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atlantic or Continental war— "both all but impossibilities—could save the Premier from the absolute necessity of attempting at least to solve the question ; it is understood , indeed , that he has yielded to the representations of bis colleagues , and to th « vigorous summons of the electors , and that a Bill , combining several points of the Liberal programme , is in . process of amalgamation . As we have said , two-thirds of the new House of Commons will assent at once to the general principle of Parliamentary reform ; even the Tories confess that it can no longer be postponed . The only danger is lest the Reformers in Parliament should he satisfied with too
small a ' measure , and lest the Ballot should be a second time sacrificed . But there are good men and true keeping watch out of doors , and they will rally the people , while Lord Paimers TON * confronts the Legislature .
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•' . FUNGUS v . FUNGI . The Emperor of the IFrench is engaged in a new reform ; he is about to purify French society of the Marquises , Counts , and " Viscounts that infest it . All spurious titles are to "be put down by the action of the penal law . The proceeding is attended with two classes of danger . It will expose the hollow character of the recent nobility , and it will exasperate the spurious into a temper that may be dangerous even to the State . Titular confusion in France arises from the confusion
of the Grovernment . There are many sources of nobility in that country . If we use the word title in its widest sense , it may be acquired in . France by inheritance , l > y the purchase of domain , and by creation . There were the nobilities of the ancient monarchy , which the Revolution cancelled ; there were the titles of the first Empire , de facto cancelled on the dethronement of OSTapoi / eon ; there were the restored titles of tlie Restoration , which also recognised the imperial titles ; there were the permissive titles of Louis P hilippd ; and now , in addition to all these , besides the new creations of the second ! N "
apocharacter of some of the old nobility , the contrast between the true old nobles and the modern creations , and the extent to which some fictitious nobles upon sufferance have assisted in the present regime . For it is impossible that men who are called upon to lay down titles which they have assumed and have borne by courtesy , should not defend themselves by explaining how they have served that State which is now so cruel to them . The legal noblesse will hardly come out of such inquiries without some ridicule , and the illegal noblesse will come out with a thorough hatred of the Government which has exposed it .
Besides , how grand the retort which the stripped nobles can make ! If they have given themselves patent of nobility , who was it that set them the example , if it was not Louis ^ apoleon himself ? Men who have made themselves " Viscounts and Marquises may perhaps , on being compelled to cancel their patent , avenge themselves by compelling the self-created Emperor to take off bis tiara , lay down , his sceptre ^ and reappear before the world as plain Charles Louis Bonatautt ; .
There is a further impolicy in the whole proceeding . Any nobility rests its genuine character upon some reality . Originally it was based upon real power , which grasped a privilege ; and the title was only the name of the power . Even after feudal exclusiveness of possession had ceased , society still looked up to the Duke or the Marquis , though there was nothing in his dukedom or marquisate hut . the name . You cannot make society
respect Dukes merely because they are genuine or legal—that is , because they have a piece of parchment in their strong-box . And any run at the active clever fellows -who are calling themselves Marquises and Viscounts is likely enough to expose the spurious character of every sort of aristocratic title in France . The people will look up to pDiiissiEK , because he has been really a successful man . He was Duke of Malakoff—that is , a leader at the Malakoff .
But what is the Count de Mobn y besides being " le plus grand brocanteur do l'Europe ? " In . English we might pardonably translate his title to mean Count vour Money ; for that phrase would really express the whole value of the man . He is rich , and has become so by gigantic jobbing . It would bo far more close to the fact if the Emperor were to entitle him the Grand Jobber .
Leon called the Third , we have a number of nobles who have been created by themselves . The confusion was increased by tlie fact that the old nobles were expelled from the country ; many of them died abroad , their possessions fell into the hands of aliens ; and while in some cases the inheritance strayed into wrong hands , the title has been divorced from property , and has become a bauble handed down from beggar to beggar . Thus in French society you meet upstarts who have brought their patents by servility to the State , officers who have risen from the ranks to be Dukes , mediaeval nobles out at elbows , and nobles who have no more right to their name than Count Fathom . And such has
been the confounding of classes , the degradation of some of the old nobles , the prostitution of modern titles , and the success of the spurious , that it is nearly impossible to tell the gold from the brass . Tlie course taken by the Emperor has been to call from M . Abbatucci a report upon the subject ; that report is referred to the Council of State ; and the Council is to suggest means for enforcing penalties against falso assximption . The recommendation must involve the
action of tho penal law , and unless tho Government ia to act in a very arbitrary manner , we may hear of legnl proceedings . It is mpre than possible that men may be accused of tho false assumption of title who will bo able to establish their claims , although they will bo unable to establish any character for honest y even in the lowest sense of the word . In fact , this kind of action is likely to set tho courts of law exposing at onco the damaged
New Special Men
Fbederick Smith , who " hardly knows where to stop" in reform measures , Mr . J . T . Morris , and Mr . IMS ' . Philiis , and other gentlemen who will enter St . Stephen ' s porch by right of writ returned , for the first tiine . A fevr names , however , call for further and special comment : " Eothen " KiNaLAKD , who brings into Parliament his broad , clear , masterly English intellect , his fine culture , and bis ' icebrook * nerve , with his unflinching liberalism and . contempt of all servility — - qualities now in high demand
for the service of Reform . Mr . Kinglake , perhaps , will do his work best in the department of administrative improvement , and of questions relating to the army . He is neither a pedant nor a circunuocutionist ; nor will he the less zealously or effectually prosecute his aims in tlie direction of Law Reform for having given up tlie wig and gown , in which he served an honourable and not undistinguished apprenticeship , for the larger science of legislation . Mr . Kinglake then , is a special new man .
JN ew and special also is Major-General " Redan" WiNiDiiAM , a thorough Liberal , whose Parliamentary attack will alarm all military jobbers , pedants , and idlers . He may be expected to lend effective aid to tlie promoters of army reform and army education ; he is known to hold advanced , views with respect to the
purchase system , to the establishment of" economy and efficiency" as the motto of the War-office , and to the' development of a national Militia reserve . These are points on which our journal has emphatically insisted , so that we majT cordially recognize " Windham as a special new man of particular value . \ ' ¦ ¦ ¦ : '¦¦ " . ¦¦ ' . ¦ ' ¦ . ' ¦ - '¦ . ' ¦ ¦ ' . ¦ ¦ .. ¦ .. ¦ .:, ¦ ' ¦ '¦ . ¦'
"W " e may nominate , thirdly , Mr . Augustus Smith , who in some sense is tlie Stamford Raffles of an island realm . He is governor and owner of thoae singular outlying fragments of England , the Scillylsl . , peopled by a small but most enterprising and intelligent community , and his administration of those territories has been pleasantly called " an enlightened despotism . " An absolute government no doubt it is—would that all absolute governments were like it !
But the member . for Truro is potentate "by virtue of a title possessed by no other sovereign ; his dominion is his private estate . Ho has extinguished pauperism , stimulated the trade , and improved , the agriculture of the Scillies . Moreover , he has created the best unsectariiin schools for the education of children that are to be met with in the United Kingdom . The District Inspector of Schools will testify to this . Will not Sir John Pakington and Lord
John-IIussell appreciate tho . value of such a man when Educational , Poor Law , or Administrative topics are debated ? Ho will speak Avith genuine authority . Such legislators cannot fail to attain influence and reputation in tho House of Commons . "Wo must note again Sir Arthur Elton , whom wo indicated long before tho dissolution aa a
NEW SPECIAL MEN . Tins new Parliament abounds in new men . " We feel some pride in remembering that , in nearly every conspicuous instance , we had pointed , before the elections took place , to the names of the new Liberals . It is satisfactory to find that we had correctly interpreted the sentiments and sympathies of the Reform party . Among those members who have just received their political commissions , by virtue of family influence , liowevur , thei'O are some who may legitimately bo welcomed under the common standard . Tlie
House of Commons will not unkindly sec Lord Lincoln , Lord James Stuart , and Yiscount Mklqunb take tlicir scats by tho aide of tho lateab development of tho traditional Lord Ai / thoiip . From another social department it will receive , with pleasure , Mr . WYJM ) , Mr . Salisbury , Mr . Hoi'wooo , Mr . II . D . SiiKurj ) AN , Mr . Niuoll , Mr . Townsund , Mr . Roui'KLr ,, Mr . Gilimn , Mx . Platt , Mr . Locicio , Mr . Polic y , Mr . W . O . Pobtkii , and Mr . Ayhton . Wo have already noticed tho accession of Mr . Coninqham , " Mr . Haokhlock , Mr . Watjuns , and Mr . MoCollaqh . It remains , perhaps , to shake hands with Sir
probable member oi the nexb Parliament . Jlc has studied statesmanship and legislation , has been an attentive observer of homo and foreign politics , ia practically familiar with tho Avants and feelings of tho poor ; in his owq county he is known as a reforming landowner , and an active magistrate . Beyond those local limits his writings , have attracted the attention of all Liberal critics .
Wo have selected four examples of representative men , without meaning tho slightest disparagement to other now members , with whom , no doubt , they will frequently discuss the noccBHitioa of thu period for which the Parliament of 1857 -will , have to legislate —not a very long ; period , probably . 11 ; would bo impossible to rovu ;\ v . individually , tho
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AvmjL 11 , 1857 . ] THE LEADER , 349
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Leader (1850-1860), April 11, 1857, page 349, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2188/page/13/
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