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3Q4 The deader and Saturday Analyst. | M...
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. A CITY REVIVAL. : FI .1HERE are doubtl...
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Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
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Lamennais And Gioberti. The Two Most Gif...
are men of the highest , order , the further they have thrown themselves into the past , the further wilI they ultimately throw themselves into the future . As regards Giobekti , his final hopes , like his first affections ; never wandered beyond Italy . The triumph of Italy was not for him Italy ' s freedom alone ; it \ yas the bowing- down ond ' e more of all European nations to Italian supremacy ; but Iiamenjtais bad ascended through speechless tribulation to the idea of the uniyersal people bound by universal sympathy and blessed of Heaven . Creed and ceremonial and institution had ceased to be of any value in his eyes j his faith was in the regenerating potency of compassion . The sacrifice the most acceptable to God was to be offered —the sacrifice brought by the hand of courageous beneficence . When beneficence had done its best there might again be a religion . JJAAiENXAis and Giobeeti were not . deep philosophers , though they wrote much on philosophical subjects ; they were tribunes , prophets , agitators . Their mission was not to speak the truth in any
complete , organic sense ; they were not builders of systems , though they might try to be so . Their predecessors had been Aekoid of Brescia , Saint Bekn ' abd , Jebqme Satokaeoia , and men of the same stamp , who ,., whether fighting for authority or against it , despised the poor commonplaces of earth , and urged their brethren to climb to the . in visible city . Verily it is of small concern whether the real moral and religious reformer is the upholder of authority or no whether he points to the future or to the past . In both cases there is the attempt to incarnate an ideal—to teach , to help , mankind to incarnate it . " If thou purify thy abode , and teach those around th . ee to purify their ' abodes , art thou not serving thy race as nobly as if thou showed them how to build -fresh abodes P The main thing that thy brethren should learn is that their abodes and their hearts should be temples where the Omnipotent : may tabernacle . Let us not confound IjAiiEXNAis and Giobeeti with sentimentalists like Frederick SchlegE ! , and Jesuits like IMo ^
talembeet .. The Catholic Church had been to Giobeeti and liiaiEXNAis a living reality . Away from the horrible domain of sophistry and selfishness they beheld ' it through their own enthusiasm , beaming apd bounteous as in its primitive beauty ; stern to the evil-iloer , hut ' merciful to all the children of misfortune . If , nevertheless the Church ofliome had fallen into hopeless decrepitude and corruption , they had still ¦ ¦ the Church created by their own sacred fervors , and which they summoned him who was bowed , by bin and by sorrow to enter . Let ' us enter . it : faultless It mny not"be ; perchance it m : iy shock our taste , but if we deem it a godlike labour to deliver men ¦' from . materialism ' .- to make them heroes , paints , martyrs , then let us consult the writings and pomler'ori the lives of GiOBEHTiahd IiAiiE >' . \ Ais , who loved much , and . to whom , therefore , much must be forgiven .
3q4 The Deader And Saturday Analyst. | M...
3 Q 4 The deader and Saturday Analyst . | March 31 , 1860 .
. A City Revival. : Fi .1here Are Doubtl...
. A CITY REVIVAL . : FI 1 HERE are doubtless ' many , modern traders ami . merchants who ¦* - daily whirl up . to London by the express morning trains , and return at night to their villas , spending a few hours in their couriting-hevuses , who knowas little of'the City , of London , and its vast memorials 6 f former times , as a Cherokee Indian . We very much question whether there are not many handsome . halls and ; rich companies , which few ' but those specially connected with thein Icnow am tiling about ; and that there are hundreds of corporations and charities of which , many Englishmen are as ignorant as a Frenchman ; and we cannot give a stronger example of ignorance of
English affairs . Yet in--this-same City of London there lios , buried as it wore under jnodem accumulations , a complete , friunowork of ancient society . Under the modern system of trading lies another , as under St . Paul ' s We find St .. Fait-li- . ' The mere visitor aces in the Royal Exchange , in the Bank nnd its buildings—in Lombard Street und its bunkers— . in ' Crutohi'dfriars and its- merchniitri-r-in Wood Street and Wat ling : Street , and New Cannon Street , and their great uiiimifactoring dealers—the tnido of London ,-and he little imagines that out of tlie common thorough ( area exist what may bo termed the fossil remains of its former greatness and grandeur . In inconceivably narrow streets , in strange odd angles and corners , are to bo for siae
found houses that might rival those of Grosvenov Square , and which have . n substantial though old-fashionedappearance that inspires respect , and bespeaks former grandeur . In these buildings are preserved the Guilds juul Corporations which were the bones and nrterios of our former trading society , a system which , though npw fallen into disuse nnd out of fashion , has had no small hand in making 1 us the nation we are . < Tho Guilds of the trador and the artisan wore tlie cradles of our liberty j and out of such associations grew ou . r representative system of " government . They in the middle ages checked the-tyranny of tho feudal system , nml ga , ve to England thut middle clnss of society which has stood as a mole und q barrier against tho tyranny , and excesses of a proud nnd powerful oligarchy .
As , therefore , wo owe to those antique institutions so much , it is but a matter of gratitude thut wo should regard them with respect , and inquire into them with interest . Nor will ifc bo found tlmttbey are bv any means dead , though tho great purposes for which they once ' existed have , lYom n variety of onuses , flowed iuto other channels . Tho commerce of London , and indeed of the kingdom , wna once , as it we . , Under then control , nnd aided their rovonuo ; nnd wo nil know how , in those palmy daya , kings suod to thorn for money , and political parties wooed them for their intercut . It is amnttev ol history to Ivftce how this great framework , embracing « t otto thnq all
occupations , and wielding and controlling , in a variety of ways ,- all the trade and operative proceedings of society , came to fall into decay , and to become a mere skeleton of dead bones , held together by the ligaments of endowments and property bequeathed to them for various trusts . Many reasons , some physical and some moral , conduced to ' . this decay . There wei'e inherent defects in their constitution ; and the developments of society proceeded too fast for their slow and narrowsystem of internal government . Had they possessed men of superior intellect as their rulers , who could have expanded them to , the wants of the progressive time , they might have grown with the age . But they were restrained by their narrow rulers within the liTeral aud rigid bounds of their original constitutions ; and as they did not enlarge with the enlarging ideas of each generation , they became fossilized , and to a great extent remain so .
The principles of entire freedom for trade , which were so urgently promulgated in the middle of the last century , and have been increasing ever since , hastened their downfall , by . bringing into contempt all notions of any tiling like association and legislation upon such points . The apprenticeship principle was vi ^ orou ^ l y denounced by Adam . Smith and his followers ; . and all corporate bodies , were decried as injurious . monopolies .. This , like all other new" doctrines ; , was pursued with a species of fanaticism , and ^ carried to an extreme that it is beginning- to be felt was . unjust and unsound . ^ The great Guilds of the middle ages were very noble insi . ' ions , and if like the Church and the Law they required reform , they did not deserve destruction . Ha < l they been judiciously reformed , they would have been of vast advantage to modern society . They Would have done much to mitigate-the sufferings ; of the -operative-classes ; they would have prevented that alienation between the ' jn . asses and their employ ers , which is found to be producing so many snd . not to Guild attended to its craft
saydangerous , effects . Hud-every own , it must have resulted iii good .- The very organization , would have been beneficial , and the benefits to the ' -arts-Hild to' mamifafctures great . They might have been the medium for that communication between masters and Men , which- a special , Coin nrit tee . of the House of Coin-Hions . is now seeking' -to , ' promote . They might have effected ; . in fact , an amount of ' good ; buth of an artistic anil a philanthropic kind , which is now . imperfectly performed by other ' means . OnefVital thins * they'themselves ' performed ' for their own destruction . They admitted to the rights-of . ' their , corporation the sons -of , free-men , dis' regardful of their " not being of the trade and craft of the Guild . This fatal error rendered them a mass of individual a loins , having 1 no interests ,, no pursuits , ' ' wo rights . 'in common-. From t . 'ne time they did this , they becaine mere fofmal associations , without any rt-al vitality or use . Having abandoned the only bond thut could hold them -together , Uniformity of Trade . and occupation , tliey subsisted ohlv on their accumulated property , and have now become SO
many fanciful institutions , There is , however , we firmly believe , yet a real life in them if it could only be ingeniously brought forth . They -have still H-ft in them all -the . scaffolding of elective associations , and * skiUully treated , -they yet ' might-materially benefit the crafts they repres , nnd so ' society generally ' . . It would seem that such is the opinion of soine of their more" enlightened members ; and wo have been carried into this train of thought and dissertation by having , presented to our notice a very laudable effort to-revive the utility ot the old corporations '' , and to adapt them -to living manner * and ¦ circumstances .. Theable and intelligent master of the Puhiter-Sminers Company , one of the most ' ancient of the city guilds , has put forth a plan which is certainly likely to arouse the attention and excite the efforts of the operatives' engaged in house painting ¦ and'doci » ratiou , which ho vtM'y properly , styles arts . He seems to' have thoroughly mustered his subject , ' and has not sought , with any antiquarian
dileitanicLun , to-revive any obsolete ceremonies or forms , or even usiiges , but conies at once to utilizing , the povvors and means of the Guild to modern requirements . We cannot better show his plan lhim by his circular addressed to his own trade : —* ' The powers ot tho various Guilds are not maintainable under their bylaws , and it must be acknowledged they have fallen into , desuetude , and operate in restraint-of triido . I consular , however , by subntitating emulation for coercion , that the Guilds ( especially those whore skilful handicraft is required ) might yet maintain as bodies a firm and useful position in . society ; and my suggestion for effecting , this , as relates to this company , consists in inviting the workmen , artificer ** , nnd artists connected with painting- and decoration , to submit their works annually to public inspection ; their merits to bo judged by competent persons . Tho public exhibition of such works to take place at tho company's ancient hall . "
Tins is , nrjiuuViou 8 step , and in the right direction , and isgr ntly to be commended and encouraged . It must delight Mr . liuslcin , and all . the true lovers of art , who know how much . depend * on MiO impurting an intellectual inul artistic fooling to the actual operating artisan . In no other way can really tine work be produced . Should this' simple example tnko effect , as wehavo no doubt but it wid , it mny give n beneficial impetus to nil other "guilds , whurli , in tho like way , may do much to improve art and elevate tho njuul ol the nrtisan , nnd so raise his position in society , and . amend \\\* physical as well a * artistu ! coilditiuii , Should Mr-. Sowoll , the-or » Hr «»» tor
oftliia notion , succeed , with the aid of his assistants , the Pujutor-Stniners' Company , in his laudable attempt , ho may nofc . unprounoiy load to " a oitv re ' vival" which may excel other revivals , of wlncn we have lioarci bo much in America and elsewhere ; ami n gre » t social problem may bo solved—that of bringing into one f ' ocua tno interests of the Employers and the Em ployed ,
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Citation
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Leader (1850-1860), March 31, 1860, page 12, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_31031860/page/12/
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