Year: 1873

ond how lou, to averape or the best example, for
that matter of university education. An improve
ment in the latter was, in his judgment, our most
nressnp need. and he thought we had reached the
point where there was no longer an excuse Tor de-
LAYING it. He was specially solicited to know
whether the ignorant clamor against the higher
education against the most liberal culture, nclud-
ing classical as well as scientific branches, was
likely to prevail. never heard more sincere con-
tempt expressed for narrowness of that kind than
by this chief of the Uttarian philosophy which is
sometimes appealed to as to it's justification.


Presently he touched on Free Trade, a subject
which rather dreaded but made haste to ask him
whether he still adhered to the well-known state
ment in bis political Economy" which Protection
lists were in the habit of quoting in their own de-
fense; to the effect, namely, that Free Trade was
not an absolute doctrine, but q ques-
tion of circumstances. Certainly" was his
answer. II have never affirmed anything
to the contrary. do not presume to say that the
United States may not find Protection expedient in
their present state of development. j do not even
say that if were an American should not be
Protectionst. He added that he quite believed the
best of the Protectionists held that doctrine o.
temporary one, which they stood ready to exchange
or modify when the country should have proved
itself able to compete with European manufactures.


This was my first interview with Mr. Mill. BY
last was less than three weeks ago. at dinnerparty
given by a common friend The seven years inter
venng had passed lightly over him, filed though
they had been with severe mental toll and with some
harassing political anxieties. He looked very much
as he looked in that hotel parOr at Ayignon but he
talked with less vivacity than usual. The
mistress of the house whom he took down to
dinner is a lady who knows how to persuade her
guests to shine but she happened this evening to be
ILL., and allowed Mr.. Mill TO eat his dinner in com
parative silence. / do not know that there is any
reason to suppose that the disease which killed him
had then seized him. His friends thought he had
been during this last visit to London, If
not unusually WELL at any rate unusually
social. He had gone about a good deal
and received many friends at his new
rooms in Albert Mansions. 1t seems odd that he
should have Just parted with the house at Black
heath Park which had so long been his home during
his visits to London. 1t was one of his plans to be
able 10 see more people, the Blackheath house being
so remote from the social ceners of London as to be
inconvenient both TO himself and his friends.
The Albert Mansions are great block
of houses in VictOria-st., Westminster, close to
the Houses of Parliament and to Buckingham Pal
ace built in fats convenient enough but gloomy.
His friends reoiced at the change in the hope to see





ter, Miss Helen Taylor whose name is SO well known
in literature that it may be mentioned without i'm
pertinence-a lady who has inherited not few Of
the admirable and rare qualities of her mother.


London, however was not the place which Mr..
Mill preferred to call home. He did not like Lon
don, nor England, nor even the English over much.
At least he did not like them in the English way,
nor were English influences those which chiefly bore
sway over his mind. The Phiistinism of English
politics, and fear must add of English society,"
was repugnant to him. AvignOn was his real
home. 1t was the shrine which entOmbed
the remains of his wife, but he loved it before she
was buried there. After il became her Testingpace
l don't think he cared to be elsewhere more than
his various duties required him to be- The French
climate suited him far better than the English the
South of France best of ALL and his mind worked
there more freely than under the pressure of
the leaden atmosphere Of London 1t is easy
to see how much he owed TO French litera-
ture, of the last and the preceding century, es-
pecially. If he came to London as n duty he
escaped to his loved Avignon with ever fresh de-
light. Among his many other scientific attainments
he was bOtanist, aud had made study of the fora
of the country about Avignon, and it to see the
Spring gOres of his plants and to pursue his work
that he Quilted London this year earlier than
was expected. He enjoyed scenery in its
most lovely and in its grandes forms alike, enjoyed
il passionately, and had in him the genius of a
descriptive poet-I don't mean descriptive in the
cataoguing sense but the capacity to write poetry
Of that kind of which Wordsworth was the greatest
master Between his soul and that of Nature there
were barmonies which he did not choose to put into
verse. but which were tender and true.


His nature was, indeed, emotional, and even
passionate. Considering what he wrote about his
wife, ! wonder anybody should ever have donbtedit
The common conception of him which political OPP
ponent yulgarly summed up in calling him book
in breeches,' was absurd. You could not
hear him talk without seeing that he
felt strongly, that he loved deeply, that the
capacity of hating. also, was not wanting to him.
1t was suppose his moderation in controversy
well as his addiction to philosophical pursuits which
gave him WITH the general public the repute of cold
ness-especially with the public that had not read
enough Of him to discover the numerous passages
that glow with enthusiasm or with indignation.


As talker, he had manner Of his own. Talker
in the common dinner-table sense he was not He
seldom told story for the sake of telling it,
kept store of frivolous anecdotes to be produced
for the mere amusement of listeners Nor would be
talk to everybody. On subjects that interested him
and the people of the right sort he would pour out
in easy profuOn his stories Of information. Among
all the men whom / have met in England
remember but two who in any
degree comparable to him in the variety
and fluent accuracy of his knowledge. These two
were men extremely unlike him and unlike each
other, Mr.. Carlyle and Mr. Gladstone. But they had
this quality in common. He would meet men
on their own ground If they wero worth meeting
and they generally found him stronger than they
were themselves in their own speciality. The play


Il. F.1
ness of it, Ho liked radical houses, naturally
enough and he could be seen at his best at Mr. Tay