1 
1824.) 
and Flour Companies, Washing Com- 
panies, Milk Companies, &c. &c. Be- 
lieve me, Sir, however specious may be 
the professions and prospectuses circu- 
lated by the projectors of these combi- 
nations, there are many more conside- 
rations, and those of deep and vital 
importance to the future interests and 
moral and political condition of the 
great body of the people, and, indeed, of 
the state itself, in the most. comprehen- 
sive sense of the term, to be weighed 
with reference to these projected asso- 
ciations, before they can be wisely 
countenanced by the humane and dis- 
interested, than appears to be gene- 
rally supposed. With respect to the 
washing and milk confederacies in par- 
ticular (even supposing there were no 
tendencies of a political nature), the 
mere reflection that they strike at the 
already too contracted means of honest 
livelihood for indigent females, would, I 
should hope, occasion some pause and 
doubt before they are patronized, in 
many more than the individual who 
hereto subscribes himself with deep- 
felt sympathy, 
Tue Farenp or Woman. 
—<z—_. 
THE PHILOSOPHY OF CONTEM- 
PORARY CRITICISM. 
NO. XXXIX. 
The Edinburgh, Quarterly, and West- 
minster Reviews. 
We. are not quite sure that the 
very title of this article of ours 
is not open to some cavil. It may be 
questioned, perhaps, whether it be pos- 
sible that philosophy (the honest quest 
of wisdom and of truth) can, systema- 
tically at least, have much to do with 
periodical contemporary criticism. Other 
considerations, connected in a thousand 
ways with the interests, the passions, 
and the prejudices of parties, publish- 
ers and contributors, cannot well fail, 
in the present state of society, and the 
very nature of things, to have a domi- 
nant influence in the conduct of every 
journal devoted to such an object. In 
short, criticism, and in such forms most 
especially, has become a trade : as honest 
a trade, perhaps, as any other; but it 
were an absurdity to expect that it 
should be more so. To say nothing 
of the biases of bookselling proprietors, 
as to the articles in the market that 
should or should not be pressed upon 
the attention of the public; or thetrade- 
like eye to the classes of customers, with 
reference to political, religious, philo- 
sophical, and other opinions, whom it is 
Montury Mac. No. 403. 
Philosophy of Contemporary Criticism —No. XX XIX. 
417 
their interest to sooth and please ;—to 
say nothing either of personal friend- 
ships and personal enmities (strong both 
against the impartiality of contemporary 
judgment) in the critical scribes them-= 
selves,—the culprit authors whom they 
arraign at their tribunals are summoned 
to take their trials, at best, before a jury 
of their rivals and competitors. In 
this, however, as in other respects, 
we must be content to take the evil 
with the good; and we have no inten- 
tion at present of entering into minute 
calculations, and striking a_ balance 
between the debtor and creditor side 
of the account. Periodical Reviews, at 
any rate, constitute a prominent feature 
in the operative literature of the times. 
They have an influence upon the intel- 
lectual advancement, or the intellectual 
stagnation of the age; and implicate 
themselves so much with the social eco- 
nomy of mind, that although, in some of 
our recent numbers, they appear to have 
been forgotten, it is by no means our 
intention that they should escape ob- 
servance. We cannot indeed, as here- 
tofore, allot a separate apartment in our 
monthly domicile to every quarterly 
visitant. They have become, of late, 
too numerous for so distinct an accom- 
modation; and we shall therefore take 
the liberty of occasionally inviting some 
two or three of them together: and, to 
say the truth, we may sometimes be 
disposed to indulge the mischievous 
propensity of purposely bringing those’ 
together, who are least likely to be 
pleased by such intimate association. 
In the present instance, for example, we’ 
bring together the occupants of the three 
extremities of that politico-critical tri- 
angle which we are glad to find at last 
completed. 
The thinking and half-thinking part 
of the community, it is notorious find 
perhaps we ought to add, that much 
more numerous portion of our popula- 
tion, who parrot it, without any thinking 
at all), have long been divided into three 
political parties, to wit,—that of the 
Courtly, or Official Aristocracy, who look 
not to the opinions of the people, and 
lean for power, for profit and distinc- 
tion, upon the favour of the throne; 
that of the ea-official or temporizing 
Aristocracy, who would have both 
throne and people dependent upon 
them, and therefore cajole the latter that 
they may overawe the former; and 
that of the Radical Reformers, who, so 
far from regarding themselves as the 
property either of the aristocracy or of 
3H the 
