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PUBLIC OPINION. 



" Cavendo tutus." 



Of late years, the expression of public opinion has obtained great 

 real, and still greater supposed power, and the vox populi seems to be 

 in a fair way for utterly extinguishing the jure divino of kingly 

 government. We say that public opinion has obtained great real, 

 and still greater supposed political power : this supposititious power 

 has been bestowed upon it since the French Revolution an event 

 which inspired legitimate cabinets with a most holy horror of its 

 effects ; and they have ever since been sensitively alive to the 

 breathings of the many-headed monster. 



It was a somewhat Tory-like expression of Livy, when he said, 

 " hcec natura multitudinis est aut servit humiliter, aut superle 

 dominatur : libertatem, quce media est, nee spernere modice nee 

 habere sciunt" This saying might be modified by adding to it, 

 that the multitude rarely have clear and well-defined views as to 

 what they want, and hence always run into extremes, and seldom 

 have firmness of purpose sufficient to enable them to guide, or to 

 withstand, the current of events : on this account they either lose 

 heart when ruled over despotically, or plunge into the wildest 

 excesses when they have the reins of authority in their own hands. 



It is not an easy task to ascertain what is the precise feeling of the 

 many as public opinion must not be supposed to be expressed in 

 what are called public meetings : an analysis of many of these would 

 show, that they express only the opinions of one particular party, and 

 this party is generally the losing or disappointed one. The great 

 mass of the middle and lower classes do not find representatives on 

 these occasions. It must not be thought, however, that because the 

 middle and lower classes have neither voice nor interest in these 

 meetings, that they are not influenced by them : on the contrary, if 

 they are temperately and rationally managed, they become the 

 conductors and exciters of the popular mind; and in this light the 

 proceedings of these meetings demand the most careful attention. 



Every man of reflection will agree with us, when we say that the 



