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family. He who is bora of cotton, will of course 

 have a leaning- to cotton. Human nature is human 

 nature. It is just the same in the country. He 

 who is born of turnips, will of course have a leaning* 

 to turnips. Still one would think that a great 

 statesman might be superior to these weaknesses. 

 On the other hand, I admire Mr. Gladstone's 

 talents, I appreciate the sort of elevated and eleva- 

 ting 1 tone of his mind compared with some other of 

 the leading- politicians, and I respect his earnestness 

 in what there can be no doubt he really and honestly 

 believes to be for the g-ood of the country. For 



/ 



these reasons it is that I cannot say how I should 

 grieve to hear, at some future time, when our insti- 

 tutions have become more favourable for it than they 

 are at present, of his ever having- to underg-o the 

 humiliating-, and if not actually painful, at any rate 

 distressing- process to which I have alluded above. 



But to return to the working- classes. I wish to 

 protest ag-aiust the aspersions on them, contained 

 in the speech in Parliament of Mr. Hug-hes, the 

 member for Lambeth. In this speech he gave us to 

 understand that the dominant feeling- among-st the 

 working- classes, is a selfish narrow-minded jealousy 

 of any member of their body (as, for instance, such 

 a man as Georg-e Stephenson) who shows any 

 superiority to, and therefore receives hig-her wages 

 than the majority ; just like stupid tyrannical school 

 boys, who bully and thrash those who are cleverer 

 than themselves, and who get above them in the 



