74 CAUSES INVOLVING FKANCE AND ENGLAND CUAP. of the nation was up, no man could usefully . strive to moderate or guide it unless liis patriot- ism were believed to be exactly of that heathen sort which Mr Bright disapproved. Thus, by the nature of his patriotism, no less than by the im- moderate width of his views on the lawfulness of wars, this powerful orator was so disabled as to be hindered from applying his strength towards the maintenance of peace. The country was impassioned, but it was not so mad as to be deaf to precious counsels ; and a statesman who had shown by his past life that he loved his country in the ancient way, and that he knew how to contemplate the eventuality of war with a calm and equal mind, might have won attention for views which questioned the necessity of the war then threatened ; and if, in good time, he had brought to bear upon his opinions a suffi- cing power and knowledge, he might have altered the policy of his country.* But outside the Cabinet the real tenor of the negotiations of 1853 was still unkuov/n ; and Lord Aberdeen and Mr Gladstone consenting to remain members of a
- This was in luiiit before that curious and interesting con-
firmation of my statement — my statement of the relations be- tween the Peace Party and their country — which Jlr Cobdeu lias since given to the world. Mr Cobdcn has said that at the time of the war neither he nor Jlr l^riglit could win any atten- tion to their views ; and he added that lie (Mr Cobden) will never again try to withstand a warlike ardour once kindled, because, when a people are inllamed in that way, they are no better than 'mad dogs.' — Speech in llie aiduuui of 1862. He sees no defect in the principles of a Peace Party which is to suspend its operations in times of warlike excitement.
