The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1901-08-18

Ssnss suu n His Contemporary
ucnlhamIfca.

Tn second volume OF TIE Erghsh
U6Afarians by LESLIE STEPHEN (Putnams,
deals with the first generation Of Bent
hams followers. including besides James
Nil. who was the most conspicuous fg-
-vv. 7. n. Maltnus end David Ricardo.
es political economists o Austin.
ne ~weli-known writer on Jurisprudence.
and George >Grote. the historian. On
psntham's death his mantle fell upon
Snmes Mil. who for many years had been
his chief lieutenant and had oxIpounded
D. tesse and lucid form the doctrines which.
IN the masters hand-. would have lost
cohcrcncy by running into endless ram
i6cations and minute details. In the
opoond period Of Benthami-in. when the
srhool attained its greatest activity. James
Mi. In his rolls OF mediator and inter
Dreter. exercised more influence upon IL
han did any other leader Of opinion.
Although James Mill died only four
gears after Bentham. he was twenty-five
ynars younger. lie was born on the 9Th
a. April. i77s. in the parish Of Logic Pert,
yorfarshire. His father. who bore the same
same. was a village shoemaker. His
mother. though she was a farmer daughter
and had been a servant In Edinburgh.
Md some claims to ~gentility by dcsSent.
and resolved Co bring up James. her oldest
con, Ia he a gentleman. which. for her.
meant to he a minister. The hoy was sent
% the parish school. and thence to the
Nontrose Academy. where he remained
ell he was IL Bentham, IL will
b. remembered. was but IS when he took
his n A. degree at oxford. In 1870
Mill entered tho University Of Edinburgh.
where he seems To have become 81 good
Q Greek scholar that long -afterwsrd
(isis hs had SONS idea Of standing for the
Greek chair at Glasgow. In philosophy
he read the ordinary Scottish authorities,
and attended the lectures OF Dugald Stewart,
He was not a member Of the Speculative
Society. then Joined 10y most Young men
Of promise. and. apparently. was I'M
acquainted with any Of his distinguished
Scotch contemporaries, except the chemist
Thomas Thomson
In l7ot he began a course In divinity.
and four years later was licensed To preach.
He failed. however. tn obtain n call from any
parish. and in 1902 went To London In com
pany with Sir John stuart. NJ p. whose
protege he had been stuart procured
admission for him to the gallery Of the
House % Commons. whore he attended
many debates. For support he depended
on his pen. and through "a testimonial
obtained from Thomson he secured EN-
ployment on the Anh-Jdeobfn Rsrie~
For this Tory organ the future Radical
wrote articles implying an interest in the
philosophy. and especially In the po-
litical economy Of the time. For four years
from 1913 he edited a periodical called
the Literary Journal, which profes-ed
a. -. I,.r.r. .aaapfaA. aud
philosophical publications. His contribu-
tons show that although already a ration
aiist. he was a. vet opposed To open In
fidelity. When by editing and hack work
he was earning about cscoa wear. he thought
himself justified in marrying and in 1895
became the husband Of Harriet Burrow.
the daughter of a widow who kept a private
Iunatic asylum started by her husband
Presently Mills editor-hip vanished. and
no found making an income by writing
for periodicals. no easy task. Nine chill
dren were ultimately born e. him. all Of
whom survived their father. Meantime
the family in his old Scottish home were
an additional burden. his father having
become bankrupt. james Mill undertook
To pay his fathers debts. and 10 help his
sister who had married a journeyman shoe
maker. In spite Of difficulties and r--
sponsibilities. Mill by frigality and energy
managed personally 10 keep on Of debt.
Toward the close Of 1904 he began the his
tory Of British India. the work which was
20 give him a name. and enable him To rise
above the crowd Of contemporary Journal
lists. He computed the time needed FOR
It's completion nj three years. hut the ears
were more than trebled before the book
was finished To the labor of writing
Mil added the toll 81 -uperntending the
education OF his children. What his ed.
ucational methods were We shall have
occasion To note In n sketch OF his
son, John Stuart Mill. There II no doubt
that for some wears James Mills stulggl.
for existence must have put an eAtraordi-
nary strain upon his faculties fortu-
nately for him he Possessed great physical
and mental vigor. He was muscular.
well made and handsome; he had marked
powers of conversation, and made n strong
Impression upon all with whom he came In
contact. Through these qualities he grad
ually formed connections which determined
his subsequent career.
Mills association With Bentham seems
70 have begun In 1905. The younger man
speedily became a valued disciple of the
elder. In 1910 Mill moved To the little
house In Bentham's garden which had
once belonged ,o Milton. after a time his
euiarging family compelled him 10 seek
q more c~ommodious abode, hut, finally. In
1914 he settled In another house belonging
to Bentham and under the old mans wing
Here In Quecn's square ti.ey lived for
some years in the closest intimacy. The
association was not without it's troubles, for.
while Bentham was fanciful. Mill was stern
and ngid, No one. however, could be n
moro devoted disciple. II L. evident from
Mills unrcserved adoption Of Bentham's
principles and his resolution tn devote
his life to their propagation that his opin-
IONS had undergone evolution. lie had
entirely dropped his theology. While,
moreover. In the early years Of his London
ufe, Mill had been only a nationalist, hs
had by this time become b would
now br callcd an agnos'ic. 'Dogmatic
atheism he thought absurd says his son.
J \. Mill. hut he held that We can know
nothing whatever a. TO the origin Of the
world J \ Mil AYERS that the turning
point in his fathers mind was the study Of
Buffers Analogy : hat book, he thought,
xas conclusive against the optimistic