9 8 



JOHN STUART MILL. 



with the feelings of others, and often 

 went to excess in consideration for them 

 by imaginatively investing their feelings 

 with the intensity of its own. The pas- 

 sion of justice might have been thought , 

 to be her strongest feeling, but for her 

 boundless generosity, and a lovingness 

 ever ready to pour itself forth upon any 

 or all human beings who were capable 

 of giving the smallest feeling in return. 

 The rest of her moral characteristics 

 were such as naturally accompany these 

 qualities of mind and heart : the most 

 genuine modesty combined with the 

 loftiest pride ; a simplicity and sincerity 

 which were absolute towards all who were 

 fit to receive them ; the utmost scorn of 

 whatever was mean and cowardly, and 

 a burning indignation at any thing brutal 

 or tyrannical, faithless, or dishonourable 

 in conduct and character" (p. 187). 



Why should such an exalted be- 

 ing who apparently never commit- 

 ted a sin, and would have given 

 away kingdoms, if she had had them 

 forsake a husband for whom she 

 had the u strongest affection through 

 life," and " most deeply lamented 

 when dead," and, in one sense or 

 other, " take up " with Mill for many 

 years during the lifetime of that hus- 

 band? Was it merely because he 

 had not " the intellectual or artistic 

 tastes which would have made him 

 a companion for her?" 



" This incomparable friend " " lived 

 mostly with one young daughter in a 

 quiet part of the country [in a house of 

 her own or her husband's ?J, and only 

 occasionally in town with her first hus- 

 band, Mr. Taylor. I visited her equally 

 in both places ; and was greatly indebt- 

 ed to the strength of character which 

 enabled her [was he the tempter?] to 

 disregard the false [but natural] inter- 

 pretations liable to be put [and that 

 were actually put] on the frequency of 

 my visits to her while living generally 

 apart from Mr. Taylor [did she leave 

 him and return to him at pleasure ?], and 

 on our occasionally travelling together 

 [with or without the husband's consent 

 or approval?], though in all other re- 

 spects our conduct during these years 

 gave not the slightest ground [or guar- 

 antee beyond their own assertions] for 

 any other supposition than the true one, 

 that our relation to each other at that 



time was one of strong affection and 

 confidential intimacy only [with which 

 the husband had no right to interfere]. 

 For though we did not consider the or- 

 dinances of society binding on a subject 

 so entirely personal [what does society 

 exist for ? what ' subjects ' does it ' bind ' 

 but v personal ones ?'], we did feel bound 

 that our conduct should be such as in 

 no degree to bring discredit on her hus- 

 band, nor therefore on herself" (p. 229). 

 [But how he did that to the satisfaction 

 of the public is not stated.] 



We can easily believe that the 

 man who wrote this, in addition to 

 his never having had any reli- 

 gion, or feeling of religion, as he 

 admitted, was equally destitute of 

 any really moral or manly sensi- 

 bility. Apart from the solemn obli- 

 gations of the marriage contract and 

 relation, the common instinct of hu- 

 manity, even when found in the 

 breast of a savage, would condemn 

 him ; for all nations have recognized 

 the binding nature of marriage in 

 every aspect of it, to prevent the 

 wild disorder, even bloodshed, that 

 would ensue from its conditions 

 being violated even to the extent 

 admitted. Mill said in substance 

 that he took great care to prevent 

 the world from forming an idea of 

 actual criminality in the relation, 

 but told us nothing of how he ac- 

 complished that, or how he could 

 have convinced society that nothing 

 criminal had resulted. If there is 

 anything in the demands of society 

 binding on us, it is what refers to 

 marriage in particular, and the sexes 

 in general ; the common instinct of 

 mankind requiring no explanations 

 on the subject. It is wonderful 

 how even the dumb animals respect 

 a similar habit; the slightest in- 

 fringement of it resulting in the 

 most terrific combats. Mill's nature, 

 notwithstanding his professions, and 

 many of his actions, to the contrary, 

 was apparently nothing but selfish- 

 ness, as particularly illustrated by 

 his relation with Mrs. Taylor, which 

 seems to have been begun or carried 

 on, with a total disregard for the 



