528 
Jones — Chartism. 
It aimed to reinstate that ancient condition in which the nobility 
were the friends, advisors, and leaders of the people. The agi¬ 
tation for universal suffrage was carried on with moderation by 
two influential societies formed after 1848; The People’s League 
for Manhood Suffrage and The People’s Party of Parliamentary 
Reform. The great hobby proposed as a counter influence 
by the opponents of Chartism, during its later stages, was for¬ 
eign colonization. The London Times , the Glasgow Daily Mail , 
Blackwood's Magazine , and other influential publications urged 
the colonization of Canada and other English possessions. When 
the government was making arrests in the latter part of 1848, 
some of the Physical Force leaders personally took up with 
this idea with amazing alacrity. 
Chartism shows us that movements for reform which begin in 
the lower orders of society, are often born of physical misery, 
and progress or recede as that fluctuates. The things agitated 
for in campaigns so begun have often little connection with the 
causes of the afflicting evils. Chartism shows us, as does many 
another'popular agitation, the results which always follow from 
a lack of competent leadership. Several of the leaders of Phys¬ 
ical Force Chartism were suspicioned, on good grounds, to have 
been insane. When the intelligent classes are arrayed upon one 
side and the ignorant upon the other, even though the latter 
may be numerically very strong, they cannot hope for perma¬ 
nent success. Popular movements often make the mistake of 
defying rather than attempting to educate and conciliate their 
non-sympathisers. Narrow minds proverbially overestimate the 
differences that exist between individuals and classes because 
of a failure to grasp fully enough the idea of a common human 
nature. Chartism opened the eyes of England to the fact that 
the upper classes owe a duty of intelligent leadership and as¬ 
sistance to those among whom they live. Any criticism of the 
Chartists for confounding liberty and license strikes back against 
the classes who failed to see that power and rank and wealth 
imply duty. Chartism demonstrated the solidarity existing be¬ 
tween social reforms. An advance in politics, economics, edu¬ 
cation, or religion depends in a measure upon the status of each 
of the others, and each feels an impulse from an advance in any 
