The Inner Life of the House of Commons Author:William White General Books publication date: 2009 Original publication date: 1904 Original Publisher: T. Fisher Unwin Subjects: Great Britain Notes: This is a black and white OCR reprint of the original. It has no illustrations and there may be typos or missing text. When you buy the General Books edition of this book you get free trial access to Millio... more »n-Books.com where you can select from more than a million books for free. Excerpt: CHAPTER XX. JOHN STUART MILL : IS HE A FAILURE IN THE HOUSE ? -- MB. THOMAS HUGHES -- GLADSTONE'S REFORM BILL -- LOBD OBANBOBNE (LORD BOBERT CECIL) -- THE DIVISION -- THE BANK CHARTER -- "BLACK FRIDAY." Mr. John Stuart Mill -- political economist, Feb. 10,1866. . 5 . ,. ' logician, and philosopher -- is incomparably the most eminent of the new members, and, perhaps, except some two or three, the most distinguished man in the House. Mr. Mill came to the House on the first day, and dropped down, as if by natural gravitation, by the side of Mr. Bright. It is understood, though, that his permanent place will be that which for many years was occupied by Sir James Graham, just behind the honourable member for Birmingham. Of course, he cannot claim this seat; but when a distinguished member chooses a place it is always courteously ceded to him. Mr. Mill has not attracted much special attention. Nor was it likely that he would. To most of the crowd of members he was personally unknown; and even those who had heard of him as a writer know little about his works. Country gentlemen and men of business do not as a rule study philosophy, or logic, or even political economy, as we, who have had to listen to their speeches, have long since learned. " That is John Stuart Mill," said JOHN STUAET MILL. 31 we to a Conservative friend. " Oh," was his reply, " that's the man who would give women a vote. Strange notion, that." This is all he knows of Mr. Mill. "Ah, yes- clever man, I am told," said another; "but very crochetty and eccentric." Yes, thought we...« less