His gray eyes lighted up. he replied: 'Did he say two millions—now did he? Why, there were not a thousand died—there were not five hundred.' The true number, so far as can he gathered from a comparison of the census of 1841 with the census of 1851, from the emigration returns, which were carefully made, and from an allowance for the natural rate of increase, was about two hundred thousand."[1]
Further insistance on this point is needless. That the verdicts which will be given by different party journals upon each ministerial act may be predicted, and that the opposite opinions uttered by speakers and applauded by meetings concerning the same measure may be foreseen if the political bias is known, are facts from which any one may infer that the party politician must have his feelings greatly moderated before he can interpret, with even approximate truth, the events of the past, and draw correct inferences respecting the future.
Here, instead of dilating upon this truth, I propose to draw attention to kindred truths that are less conspicuous. Beyond those kinds of political bias indicated by the names of political parties, there are certain kinds of political bias transcending party limits. Already in the chapter on "Subjective Difficulties—Emotional," I have commented upon the feeling which originates them—the feeling drawn out toward the governing agency. In addition to what was there said about the general effects of this feeling on sociological speculation, something must be said about its special effects. And first, let us contemplate a common fallacy in men's opinions about human affairs, which pervades the several fallacies fostered by the political bias.
Results are proportionate to appliances—see here the tacit assumption underlying many errors in the conduct of life, private and public. In private life every one discovers the untruth of this assumption, and yet continues to act as though he had not discovered its untruth. Reconsider a moment, under this fresh aspect, a familiar experience lately dwelt upon.
"How happy I shall be," thinks the child, "when I am as old as my big brother, and own all the many things he will not let me have!" "How happy," the big brother thinks, "shall I be when, like my father, I have got a house of my own and can do as I like!" "How happy I shall be," thinks the father, "when, achieving the success in prospect, I have got a large income, a country-house, carriages, horses, and a higher social position!" And yet at each stage the possession of the much-desired aids to satisfaction does not bring all the happiness expected, and brings many annoyances.
A good example of the fallacy, that results are proportionate to appliances, is furnished by domestic service. It is an inference naturally drawn that, if one servant does so much, two servants will do twice as much; and so on. But when this common-sense theory is tested by
- ↑ Froude, "Short Studies on Great Subjects," Second Series, 1871, pp. 483, 484.
