[STEWART] THOMAS CARLYLE 29 



and he was sustained by little more than a sort of intuitive faith. 

 But he saw things far more deeply and far more truly than the 

 "practical" politicians. 



"And yet," exclaimed Carlyle, "an instinct deeper than the Gospel 

 of McCroudy teaches all men that Colonies are worth something to a 

 country! That if, under the present Colonial Office they are a vex- 

 ation to us and to themselves, some other Colonial Office can and 

 must be contrived which shall render them a blessing; and that the 

 remedy will be to contrive such a Colonial Offiice or method of adminis- 

 tration, and by no means to cut the Colonies loose. Colonies are not 

 to be picked off the street every day; not a Colony of them but has 

 been bought dear, well purchased by the toil and blood of those we 

 have the honour to be sons of; and we cannot just afford to cut them 

 away because McCroudy finds the present management of them cost 

 money. The present management will indeed require to be cut away 

 — but as for the Colonies, we purpose through Heaven's blessing to 



retain them awhile yet Because the paltry tatter of a garment, 



reticulated for you out of thrums and listings in Downing Street, 

 ties foot and hand together in an intolerable manner, will you relieve 

 yourself by cutting off the hand or the foot ? You will cut off the 

 paltry tatter of a pretended body-coat, I think, and fling that to the 

 nettles; and imperatively require one that fits your size better .... 

 Miserabler theory than that of money on the ledger being the primary 

 rule for Empires, or for any higher entity than City owls and their 

 mice-catching, cannot well be propounded." 



These are the words of one who is said to have dealt in sound 

 and fury, signifying nothing, and who needed to be restrained by the 

 calm, thoughtful folk that were above all rhetoric. May Heaven 

 keep up our supply of such furies, lest by too much calm and too much 

 thoughtfulness the nerve of our Commonwealth be paralysed. 



