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806 THE LEAD E.R [Saturday,
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L'INSTRUCTIpN' PUBUQUE EN RUS3IB. [Wo ha...
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Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
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Domestic Moloch—His Wipe. Aite We To Und...
REAL ESTATES CHARGES BILL . This bill ^ though its title proclaims clearly that our laws are not yet purified of ihe old muddy Mediaeval jargon , is a just and effective measure ; and as it lias passed a second reading in both Lords and Commons , and has not emanated from Government , there is considerable chance of its becoming law . Mr . Locke- King , at the commencement of the session , introduced another bill , which proposed , on the death , of an ow-nerof * landed , property , without having macje any disposition of this , estate by will or settlement ^ to
allow his children or next of kin to succeed equally ; in otjier words , in case of intestacy , to make the devolution , of real ^ estate similar to that of personal : This seemed a moderate and innocuous proposition enough . All present and fiiture owners of land were still to he allowed ! the ineffable luxury of carving out estates Jntail male general , and special , with limitations over ' qd . it ^ m i ^ m , ^ of cumbering . their muniment rooinsvwith sheeps ' -skin contrivances to hold the land in bondage from generation to generation--tlie manufacture ( of vrfaieh parcluident lumber might , stiU
be productive of much emolument to Mr . Quirk , . the attorney , Mr . Mouldy iMfoJctmain ,: the conveyariccri and Mr . Calf , the law , stationer , and \ rKose totricate provisions might qafiasibn an interminable quantity of occupation to the ; chancery courts and the . gentled mien <> f ' the horsehairconfederacy . Tlie ' saered principle of prinaogenifure sind the right of uncontrolled disposition were left untouched ,, except in cases of intestaajr , Thencefprth ^ as before , any largely-acred gentleman might place : his eldest sori in ; sole posses ? sibn of his landed property to the exchision of the
claims of his other children , and the first , born might reign over the pateraaFacres swollen with an isolated > and -undue importance , reniinding us of i & show ' gooseberry , which arrives at a w lentToiundi ^ tiy ttie extijQctipitbf therest of the crop ; > We inight stillnave had oixr T ) ukes de' & raiidgbu & ie ^ ( tnterppes inqpes ^ ia . a ; state ^ ofinib ^^ Ue ' ^ bve , rty ^ biii ' : tHt ^< hundred thousand ayeaf . t ^ liodoes nofr ^ reniembetthe late scfeneiri * coiitrt ; \ yiien a " noble leviathan " ~ confessed ' tpthe pds ' sessionQf ^ pnnceiytn ' ansionswhich feecaald not ' afiora to' uihSbitV of ^ estates so ; iirn ^ yieldy' and
various tha ^ e- ^ look ! toI ttieif ^ aaiiageiofteiit , of ¦ establishniehts ' , : isb > gigantic !! that tHey : were and are the very batathra miicelli , tnVyer ^ maelstrpnis of industry and comestibles , an < r cbniplained that he hioiself was : thei easy arid ; helpless spoil of armies of servihgTmeri in ' and put of plush . There Was- nothing in this first : bill to pre vent a section : of society from being- fitly ' represented by the indefinite multiplication of such pyramids of acrobat ^ aa are , * or used to be » seert at : Astley ' 0 . The base or" foundation are the labouring ;
multitudes , jammed , heapedj pent together pelUnaell , prostrate , 'etunnedi , and crushed beneath the in- tdleTable ' ' weight of the superincumbent strata , of BOciety . Half-way up come the middle-classes , both giving and receiving pressure , but still in an endurable position . On-the top of this lofty , disorderly , , and writhing ; mass—whose fault is its height and its disordor-Hsoihe' Marquis of Steyne , who mtfy be a ' child , a fool , or a blackleg , has piled his town and country posdfesijibns , hie broad acres , and hia ponderous architecture , seats himself gaily on the apex , AH
and endeavours fa keep JE ^ lIs balance . this ' exceLlent social structure and order was still to have continued ; The ybunger sons of the marquis miglit still have been provided for by the public . The ' English people have a sneaking kindness for noble young , . blopds , and for having their public offices filled with them ; ii tickles them to see tlie Hon Mr . Verolles fill an embassy on the Continent , or the Hon . MV . Deuce Ace with a good berth in the treasury , who will gallantly get rid of thcitf appoiriU
ements in ruffled shirts , ' Icidt gloves , patent' loathe * boots , and opera boxes , and , other lens mentiottnlild ways . How could John Bull , that generous fellow , endure to see sober Mr . Boauclerc , who fagged hard for his degree , or young Lively , who is a writer and a linguist , in such- places , rfoithe * of whoitt ever threw a main or kept a French naietrosa in' -their lives , and have even had a hard matter to live , and ifhotiG rfa *> anc < Hmlent would be shared in by their te ^ pectivo metiers 1 , brothers , and slaters , who nil sttw thie black , isitfef jftf the w 6 rtd wliefl MbiterBi B'e'rttti'lWc and LlVirfy , tiexitoiB , Went out of it unexpectedly efome ) years agb ? TnVpubUd money might still havo been
safe from being dissipated in any such stupid and ignoble manner . Mr . Locke King was too wise , a man to think of openly assaulting such respectable and inveterate institutions ; he merely , proposed ,, that in case an owner of land in the course of his life should not have settled or devised his estate , then the eldest born son should not have the -whole by law . And as landed ; gentlemen ace tolerably vivacious , and . usually take out the whole of the Psalmist ' s allowance of years ,- the absence of any disposition in favour of the first , soa would shqw they had no anxiety to exalt him at the expense of the rest of their children . Mr *
Locke King's equitable proposition was rejected with much indignation by the representatives who are the spontaneous choice , barring bribery ^ of a justiceloving people ? for as Lord Campbell astutely observed in .-the Lords , after saying . he received the measure with alarm ^ if the law were to declare for justicein . any , case ,,. the people might practice it in all cases ; and the aristocracy , who , to give them their duei generally'accept the morality of thecrpwd , would follow their example ; and what would , then becomes of a nobility , withputwhom arts and epmmerce ,. laws and leariung , are of ' auch inflnitesimally small value ? . '" ¦ . ''•¦ .. - ¦ ¦ ¦'¦ . '¦ ' . '"¦ ' : '¦¦ : ' ¦
\ . ; . Aft ^ . su ; cb ; ' : a < : r . ep ^ e , 'Mr ;; L ; Ocke ' -: King , '' like a true : liberaljf leturned agdin tp the assault with the present billjtwhose object is to aboilsli some bf the evils of ; the present laws of descent and administration , if these laws thenaselyes must renaain unphanged ... The ^ niost flagrant ihjtistice of tbe present system is ini respect of mprtgaged estates .. Such is the afffectioni with ; . w £ ich '' the heir of landed property is regarded by the-law ^ that all the mortgage debts contracted by a deceased- owner on the credit of Ms lands are paid but of the persoral estate , to- the impoverishnient and destitution of all -the fatnily
but the heir . Eor example : if John Styles mortgaged Biackacre , as grim old Coke -would say , fbr' 30 ;( WO £ , in order to imprpve the estate by subsbilidg , opening of mines , or building , although the estate might be raised tenfold . in value , yet the 3 O , O 06 / . was ] in ; slippery legal phrase , said to be borrbwed : in aid ; of his- personal estate ^ which on his death wpuldbe bound to repay the whole sum to the heir , jfor did the ' evil stay'there , but it might so happen that the- whole of the personal estate- of a purchaser of mortgaged property might be applied to the-payment of a debt not his own ; his lieir might come into exclusive possession of a large estate , while his'mother , brothers , and sisters , might have 1
noresource but his charity or that , of the parish . Other instances equally hard , might be > mentioned ; and when to these evils are added those of the subtle legal definihgs and distinctions growing thereout ( such as the complication of judicial decisions as to what amounted to . the adoption of the debt on a purchase of mortgaged property , or as to what was a sufficient expression by the testator that an estate should go <;«»»• omere—that is , bear its own burden ) , we think we can congratulate the country on having one black patch the less on its reputation for justice , and one nest of legal snares the less in its legal Keports . All land will , after the passing of the bill , descend to the heir or devisee , subject to the incumbrances existing upon it .
We cannot ; however , regard the improvement as a step towards the abolition of the absurd rule of primegeniturei The tiglitor the pinch the more chance there was of a thorough restoration of the old Saxon principles of cguality of inheritance as manifested in GaVelkind—the real common law of old England ; but now ., aih . ee this evil has been remedied without touching the main body of the system , thet-e is one Wot the less to call ' attention to . NQvetftheloa ^ notwithstanding that K'Crowdy , and sleek and respectable opulency hoist the n 6 so as though they
sriiffed Communism in tha wind when tlio matter is mentibnod , wo cMn'dt' but feel that the day is coming tfJien this posthumous relic of feudalism w 51 I be abolished . In those strong and iron ages tho custom hatf meaning and value , but it ia time wow it hmd gbno tb join primer mitim , eschentj wardaiiip , and tho other feudal incidents " , and although ono > does rtot hoar an argument" for or agoirted it of which " God ' s men and column" are not weary , yet the eubjeetf riluefc necessarily De > agitated until sot « t rest fdrovor . It is to be hoped' that human nnturo has not descended so terribly fironl tho Spartan and Ko- >
man heights but that some patriotism and well-doing —an occasional bene meruit de patria—may be produced , though every Englishman should not be stimulated by the hope of becoming the founder of a family—the mega thauma of a perpetuity of flunkeys ' . As matters stand now , perhaps here and there a coldblooded lawyer , or a mammon-loving speculator , may have a little public spirit infused into them by such an incitement , and Englishmen in general admire the motives of action and the action . The fault lies in the morality of the nation . Let the people love
justice a little more , they will admire such vulgar aims less , and will desire equitable rules of inheritance . The House of Commons—the articulating head of the people—will obey the national will , and move ; and the Lords will naturally follow , unless such an unfortunate dissolution of continuity should on this occasion happen to the country as an old scholiast tells us occurred to Theseus , who by reason of" a too long sitting in the same position , and a consequent adherence of the region of the os sacrum , lost a considerable part of his person on a too speedy removal . byi ; he rough-fisted Hercules .: Sv
806 The Lead E.R [Saturday,
806 THE LEAD E . R [ Saturday ,
L'Instructipn' Pubuque En Rus3ib. [Wo Ha...
L'INSTRUCTIpN' PUBUQUE EN RUS 3 IB . [ Wo havei received th ^ following interesting communication from Ivan Goloyih . It has reached us too late for translation . } '• ; ' : . ¦ / : . . ' - . ' ;! . ¦ ' : ¦¦ . : ; . ¦ ' ¦ . - ¦ ¦ ¦ . Ij'Empeebur Nicolas en montanfc au trqne , a < Efc dans son manifeste : " Parents ^ tournez votre attention suri reducatibh morale : de yos enfans . . ¦ . !" Mais par morale , il n ' entendait pas ce . gu ' o ' n entend gene ' ralemerit ; il venait de triompher d * une insurrection militaire , et pour en pre ' venir de nouvelles il recommendait aux parents d'inculquer aleurs enfants le fetechisriie du Tzar !
Lorsque Ouyarof succeda au Prince Xiieven au Ministere de l'Iristructipn Publique , il prit pour devise ces mots : " Orthodoxie , Autocratie et Nation alisme . " II suivit ces aipts d ' ordre " a-lalettre , et eepehdanfc spn successeur , le Prince Schiikhmatof a su rencherir sur lui . Dans son rapport a FErapereiir pour l ' anne ' e ,, 1851 , nous lisons : —•¦ " En mfme temps gue les ¦ : veritessaiutaires par tenseignemeni de la'lo'i divine ont ete repandues it a et £ mis une fin aux r < xisonneries scductrices de la philosophic , eti'enseignemeiU du droit public des puissances Europeennes a etd suppritne commc ne prdsentant dans lesbases Jbrank'es de leurs institutions politigues ricn desolide et de pqsitif . "
" La nomination par le Gouvernenaent des rocteurs des Univereites ( Us etaient electifs auparavant ) , et la gar an tie d'une surveillance vigilante de l ' enseignement , suivant les instructions confirme ' es par votre Majestc " , ont mis un terme a l ' acces des opinions et commentaires qui , venant des pays ( Strangers , se mclaicnt par fois au de ' ve'loppemerit des sciences . " La barbarie russe jfite aouvent la pierre i \ la civilisation Europeenne , l'accusant do pervertir la morale . Mais en quoi consiste done cetto morale Eusse ? L ' assassinat , le poison , la de'bauche regnent u la pour , le vol et brigandage marquent \ a , politique et
Vadministration Russe . Pour ne pas laiBser aux officiers le temps de i ) enser , ou les accable d ' oxercices , on propage l'ivipgnerie ot la paillardise , et les vicess qui regnent au Corps de Pages et aux instituts des demoiselles nobles sont de telle nature que notre public " iminotUl" nous defend' d ' en faire mention . L'amour de la patrio n ' est que Tumour du Tzar , et nous dtfclarons quo l'obeHsaance ayeugle est co qu'il y a do plus immoral , car elle fait de l'honime unc brute . PrCehea par vos actions , gouvernez par la justice et avec la libortc c , et lcs partisans quo vous acquerirez alors le seront do coeur ot non pas des amis achettfs .
Le Miniatece de Tlnstruction Pablique en Rusaio public une revue mentmelle . Nona trouvons dans un . do sea numcros l ' analyse d ' un pane ' gyriquo do la Rusaie : Rusxixhe ZustUjxde von A . Zando , Hamburg . II est curieux de laisser parler le recenaeur ofnoiel : " Dcpuis qu ' a l'Occid ' ent de l'Europe , sous 1 'influence des passions politiquos la parolo humaino est dovenuo un instrument do mensongo dana lea livrca dos do " magoguea , qui so parent dos tltres d'historiens ,
do professeurs , do romancicra et do poetoa ou de touristcs , nous avons toujoura rencontrcH dana lea produita dos lltt < Sraturea dtrangGroa des aortios abaurdes contra la Rusaie . " Voila un debut qui promot , ot les louangoa no sont pas 6 parj $ nc " o 8 a M . Zando qui n ' on a pas dpargnc" a la Russio . "En linfisiedit le 'voyageur allemaiid , tout le mondo vlt tranquillb , 3 oua l' 6 gido do In , K-galitc ; aucuno tendumio infttmo rovolutionnairo no ineimco en ltu ^ sio la propri < 5 t ( 5 du sujot paieible . " 1
II y a dos gene qui voudrontptouvor qu'il n ' y a on Ruaalo » i eorvage ni oapionnnge jri prdvaricrttlons . M , Z ^ ando a < 5 to" un mauvaia prophoto on disanfc
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Citation
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Leader (1850-1860), Aug. 26, 1854, page 14, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_26081854/page/14/
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