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1240 1&t>e $Le&Jlt T* [Saturday ,.. _ _ ...
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^ [IN THIS DEPARTMENT, AS ALL OPINIONS, ...
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THE POWER OF EDUCATION. Letter V. London...
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There is no learned man but will confess...
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A NEW DAILY PAPER. Birmingham, December ...
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IS LOUIS NAPOLEON POPULAR OR NOT? Hoyne-...
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Transcript
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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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English Sympathy 1-Or French Rei'ublican...
instance of want of this consideration . A resolution was proposed by those who convened the meeting , which expressed in firm , and decided language the public opinion of the working classes upon the " heartless" means to which the " Friends of Order" in Paris had had recourse . Another resolution was recommended to the meeting , in which the' utmost strength of denunciation was employed , and this strength of language was unwise , because liable to be misunderstood , and , indeed , used against the very people it was ostensibly intended to serve . In a time of excitement words imply much more than their strict import warrants , and a man who he
uses them is responsible for the sense in which sees they will be understood when he has employed them . At such times very measured and moderate language will mean more than the most violent exaggerations in calmer periods . The Parisian despots at this moment are justifying themselves by reference to the supposed excesses of their opponents . This is notorious ; and every strong expression of even natural indignation will be interpreted by them into a new sign of the existence of the fatal spirit to whicV they pretend to oppose themselves ; and it will seem so to all who cannot know the exact truth , to all who are timid , to all who believe in the said " Friends of Order . " To employ such language , therefore , as shall afford these persons the pretexts they seek , is ( however honestly intended ) simply to play into
their hands ; is simply to do their work gratuitously . Three or four public men in this country , who from their reputation are supposed to represent the working classes of England , pursuing this course at half a dozen public meetings , will be worth their weight in Russian gold to the enemies of liberty and democracy on the Continent . Their speeches here will be quoted there , and they will serve the same bad cause which was served so well in 1848 , on the 10 th of April , in London , when Chartism before gave Louis Napoleon the opportunity of swaggering with a constable ' s staff . The parties who do this work are not paid for it—they are too honest to admit of that idea —but if those they unwittingly serve were not ungrateful , they would be offered the reward they nevertheless contrive to merit .
Excess of language—that is , the practical excess of language , which has been used , and is likely to be used for some time to come in this country , is also an injustice to the intelligent working class politicians of England , who are temperate in their censures , just in their demands , and , at the same time , Jirm in their maintenance of them . Facts at hand might teach us the truth of these representations . Do we not know that the coal whippers of the metropolis are extremely proud of their having turned out to a man , on the 10 th of April , 1818 , and become special constables for the maintenance of law and order " on the day of the Chartist Demonstration " ? Yet , observes Mr .
Herbert Spencer , it has been shown that these same unskilled labourers constitute the most immoral class . The criminal returns prove them to be nine times as dishonest , five times as drunken , and nine times as savage ( shown by assaults ) as the rest of the community . This is said of the whole class of unskilled labourers of the metropolis , who , adds Mr . Spencer , " instead of entertaining violently democratic opinions , appear to have no opinions whatever , or if any at all , rather lean towards the maintenance of ' things as they are . ' " These are the clays of persons who , at this hour , are the strength of despotism in Russia—the same in Austria—the same
in Paris . Let us take care that the intelligent , sober , and manly mechanic-politicians of Kngland are not confounded with this illiterate class . 15 ut against this we can only guard by imploring those who stand in the position of leaders , to calculate what will be the consequence of what they nay when they give the rein to mere denunciation . Let these persons but take the precaution to ascertain out of all they might in truth and fairness say , how much it will be usejul and accurate and just to utter . There is ,
indeed , often humbug in prudence , but there is often greater humbug in measureless passion . The humbug of prudence seldom damages any but those who employ it , while the humbug of passion ( under the cover of patriotism ) nearly always compromises others . The instinct of our enemies ought to enlighten us . Their emissaries , agents , and spies , never counsel prudence -they always incite violent speeches , and recommend rash measures . Let thouc whom we know to be our friends , not act the part of our enemicH . There is grave rcuson for these words at this hour . Ion . National Chakthk Association . —The KxecutivV met on Wednesday . The suggestion of tin- Delegate " Council , that each of " the metropolitan localities should elect one delegate to Hcrutiiiize the votes received for the future Kxecutive , " wuh agreed to . In consequence of u passage in Mr . O'liricn ' H European Notes , the secretary wuu instructed to announce that votes received on his behulf could not be recognized . Candidates nominated for the . future . Exccutun : : — I ' earKUti O'Connor , Kriiest Jonen , < J . J . llolyoake , Thornton Hunt , . Hubert Le IJlond , James ( irassby , C . I ' . NicbollH , T . M . Wheeler , John Hliuw , J . J . Uezcr , II . T . llolyoake , A . J . Wood , U . iIagK »"> J- ¦**• Leno , Ueruld Munauy , Hubert Oliver , A . J 3 . lielitforoe , J . M .
Bryson , P . M . M'Douall , W . J . Linton , JohnArnott , and Arthur Trevelyan . N . B . —The names of J . B . O'Brien and James Leach are omitted from the above list , as they have declined to serve . All votes received after Tuesday , December 30 , will be null and void . Redemption Society . —We intend to open our new lecture-room with a tea party , on New Year ' s Day . The
store is doing well so far . We have reached a ^ ale oi £ 25 per week in our third week . The goods supplied from the agency give universal satisfaction . The letters from the estate report all going on favourably there at present . Moneys received for the week : —Leeds , £ 3 . Is . 9 d . ; Building-fund , 6 d . ; Propagandist-fund , 3 s . 2 id . —J . Henderson , Sec , 5 , Trinity-square , Leeds .
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^ [In This Department, As All Opinions, ...
^ [ IN THIS DEPARTMENT , AS ALL OPINIONS , HOWEVER EXTREME , ARE ALLOWED AN EXPRESSION , THE EDITOR . NECESSARILY HOLDS HIMSELF RESPONSIBLE FOR NONE . ]
The Power Of Education. Letter V. London...
THE POWER OF EDUCATION . Letter V . London , November 27 , 1851 . Sir , —It is eo extremely important that the injurious effects of the free-will supposition should be clearly seen , that before concluding these letters I will briefly restate the simple facts which I endeavoured to make obvious in my last . 1 . In respect to the Perceptive powers . Man is made by this error to continue blind to facts of deep moment continually occurring within him and around him ; to look for the causes of human feelings , convictions , and conduct in a false direction ; to be
unable to perceive the true causes ; and to believe them to exist in a power which has no existence . It is obvious that while the perceptive powers are thus mystified , misled , and deceived , they must be kept in a weak and very imperfectly developed condition . 2 . In relation to the Reasoning powers . Man is thus made to reason respecting human nature and human proceedings upon false data ; to be unconscious of the discrepancies which exist between these data and facts which to some extent he is obliged to see ; or , when not so unconscious , to believe inconsistencies ; and to judge erroneously on these subjects . It is obvious that his reasoning p owers , by being thus mystified and falsely directed , must be much injured , and their usefulness very materially impared .
3 . In relation to the Moral feelings . Man being thus made to infer that his fellow beings have demerit , and deserve vindictive punishments when they are bad , and that they have merit , and deserve artificial rewards when they are good—he is thereby caused , as a natural and consistent consequence , to be on the one hand uncharitable , unkind , and often cruel in the extreme ; and on the other , self-conceited and arrogant . His moral feelings are thus deeply injured and perverted , and even kind intentions and the disposition to justice are thus made to produce , practically , unkindness and injustice . ' ; and repulsi ve feelings , disunion , hatred , and anger , are thua
continually created and fomented . A . In relation to the practices of society and educational results . A medley of erroneous and higmy injurious ideas , feelings , and practices , and of corn \ spending arrangements , is thus produced through "" uociuty— -in religion , morals , laws , education , aim general proceedings ; and a society »<> constitute 1 naturally reproduces its own image in those whom educates , modified more or less t > y peculiarities o individual original constitution , and of indiviuua external circumstances . And these education "
results nniHt always be produced , unless , by son peculiar internal or external cause , the individual im enabled to obtain a knowledge of the facts wln < demonstrate the error of the free-will supposition an the true nature and importance of the consequent - ^ which emanate from this supposition , and from ti knowledge of the opposite truth . Hut when society shall have been made to < ' <) Uf ) j ^ of persons possessed of this knowledge , w » reason , feel , and act in accordance with it , and wlie ' in consequence , its institutions and arrangeme" ^ shall have been made to be correspondingly wihc an beneficial , such a society will naturally reproduce those whom it educatcH an intellectual and m "
character similar to its own ; and the inodihcftt » ° then resulting from peculiarities of indivi ti » original constitution , or from any other P j cauMCH , will be only varietieH of goodnutw » intelligence , an hitherto thoy huvo only been , » u
There Is No Learned Man But Will Confess...
There is no learned man but will confess he hath much profited by reading controversies , his senses awakened , and his judgment sharpened . If , then , it be profitable for him to read , why should it not , at least , be tolerable for his adversary to write . — Milton .
A New Daily Paper. Birmingham, December ...
A NEW DAILY PAPER . Birmingham , December 22 , 1851 . Sir , —I hail with delight the suggestion of Mr . Stevens , in your " Open Council" of last Saturday , for the establishing of a new Daily Paper to be an organ of the People . As it is , to obtain information relative to the stirring events now taking place abroad and at home , the Democrats of England have to go to sources which they cannot trust ; for I believe that , almost without an exception , the daily press only serves its own interest .
Now , I think that it would be quite practicable to start a threepenny Morning Paper , in which the movements on the Continent should be faithfully recorded , and a corps of the most talented writers be employed to comment thereon . Eut , to give this suggestion anything like a shape , a large fund would be required , for the raising of which there are more ways than one . I will now leave the matter to the consideration of the thoughtful and influential readers of your paper , confident that , when called upon , Birmingham will be ready to give another proof that it will be Birmingham to the end of the chapter . S . W . Iliiiii .
Is Louis Napoleon Popular Or Not? Hoyne-...
IS LOUIS NAPOLEON POPULAR OR NOT ? Hoyne-cottagc , December 20 , 1851 . Sin , —Your Summary of the week's news in the Leader of the 13 th ultimo contained a passage or two which must have been read with pleasure by every " good hater" of Despotism . It was where you stated that Louis Napoleon had already lost his popularity ; and that , when he rode through the streets in a close carriage escorted by soldiery , he was received in dead silence ; no cry of any kind being raised , no hat taken oil " , no sign made : this statement being the result of your own personal observation on the spot . After this agreeable information , I confess I was not at all prepared to read the following words yesterday , in a letter from a correspondent well versed in French history , literature , and politics : - " 1 have lettersf rom three friends in Paris . It is cer tain that the people is with him ( the President } . The ouvriers , no far from joining the men of the barricades , assisted spontaneously in demolishing then ; . 1 he confidence in Paris is absolute ; and the fnin ' n (<\ ttcr all , the pulse of the nation ) show , by their extraordinary buoyancy , the confidence of the ? ifoneytd and mercantile world . " The same correspondent , upon the authority of a friend in Paris— a name eminent in poetry , had informed me of Louis Napoleon ' s , popularity prior to the coup d ' etat ' , It wan stated that , when in a close carriage ( so that hin present mode of conveyance , by the way , is not without precedent ) , f » o many nosegays and petitions wen ; thrown into the windows that he could hardly get out . The writer of the hitter had lately seen him , laughing and disengaging himself as lx Ht . he could , in the courtyard of an hotel .
Wiw it , upon the strength of this popularity that , he dared , and succeeded in , his coup d ' etat t Almost every one with whom I converse , to my surprise and Horrow , not to say disgust , approves and justifies , rutlxcr than denounces , thia « aid coxtp d ' tUat ; and tho
cant phrase , " He has saved society , " is on ~ lip . If to dragoon a whole people into silence S submission to the will , of one man be to save societv its salvation , in my opinion , is hardly worth the St But , be this as it may , what I want to get at is tft truth . I want to know if Louis Napoleon be JLll popular or not . As a lover of the truth , —as one ev 2 fearful of confounding the limits of right and wrone--as one who will not , and who cannot , extenuate much less justify , a barefaced and deliberate breach of a solemn oath , and a contradiction , in act of everxr noerai ^ «»
previous profession and declaration I should bitterly grieve to think that the French people could love , or even long tolerate , a forsworn tyrant stained with the blood of his butchered fellow-countrymen Who that reads of the wholesale seizure of merelv suspected revolters against his usurped autocracv and of their subsequent massacre in the Champs de Mars during two hours of the night , can , without doing violence to their better natures and stifling the remonstrances of conscience , find a word to say in favour of a man who commanded , or , at the very least , connived at , these atrocities ? Under these
circumstances , any additional arguments or evidence you could adduce to prove that the French are not this base people who are willing to kiss and slaver the foot that spurns and presses them to the ground would be a relief to my mind , and welcome , I should think , to every man who , free himself , wishes nothing more ardently than the freedom and happiness of his fell o w- creatures . I am , Sir , your obedient and obliged , Thomas Noel .
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Citation
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Leader (1850-1860), Dec. 27, 1851, page 1240, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/ldr_27121851/page/20/
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