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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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and to enlighten me on the necessities of the country . This Constitution , which , from this day forward , is to be put in execution , is not then the work of a vain theory and of despotism j it is the work of experience and of reason . " ¦\ VTiat natioa wbuld not desire a coup > d'Stat when the results are of tliis astounding description ? - We are almost ashamed to impress upon our readers the strict and scrupulous accuracy of every word that proceeds from this half-anointed truth teller . In less than four months
" Confidence has been every where re-established ; labour has been resumed everywhere ; and for the first time after a great political change , the public fortune has increased in place of diminishing . For the last . four months , it has been possible for my Government , to encourage many useful enterprises , to reward many services , to relieve much distress , even to elevate
the position of the greatest number of the principal functionaries— -and all that without increasing the taxes , or deranging the budget , which we are happy to present you in equilibrium /* " And now , gentlemen , " concludes the august speaker , adopting a figure of speech which has recently been introduced , by Ministers , into the House of Commons : —
" At the moment when you are associating yourselves with my labours , I will explain to you frankly what my conduct shall be . " Because I revive " the Emperor , " I don't want to play " the Emperor" myself ; I might have been Emperor long ago : notably in December , ' 48 , in June , ' 49 , and in December , ' 51 : but —( here is the climax ) - —
" Being determined now , as before , to do everything for France , and nothing for myself , I should accept no modification of the present state of things , unless I was forced to do so by evident necessity . Whence can it arise ? " ' Whence , indeed , if nc > t from such reviews as that on the 20 th of March , in the Place du
Carrousel , when six thousand coquins were , summoned to shout Vive I'JSmpereur ;—whence , if not from that network of conspiracy organized by a Government of conspirators ; whence , if not from the stipendiary Senate , the venal Chamber , the rigged Exchange , the prostituted press , the brutish peasantry , and the decimated and terrorstricken towns .
The Empire comes ; its shadow is over us ; its panoply is prepared ; its upholstery and furniture lie finished in the workshop of the future ; its army is organized , and wants only one thing —a martial emperor ! Bid imagination drawthe picture . The men and women of Prance walk abroad in the sunshine , and feel the warm air blowing on their cheeks ,
and the blithe gladness of spring in their veins ; when , lo , a shadow darkens the sun , and chills the atmosphere , and cools the blood , and arrests the flow of gladness . A shadow falls upon them ; they look upwards , and behold the wings of the Vulture , misnamed the Eagle of the Empire , blot out the great light of the skies . The foul bird of prey , with outstretched talons and whetted beak , prepares to swoop . Alas ! there are no eagleslayers among : the palsied orowd ! A « ifc was in Peceinbor , 1851 , so it will be in For the shadow of the Vulture—not the Eaglo —is over France .
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HONNEUB . AUX . DAMES . Loan CAMrBEJDX intercedes for the Poorossos and tlioir daughters , who , at tho last royal intorviow with Parliament , woro excluded from tho House of Lords whilo tho Poors woro at prayers ; as if , said Lord Campboll , " Englishmen woro Mussulmans , and hold womon to havo no souls . " Tho Peeroesos , it seems , aro worBO off than tlioir sisters of tho working class , who habitually attend tho political gatherings ; and undoubtedly their presence is bonoficial . Not only because it ¦ " softons" tho mon- -flomotimos it may have tho opposito effect : sinco a manly
spirit always finds favour with womon ; who as liti-lo donn ' O mqn to bo feminine as mon desire womon to bo masoulino : but because tho womon oxoroiso a discriminating judgment , ¦ and often eoizo upon points which escape tho rougher part of Iho ' audionco . Thoir bearing confirms us in tho conviction that if over tho franchise woro oxtondod to thorn , tho now pprtion of tho constituency might uoouro bottor justiio ] to what is called " good fooling" than it now finds , and h&t our Parliament , with the laws it makes , and thoso who bavo to obey the laws , would bonollt proportionately . Bnjjbven formalist Chartism ia not yot up to that mark . /
JHAZZIKl ' S BEJOINDEBVTO THE FBENCH SOCIALISTS . Mb . Mazzini has forwarded to us for insertion an authentic tra nslation of his circular , printed originally in the Nation of Brussels . He presents it as his answer to the allegations of the French Socialists , contained in our last week ' s number . We regret exceedingly that the manuscript reached us so lato as to prevent its being inserted in the present number ; but Mr . Mazzini may rely on that " loyalty" to which h £ appeals for the full insertion of his paper next week .
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In the first place , what does " range himself with the Christians" mean ? A little further on , Mr . Browning calls Shelley " a man of religious mind , " whose very denials were " interpenetrated with a mood of reverence and adoration , " and finds him " everywhere taking for granted some of the capital dogmas of Christianity ;' whence it is plain that to "be of the same spirit as Christ is not what Mr . Browning means by " ranging with the Christians . " Aro we , then , to consider full acceptance of the < f historical basement , " mentioned in the same breath , to be the essential distinction , —embracing , of course , everything from Genesis to Revelations ( the Apocrypha included , or excludcd , according to circumstances ) , and from tho Three Persons to the One Person at tho other
ex-SHELLEY'S PHASES QP FAITH . " I sham , say what I think—had Shelley lived / he would have finally ranged himself with the Christians ; his very instinct for helping the weaker side ( if numbers make strength ) , his very 'hate of hate , ' which at first mistranslated itself into delirious Queen Mab notes and the like , would have got clearer-sighted by exercise . "—Browning on Shelley . ( To the Editor of the Leader . ) Sie , —I request permission to say a few words in your Open Council upon the above-quoted passage , which seems to me objectionable for inaccurate expression and unwarrantable speculation .
tremity of the universe—plummet of the pit dependent from celestial triangle ? In Shelley ' s native , and in his adopted country , thia formula , variously modified , is (" if numbers make strength" ) out of comparison the strongest of creeds , In total of adherents , too , tho Cross outnumbers even tho Crescent . But Mr . Browning cannot be supposed to think it likely that Shelley , or any ono else , looking over a statistical account of tho religious denominations of tho world , and finding Pagans not down at 482 , 000 , 000 , and Christians at 175 , 500 , 000 , should therefore feel a yearning to add his personal unit to tho latter body : indeed , tho . Tews ,
numbering but 2 , 500 , 000 , would , with one capable of being so influenced , have tho indisputable preference . In what seiiHO , thon , is it said that " Shelley woxild have ranged himself with the Christians—tho weaker aide ( if numbers moan strength ) " ? It must mean that ho would lmvo accepted " tho historical iMwonnvnt , " and at , the same time preserved the Christian . spirit which he already possessed ; and that there aro very few who unite in thoinselvos the t \ vo conditions . , This latter proposition is very true ; but whether it makes / or ought to make , much in favour of Chrintiunity us a creed , might be questioned .,
Much could bo suid on the feoblo and entangled tissuo of tho essay quoted from , in all that part which treats conjointly of Shclloy and Christianity ; but tho book is HiipproHsed , and I am glad of excuse to avoid more tonsuring of ono whom I truly respect » nd love : not , however , omitting to declare his opinion that " Shelley , had he lived , would have ranged , himself with tho
Christians" ( whether under the influence of a dream an Aurora Borealis , or some slower process of conver ' sion ) , to he altogether unwarranted , nay , contradicted by the evidences of the case—Shelley ' s charac ter and writings , and the reports and judgments of his intimates . To these remarks I shall only add an extract , possessing both general and particular applicabiHty / from a letter written by Shelley at Leriei , * June 29 , 1822 but nine days before the evanishment of that noblo spirit from our world :-
—' * Let us see the truth , whatever that may be . Tho destiny of man can scarcely be so degraded , that ho was born only to die ; and if such should be the case , delusions especially tho gross and preposterous ones of the existing religion , can scarcely be supposed to exalt it . If ever man said what he thought , it could not subsist a day . " I remain truly yours , w . * Letters from Abroad . Edited by Mrs . Shelley . 2 Jq . 66
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LOCALIZATION OF CHURCH PROPERTY . March 31 , 1852 . Sie , —Much has been done to give a specific form to movements in favour of spiritual development , and you have contended consistently for equal freedom and opportunity to all sects in that process . You will observe , however , that there is one vast tangible obstacle , with a twofold operation—it is the huge property of the Churcli .
This acts as a bar to other sects , as a drag to the Church . It acts as a bar toother sects , because , giving the Church an immense advantage in various ways , it keeps others in an inferior position . It acts as a drag on the Church , not because endowment is in itself an evil , but because exclusive endowment is a premium to palter with conscience . I Tcnow of many cases in which clergymen belong to the Church really and solely through the endowment ; in their convictions belonging wholly to other " persuasions . " .
I am not my sett an enemy to endowment , precisely because I am disposed to make religious observance thoroughly voluntary ; and I regard it as a bad plan , in the present trading mood pf society , to associate religion with taxes or optional gratuities , like the stipends of voluntary ministers . Many a minister acts towards his audience , as a waiter towards the customers of an inn , furnishes what they call for , behaves civilly , and waits for his gratuity with countenance significant . Behaves civilly when he rates them for their sins ; for there is a flattery to be wrapped up in the brown paper of reprobation ; and some tastes prefer their stimulants as hot as—midnight brandy and water .
In this country wo have a hundred faiths , and one endowment ; which endowment is given by a capricious exclusiveness , to all such sects as can screw their consciences , with more or less difficulty , more or less ingenuity , more or less transparency , to subscribe the Thirty-nine Articles ; the endowment , at present , hurting equally him that takes and him that goes without . Now , the suggestion I have to make is baaed on the view of that double evil , and on the dislike to inipropriate property already consecrated for spiritual
purposes . I would localise the administration of church property . Surrender it to the parish ; of course under proper restrictions as to tho objects to which it should bo devoted , and tho persons to accept duties under it . By making those restrictions apply to general qualifications rather than to spiritual distinctions—to attainments , capacity , character , &c . ; and by expressly framing tho regulations so as to comprehend all forms of conscientious fuith , you would enable each parish to appoint its own pastor , according to tho faith of tha parish . To choose its pastor , but not to control his stipend . This would be to " establish" religion , but not sect ; audit would reconcile many a feud now fiopirating sects . For example , it would go far to solve tuo question of the rounion of tho Wesloyans with tlio Churcli . But I abstain from saying any moi'o at prosent ; preferring to invitotho comments of your readers . 1 b Cathowo .
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There is no learned man but will confess lie hatomuch profited by reading controversies , his senses aAjjJfcened , and his judgment sharpened . If , then , ltbe ^ pfitable for him to read , -why should it not , at least , be tolerable for his adversary to "write . —Milton .
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{ ts this depaetment , as ail opinions , howeveb ixtbeme , abe allowed an expression , the editob nicessaeily slolds himself eesponsible foe none . ]
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324 THE LEADER . [ Saturday ,
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Tho quoHtion put to us by G . S . P . cannot bo '"^ ^ in our replies to correspondents . Wo must rouu ¦ to tho gonoral spirit of our paper , l'uturo as well an p > for tho principles which guido us in tho soaroli lor uu amid a labyrinth oil errors and truths disguised . # Tho " Magnetic Evenings ' at Homo , " appoarod-m n 05 , $ M ) , 100 , 101 , 102 , and 103 , of tho Loader . . „ M . Louis Ulano ' B series of letters on " Jironoh Sooialism , will bo resumed noxt week .
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The ajtmiY Skxtonb . — Tho instinct of burying bodies is ho strong with theso boars , tlmt instances i recorded whore they covered hunter * who havo »« into thoir power and feigned doatli , with barJc , gi > and leaves . If the mon attempted to movo , t ) u > i would again put thorn down , and cover them as W ' Anally leaving thorn comparatively unhurt .- —tooty Notes and Anecdotes ,
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Leader (1850-1860), April 3, 1852, page 324, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct1929/page/16/
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