THE STUDY OF SOCIOLOGY. 47 



Row is nearly vacant, and the drives not one-third filled. In this, any- 

 one unconcerned may see the influence of the class-bias. But he will 

 have an inadequate conception of its distorting power unless he turns 

 to some letters from members of the ruling class published in the 

 Times in November last, when the question of the Park Rules was 

 being agitated. One writer, signing himself "A Liberal M. P.," ex- 

 pressing his disgust at certain addresses he heard, proposed, if others 

 would join him, to give the offensive speakers punishment by force of 

 fists ; and then, on a subsequent day, another legislator, similarly 

 moved, writes : 



"If M. P.' is in earnest in his desire to get some honest men together to 

 take the law into their own hands, I can promise him a pretty good backing 

 from those who are not afraid to take all the consequences. 



" I am, sir, your obedient servant, AN EX-M. P." 



And thus we find class-feeling extinguishing rational political 

 thinking so completely that, wonderful to relate, two law-makers pro- 

 pose to support the law by breaking the law ! 



In larger ways we have of late seen the class-bias doing the same 

 thing causing contempt for those principles of constitutional govern- 

 ment slowly and laboriously established, and prompting a return to 

 barbaric forms of government. Read the debate respecting the pay- 

 ment of Governor Eyre's expenses, and study the division-lists, and 

 you see that acts which, according to the Lord Chief-Justice, " have 

 brought reproach not only on those who were parties to them, but 

 on the very name of England," can, nevertheless, find numerous de- 

 fenders among men whose class-positions, military, naval, official, etc., 

 make them love power and detest resistance. Nay, more, by rais- 

 ing an Eyre-Testimonial Fund, and in other ways, there was shown 

 a deliberate approval of acts which needlessly suspended orderly gov- 

 ernment and substituted unrestrained despotism. There was shown a 

 deliberate ignoring of the essential question raised, which was whether 

 an executive head might, at will, set aside all those forms of administra- 

 tion by which men's lives and liberties are guarded against tyranny. 



More recently, this same class-bias has been shown by the protest 

 made when Mr. Cowan was dismissed for executing the Kooka rioters 

 who had surrendered. The Indian Government, having inquired into 

 the particulars, found that this killing of many men, without form of 

 law and contrary to orders, could not be defended on the plea of press- 

 ing danger; and, finding this, it ceased to employ the officer who had 

 committed so astounding a deed, and removed to another province the 

 superior officer who had approved of the deed. Not excessive punish- 

 ment, one would say. Some might contend that extreme mildness 

 was shown in thus inflicting no greater evil than is inflicted on a la- 

 borer when he does not execute his work properly. But now mark 

 what is thought by one who gives utterance to the bias of the govern- 



