e　disease　of　all　the　miserable　in　this　world；　_want　of　wisdom_；　that　in　the　Head　there　is　no　vision；　and　that　thereby　all　the　members　are　dark　and　in　bonds？　　No　vision　in　the　head；　heroism；　faith；　devout　insight　to　discern　what　is　needful；　noble　courage　to　do　it；　greatly　defective　there：　　not　seeing　eyes　there；　but　spectacles　constitutionally　ground；　which；　to　the　unwary；　_seem_　to　see。　　A　quite　fatal　circumstance；　had　you　never　so　many　Parliaments！　　How　is　your　ship　to　be　steered　by　a　Pilot　with　no　_eyes_　but　a　pair　of　glass　ones　got　from　the　constitutional　optician？　　He　must　steer　by　the　_ear_；　I　think；　rather　than　by　the　eye；　by　the　shoutings　he　catches　from　the　shore；　or　from　the　Parliamentary　benches　nearer　hand：one　of　the　frightfulest　objects　to　see　steering　in　a　difficult　sea！　　Reformed　Parliaments　in　that　case；　reform…leagues；　outer　agitations　and　excitements　in　never　such　abundance；　cannot　profit：　　all　this　is　but　the　writhing；　and　painful　blind　convulsion　of　the　limbs　that　are　in　bonds；　that　are　all　in　dark　misery　till　the　head　be　delivered；　till　the　pressure　on　the　brain　be　removed。
  Or　perhaps　there　is　now　no　heroic　wisdom　left　in　England；　England；　once　the　land　of　heroes；　is　itself　sunk　now　to　a　dim　owlery；　and　habitation　of　doleful　creatures；　intent　only　on　money…making　and　other　forms　of　catching　mice；　for　whom　the　proper　gospel　is　the　gospel　of　M'Croudy；　and　all　nobler　impulses　and　insights　are　forbidden　henceforth？　　Perhaps　these　present　agreeable　Occupants　of　Downing　Street；　such　as　the　parliamentary　mill　has　yielded　them；　are　the　_best_　the　miserable　soil　had　grown？　　The　most　Herculean　Ten　Men　that　could　be　found　among　the　English　Twenty…seven　Millions；　are　these？　　There　_are_　not；　in　any　place；　under　any　figure；　ten　diviner　men　among　us？　　Well；　in　that　case；　the　riddling　and　searching　of　the　twenty…seven　millions　has　been　_successful_。　　Here　are　our　ten　divinest　men；　with　these；　unhappily　not　divine　enough；　we　must　even　content　ourselves　and　die　in　peace；　what　help　is　there？　　No　help；　no　hope；　in　that　case。
  But；　again；　if　these　are　_not_　our　divinest　men；　then　evidently　there　always　is　hope；　there　always　is　possibility　of　help；　and　ruin　never　is　quite　inevitable；　till　we　_have_　sifted　out　our
  actually　divinest　ten；　and　set　these　to　try　their　band　at　governing！That　this　has　been　achieved；　that　these　ten　men　are　the　most　Herculean　souls　the　English　population　held　within　it；　is　a　proposition　credible　to　no　mortal。　　No；　thank　God；　low　as　we　are　sunk　in　many　ways；　this　is　not　yet　credible！　　Evidently　the　reverse　of　this　proposition　is　the　fact。　　Ten　much　diviner　men　do　certainly　exist。　By　some　conceivable；　not　forever　impossible；　method　and　methods；　ten　very　much　diviner　men　could　be　sifted　out！Courage；　let　us　fix　our　eyes　on　that　important　fact；　and　strive　all　thitherward　as　towards　a　door　of　hope！
  Parliaments；　I　think；　have　proved　too　well；　in　late　years；　that　they　are　not　the　remedy。　　It　is　not　Parliaments；　reformed　or　other；　that　will　ever　send　Herculean　men　to　Downing　Street；　to　reform　Downing　Street　for　us；　to　diffuse　therefrom　a　light　of　Heavenly　Order；　instead　of　the　murk　of　Stygian　Anarchy；　over　this　sad　world　of　ours。　　That　function　does　not　lie　in　the　capacities　of　Parliment。　　That　is　the　function　of　a　_King_；if　we　could　get　such　a　priceless　entity；　which　we　cannot　just　now！　　Failing　which；　Statesmen；　or　Temporary　Kings；　and　at　the　very　lowest　one　real　Statesman；　to　shape　the　dim　tendencies　of　Parliament；　and　guide　them　wisely　to　the　goal：　　he；　I　perceive；　will　be　a　primary　condition；　indispensable　for　any　progress　whatsoever。
  One　such；　perhaps；　might　be　attained；　one　such　might　prove　discoverable　among　our　Parliamentary　populations？　　That　one；　in　such　an　enterprise　as　this　of　Downing　Street；　might　be　invaluable！　　One　noble　man；　at　once　of　natural　wisdom　and　practical　experience；　one　Intellect　still　really　human；　and　not　red…tapish；　owlish　and　pedantical；　appearing　there　in　that　dim　chaos；　with　word　of　command；　to　brandish　Hercules…like　the　divine　broom　and　shovel；　and　turn　running　water　in　upon　the　place；　and　say　as　with　a　fiat；　〃Here　shall　be　truth；　and　real　work；　and　talent　to　do　it　henceforth；　I　will　seek　for　able　men　to　work　here；　as　for　the　elixir　of　life　to　this　poor　place　and　me：〃what　might　not　one　such　man　effect　there！
  Nay　one　such　is　not　to　be　dispensed　with　anywhere。　　in　the　affairs　of　men。　In　every　ship；　I　say；　there　must　be　a　_seeing_　pilot；　not　a　mere　hearing　one！　　It　is　evident　you　can　never　get　your　ship　steered　through　the　difficult　straits　by　persons　standing　ashore；　on　this　bank　and　that；　and　shouting　_their_　confused　directions　to　you：　　〃'Ware　that　Colonial　Sandbank！Starboard　now；　the　Nigger　Question！Larboard；　_larboard_；　the　Suffrage　Movement！　　Financial　Reform；　your　Clothing…Colonels　overboard！　The　Qualification　Movement；　'Ware…re…re！Helm…a…lee！　　Bear　a　hand　there；　will　you！　　Hr…r…r；　lubbers；　imbeciles；　fitter　for　a　tailor's　shopboard　than　a　helm　of　Government；　Hr…r…r！〃And　so　the　ship　wriggles　and　tumbles；　and；　on　the　whole；　goes　as　wind　and　current　drive。　　No　ship　was　ever　steered　except　to　destruction　in　that　manner。　　I　deliberately　say　so：　　no　ship　of　a　State　either。　　If　you　cannot　get　a　real　pilot　on　board；　and　put　the　helm　into　his　hands；　your　ship　is　as　good　as　a　wreck。　　One　real　pilot　on　board　may　save　you；　all　the　bellowing　from　the　banks　that　ever　was；　will　not；　and　by　the　nature　of　things　cannot。　　Nay　your　pilot　will　have　to　succeed；　if　he　do　succeed；　very　much　in　spite　of　said　bellowing；　he　will　hear　all　that；　and　regard　very　little　of　it；in　a　patient　mild…spoken　wise　manner；　will　regard　all　of　it　as　what　it　is。　　And　I　never　doubt　but　there　is　in　Parliament　itself；　in　spite　of　its　vague　palaverings　which　fill　us　with　despair　in　these　times；　a　dumb　instinct　of　inarticulate　sense　and　stubborn　practical　English　insight　and　veracity；　that　would　manfully　support　a　Statesman　who　could　take　command　with　really　manful　notions　of　Reform；　and　as　one　deserving　to　be　obeyed。　　Oh　for　one　such；　even　one！　　More　precious　to　us　than　all　the　bullion　in　the　Bank；　or　perhaps　that　ever　was　in　it；　just　now！
  For　it　is　Wisdom　alone　that　can　recognize　wisdom：　　Folly　or　Imbecility　never　can；　and　that　is　the　fatalest　ban　it　labors　under；　dooming　it　to　perpetual　failure　in　all　things。　　Failure　which；　in　Downing　Street　and　places　of　_command_　is　especially　accursed；　cursing　not　one　but　hundreds　of　millions！　　Who　is　there　that　can　recognize　real　intellect；　and　do　reverence　to　it；　and　discriminate　it　well　from　sham　intellect；　which　is　so　much　more　abundant；　and　deserves　the　reverse　of　reverence？　　He　that　himself　has　it！One　really　human　Intellect；　invested　with　command；　and　charged　to　reform　Downing　Street　for　us；　would　continually　attract　real　intellect　to　those　regions；　and　with　a　divine　magnetism　search　it　out　from　the　modest　corners　where　it　lies　hid。　　And　every　new　accession　of　intellect　to　Downing　Street　would　bring　to　it　benefit　only；　and　would　increase　such　divine　attraction　in　it；　the　parent　of　all　benefit　there　and　elsewhere！
  〃What　method；　then；　by　what　method？〃　ask　many。　　Method；　alas！　　To　secure　an　increased　supply　of　Human　Intellect　to　Downing　Street；　there　will　evidently　be　no　quite　effectual　〃method〃　but　that　of　increasing　the　supply　of　Human　Intellect；　otherwise　definable　as　Human　Worth；　in　Society　generally；　increasing　the　supply　of　sacred　reverence　for　it；　of　loyalty　to　it；　and　of　life…and…death　desire　and　pursuit　of　it；　among　all　classes；if　we　but　knew　such　a　〃method〃！　　Alas；　that　were　simply　the　method　of　making　all　classes　Servants　of　Heaven；　and　except　it　be　devout　prayer　to　Heaven；　I　have　never　heard　of　any　method！　　To　increase　the　reverence　for　Human　Intellect　or　God's　Light；　and　the　detestation　of　Human　Stupidity　or　the　Devil's　Darkness；　what　method　is　there？　　No　method；except　even　this；　that　we　should　each　of　us　〃pray〃　for　it；　instead　of　praying　for　mere　scrip　and　the　like；　that　Heaven　would　please　to　vouchsafe　us　each　a　little　of　it；　one　by　one！　　As　perhaps　Heaven；　in　its　infinite　bounty；　by　stern　methods；　gradually　will？　　Perhaps　Heaven　has　mercy　too　in　these　sore　plagues　that　are　oppressing　us；　and　means　to　teach　us　reverence　for　Heroism　and　Human　Intellect；　by　such　baleful　experience　of　what　issue　Imbecility　and　Parliamentary　Eloquence　lead　to？　　Such　reverence；　I　do　hope；　and　even　discover　and　observe；　is　silently　yet　extensively　going　on　among　us　even　in　these　sad　years。　　In　which　small　salutary　fact　there　burns　for　us；　in　this　black　coil　of　universal　baseness　fast　becoming　universal　wretchedness；　an　inextinguishable　hope；　far…off　but　sure；　a　divine　〃pillar　of　fire　by　night。〃　　Courage；　courage！
  Meanwhile；　that　our　one　reforming　Statesman　may　have　free　command　of　what　Intellect　there　is　among　us；　and　room　to　try　all　means　for　awakening　and　inviting　ever　more　of　it；　there　has　one　small　Project　of　Improvement　been　suggested；　which　finds　a　certain　degree　of　favor　wherever　I　hear　it　talked　of；　and　which　seems　to　merit　much　more　consideration　than　it　has　yet　received。　　Practical　men　themselves　approve　of　it　hitherto；　so　far　as　it　goes；　the　one　objection　being　that　the　world　is　not　yet　prepared　to　insist　on　it；which　of　course　the　world　can　never　be；　till　on