I have regarded this aspect of the questions under discussion broadly, in the following way:—
People can see or understand only as much as they are fitted for at the time and have an inborn sympathy with. We are, however, beings of a progressive nature; for if we do not understand a thing or cannot learn it at one age, we may later on. You know well that a man, say at eighteen years, can read with perhaps pleasure and some benefit a book whose deeper meanings will nevertheless remain in part largely hidden from him; yet at thirty he may again read this same book, and learn far more from it than before. At the earlier age he could not, besides, have properly applied its truths to his daily life, or would have done so faultily. So it is with large bodies of men, and even with nations, when some newly-discovered truth, some political or legislative reform, is brought before them. Such truth or particular reforms, an open book, the society or nation cannot wholly grasp or understand till time has matured their intellect and perceptions.
I need not prove to you that nearly all great truths and most striking ideas, whether in pure thought, in the arts, in science or invention—as with James Watt's conception of the latent potentiality in steam—were first held by a few individuals or a minority, while scouted by the world and the majority. Thus truth or reason may be with a single man or a few individuals as opposed to a great number, with a minority as against a majority. Do not suppose I mean that all minorities and single "eccentrics" are in the right; but that they may be, and very often are, in spite of appearances, history clearly shows. Government therefore, which represents commonly the majority, reflecting occasionally their ignorant, selfish, prejudiced or conventional views, may be, must often be—though not always—in the wrong. How then shall we submit to what must not unseldom be mistaken forms and actions of governing bodies! How are these two things to be reconciled: liberty for the individual, submission to government! My belief is this—and what I am saying always bears a reference to your favourable or unfavourable criticism of the views I am laying before you—by all means permit the majority through their representatives to govern and restrain, but leave still to the individual and the minority full power to speak and teach as they will. Truth ever, sooner or later, gains a hearing and victory, and becomes universally accepted, though often slowly enough. And happily so, for a newly-announced truth or
