608 Political Education. [JUNE, 



nishes, until we arrive at total ignorance, which must, by the force of 

 their own premises, be the most perilous state of all ; so suicidal is the 

 conservative mode of reasoning. For our part, and pretending to no super- 

 natural share of logical skill, we should say, that the remedy for the 

 danger of little is more ; and if that more be still but little, in com- 

 parison with the mass of information yet lo be attained, and consequently 

 still liable to the objection of danger, we must only go on, and con- 

 tinually increasing light, <: here a little, and there a little/' continually 

 approximate to that perfect state of security which only exists in the full 

 day-light of intelligence. 



The true conservative principles are those of the friends of education. 

 They look abroad, and they see that the people are possessed by what 

 means it is immaterial of a considerable share of political power ; and 

 they remark further that this power is growing greater and greater every 

 day, every struggle between the democratic and the oligarchic principle, 

 terminating in favour of the former. Now political power without political 

 knowledge " vis consilii expers " is a just object of alarm : they have, 

 therefore, to make their election between two lines of policy, either to 

 reduce the people to their primitive state of civil insignificance, or to raise 

 their understandings up to the level of their new position in the country. 

 To the former course there are two objections ; first, its criminality were 

 it practicable, secondly, its impracticability were it innocent : the most 

 incorrigible tory in the empire does not dream of checking the growth, 

 much less of abridging the present amount, of popular influence. The 

 advocates of education, therefore, in adopting the latter course, not only 

 act upon a high and sound principle, but actually take the only line of 

 conduct which is open to them to pursue. The only means to strip the 

 political power of the people of its terrors, is to teach them to use it well ; 

 in other words, to give them that kind of education which becomes 

 citizens. Thus instructed, they will be no object of apprehension to the 

 enlightened and the honest ; the true friends of order and the public good 

 will rejoice in their influence, far from looking at it with alarm j popular 

 power advancing " pari passu " with popular intelligence, is formidable 

 to none but those who would prosper by crooked ways, and build their 

 private fortunes on the ruin of the public interest. It is formidable to the 

 boroughmonger, the source of whose greatness is parliamentary corruption ; 

 to the churchman, whose cellar and kitchen absorb the tenth of the 

 produce of the land ; to the sinecurist, who lives by the sweat of the poor 

 man's brow ; to all the high-born beggars on the pension list ; to the men 

 who are great at Newmarket, and glorious at Crockford's ; to the bulk 

 of the peerage, and to the whole ravenous brood of aristocracy, honourable 

 and right honourable, the Lord Henrys, the Lord Fredericks, and the 

 Lord Johns, who, in the church, the army, the public offices, and the 

 colonies, do the plebeian people the infinite honour to accept their 

 laborious earnings, as a poor return for the benefit and satisfaction of 

 being governed by men, who, if they have no brains in their heads, have 

 coronets upon them ; if they have no independent spirit in their breasts, 

 have Norman blood in their veins ; if they are not useful in their employ- 

 ments, are illustrious in the Herald's College. To all such it is natural 

 that the progress of education should be odious and terrible. They hate 

 it, as owls and bats the coming of the sun, or wolves and tigers the clear- 

 ing of the forest: like the enemies of the Christian faith, " they love 

 darkness more than light, because their deeds are evil." 



