Year: 1869

there, proportionably beyond other men, be-


cause they begin their work young, and are


hampered by no demands on their time made


by other professions. Who can remember q


Cabinet in which has not sat the son Of some


Peer as a commoner, a Harrington, Stanley,


Seymour or a Lincoln? In the course of ma


ture these men become Peers and take with


them into the Upper House the education they


have acquired in the Lower. To suppose that


because they become Lords-Lords in the leg
islative sense, they therefore become fools, Is,


we think, to indulge revolutionary passion
at the expense of common sense. To quarrel
with them because their energy is less promi-
nent than it was heretofore is to cast a censure
upon the all-engrossing appetite for govern
ment Of the House of Commons. And IL the
Lower House be composed to a large degree of
young noblemen, is the Upper House re-
yigorated from day to day by old eommoners.
OF the Peers who spoke in the late debate, very
nearly one-half had won their peerages for
themselves; and of the hereditary Peers who
spoke, very nearly one-half had earned for
themselves a parliamentary reputation in the
House of Commons. We insist upon this now,
not because we like the work that the Lords
have just done-which, however, we regard as
work very natural for them to do, but because
we like the energy with which they did it.
And we specially dislike that fouling of our
own nest which is to sad degree effected when
our own leading men allow themselves to use
expressions of contempt toward n branch of
our Legislature which is not only absolutely
essential to our existing constitution, but which
does, in fact, conduct itself with exemplary
diligence and most patriotic zeal in discharge
of its duties. We all know the class Of argu-
ments which is used against hereditary legis-
lators, and how fagrant are the instances Of
men who, born to this high position, disgrace
their rank by low vice and by egregious folly.
Tales are told of this vice and folly in our own
great colonies, in the United States, and all
over Europe, which are easily understood and
easily believed. and the argument against here
ditary legislation seems to be complete. But
vice and folly are more easily recognized than
wisdom and patriotism, and, alas have great
er charms for the tongues of men and women.
A Duke who has wasted princely patrimony
in five years gives more subject for exciting
conversation than m Earl who has been thrice
Prime Minister. That this Duke or that Mar
quis should have dissipated his patrimony will
become matter Of nOtoriety throughout all the
nations, whereas the life's work of a man who
had all means Of pleasure at his command but
has been stirred to work by high ambition,
is for the moment disregarded. For every
Peer disgraced among us, we have ten Peers
who are, as it were, the very salt Of the earth
to us. And such is the constitution Of our
House Of Lords that it nust be so. Our Up
per Chamber is so constantly refreshed with
new waters that it cannot become stagnant
pool. Our Commoner Is so near to being
Peer, and our Peer was so lately CommOner,
that it is fatuous to speak of difference between
the capacity and the patriotism Of the one and
the other. We will regard our country as
land which is destined to make progress. In
matters of legislation, Public Opinion sits on
the box. The House of Commons is the team
of horses, and the House of Lords is the drag
at the wheel. So excellently does the contri-
vance perform its part that we go down all the
hills with a safety unknown to other nations
Saint Pdnis.