Strona 319 z 1391

Many illustrations of this part of the Republic may be found in

modern Politics and in daily life. For among ourselves, too,

there have been two sorts of Politicians or Statesmen, whose

eyesight has become disordered in two different ways. First,

there have been great men who, in the language of Burke, 'have

been too much given to general maxims,' who, like J.S. Mill or

Burke himself, have been theorists or philosophers before they

were politicians, or who, having been students of history, have

allowed some great historical parallel, such as the English

Revolution of 1688, or possibly Athenian democracy or Roman

Imperialism, to be the medium through which they viewed

contemporary events. Or perhaps the long projecting shadow of

some existing institution may have darkened their vision. The

Church of the future, the Commonwealth of the future, the Society

of the future, have so absorbed their minds, that they are unable

to see in their true proportions the Politics of to-day.