music III his early life. Ills ea'
for articulate cadence, clOcutiOn and O'atory, wa
- 80 rn.nrl- IIle cnlnr- MOI