228 STUDIES, SCIENTIFIC AND SOCIAL CHAP, 



those chosen also receiving titular honours. The presence 

 of such Colonial lords would be of immense advantage, 

 both as initiating a legislative union of the Empire, and 

 in bringing to bear Colonial experience on our home 

 legislation. There would probably be less objection to 

 Colonial representation in the Lords than in the Commons ; 

 and when the time comes (if it ever comes) for a complete 

 federation of the British Empire, the process would be 

 greatly facilitated by this preliminary step towards a 

 closer union. This, however, is not essential to the con- 

 stitution of a new Upper House, although it presents 

 advantages which should ensure for the proposal a full and 

 careful consideration. 



The next point to be considered is the preliminary 

 qualification for membership, and, on this point, I hold 

 very strong opinions. It has always seemed to me that 

 the adoption of the minimum legal age which qualifies a 

 person to hold property and to occupy the simplest public 

 offices, as being sufficient also to qualify for choosing the 

 national representatives or for being chosen as a legislator, 

 is a very great political blunder. With us, most men of 

 twenty-one have only just finished, and many have not 

 yet finished, their education, whether intellectual or 

 industrial ; while few persons at that age have given any 

 serious thought to politics, have made any study of the 

 duties and rights of citizens, or have had any real experi- 

 ence to guide them in forming an independent judgment 

 on the various political and social questions of the day. 

 In this respect, most savage and barbarous nations set us 

 a good example : with them, it is the elders who rule ; and 

 the very name of chief is often synonymous with <{ old 

 man." The most suitable age to be fixed as that of 

 political maturity should certainly not be below thirty, 

 while I myself consider forty to be preferable. 



But in the case of members of the Upper House, who 

 are to represent the mature wisdom and experience of the 

 nation, there can, I think, be no doubt that forty should 

 be the minimum qualifying age. Some such limitation is 

 especially necessary in order that the conduct, the char- 

 acter, and the attainments of the candidates may have 



