MILL, JOHN STUART. 



505 





which he had bound himself in religion exerted 

 their influence over his philosophy also, and 

 after reading his criticisms on Comte, on Ham- 

 ilton, Reid, and other eminent philosophers, 

 the reader who accepts his conclusions only 

 finds that he has been instructed what not to 

 believe. 



In other departments of science, Mr. Mill's 

 contributions possess the highest value. His 

 treatise on logic is an acknowledged and stand- 

 ard authority ; his essay on " Liberty," one of 

 his finest productions, has a world-wide repu- 

 tation; his "Treatise on Political Economy," 

 though in some points marred by a prejudice 

 against the aristocratic classes, is yet the most 

 remarkable contribution to that science ever 

 published; and his "Considerations on Repre- 

 sentative Government " are very clear, able, 

 and just. We might specify other of bis works 

 which belongs to the highest class of political 

 writing, but these are sufficient to show the 

 ability and intellectual grasp of the man. 



Mr. Mill states in his autobiography that one 

 of the influences which had most to do with 

 his mental progress at this and the subsequent 

 portions of his career was his acquaintance 

 with the lady who twenty years later became 

 his wife. Mrs. Taylor, the lady referred 

 to, was, in 1830, when he first met her, but 

 twenty-three years of age. She was married 

 to a gentleman of fortune, a brave, honorable, 

 and pure-minded man of good education, but 

 not in all respects of kindred tastes with her- 

 self. She was a woman of great beauty and 

 wit, of quick intuitions, and a mind of such rare 

 receptivity that she conld make the thoughts 

 and ideas of others her own, and dressing them 

 in her own felicitous phrases, so disguise tliem 

 that their originators did not recognize them. 

 Between this lady and Mr. Mill there grew np 

 such an intimacy, that their minds seemed to 

 bo but one. He was her constant visitor, and 

 they prosecuted their literary labors together 

 for years. Mr. Taylor having died in July, 

 1849, she married Mr. Mill in 1851, and died 

 Tery suddenly in the spring of 1859. There is 

 not in the literature of ancient or modern times 

 a eulogy so eloquent yet so extravagant as Mr. 

 Mill h::i writtirn in his autobiography, of this 

 gifted lady. Upon her he bestowed all the 

 attributes of a goddess, and lacking the cog- 

 nition and reverence which most men manifest 

 for the Supreme Creator, he renders to her the 

 homage and worship which would naturally 

 ascend to the Divine Being. That she pos- 

 sessed rare gifts, a lofty courage, and quick per- 

 ception, was undoubtedly true, but it was ob- 

 viously impossible that they could have worked 

 together so harmoniously and with such per- 

 fect sympathy, had she not possessed the fac- 

 ulty of mirroring his thoughts in such a brill- 

 iant fashion that ho did not recognize them. 



Mr. Mill became an author at a very early ago, 

 and besides a considerable amount of periodi- 

 cal writing produced an extensive and impor- 

 tant series of works. His first publications 



consisted of articles in the Westminter Ite-eiew, 

 and in 1827 he edited Bcntham's work entitled 

 " Rationale of Judicial Evidence." He took an 

 active part in the discussions that followed 

 the Revolution of 1830 in France, and the Re- 

 form Bill movement in England, and- from 

 1835 to 1840 was editor and, along with Sir 

 W. Molesworth, proprietor of the London and 

 Westminster Review, where many articles of 

 his own appeared. In 1843, he published his 

 " System of Logic ; " in 1844, " Essays on some 

 Unsettled Questions of Political Economy ; " 

 in 1848, "The Principles of Political Econo- 

 my;" in 1859, an essay on "Liberty," and 

 "Thoughts on Parliamentary Reform;" in 

 1860, a selection from his contributions to re- 

 views under the title of "Discussions and Dis- 

 sertations; " in 1861, "Considerations on Rep- 

 resentative Government;" in 1862, a small 

 work on "Utilitarianism ;" in 1865, "Auguste 

 Comte and Positivism," and "Examination of 

 Sir William Hamilton's Philosophy." "In- 

 augural Address, delivered to the University 

 of St. Andrew," in 1867; "England and Ire- 

 land," in 1868; and an essay, entitled "The 

 Subjection of Woman," in 1869. His "Auto- 

 biography " was published after his death. In 

 1865 the Liberal electors of Westminster, one 

 of the great metropolitan boroughs, proposed 

 Mr. Mill as candidate for Parliament. He was 

 opposed by the Hon. Robert Grosvenor, who 

 made liberal professions, and exercised great 

 influence as a property-owner. Leaving the 

 conduct of the election to his friends, Mr. Mill 

 did little more than attend a few meetings, 

 where, after giving a brief address, he would 

 invite any one who wished to learn his opin- 

 ions on current topics to submit his questions. 

 This invitation was readily accepted, and he 

 was plied with inquiries which he answered 

 with a manly candor. On election-day the 

 polls were attended by volunteers, principally 

 young men, and at evening, when the votes 

 were counted, to the surprise of every one it 

 was found that the wealthy, aristocratic can- 

 didate was beaten, and Stuart Mill was elected 

 a member of the House of Commons. During 

 the three years of his parliamentary career 

 Mr. Mill attained great distinction and popu- 

 larity. He supported the Liberal measures, 

 except the ballot, and was one of the most 

 active advocates of woman suffrage. Mr. 

 Mill, who had previous to entering the House 

 lived in seclusion, all at once became the most 

 popular man in England among the working- 

 classes, and inspired the .warmest attachment 

 among bis followers. Some of the causes of 

 this popularity of a man least constituted to 

 be a democratic leader are thus told by Jus- 

 tin McCarthy in his "Modern Leaders:" 

 "There is something fascinating about the 

 singular blending of the emotional, and even 

 the romantic, with the keen, rigorous, logical 

 intellect which is to be observed in Mill. Even 

 political economy, in Mill's mind, is strangely 

 guided and governed by mere feeling. Some- 



