of　no　worth。　　You　accepted　the　blessed　_light_；　and　in　the　shape　of　infernal　_lightning_　it　needed　not　to　visit　you。　　How；　like　an　immense　mine…shaft　through　the　dim　oppressed　strata　of　society；　this　Institution　of　the　Priesthood　ran；　opening；　from　the　lowest　depths　towards　all　heights　and　towards　Heaven　itself；　a　free　road　of　egress　and　emergence　towards　virtuous　nobleness；　heroism　and　well…doing；　for　every　born　man。　　This　we　may　call　the　living　lungs　and　blood…circulation　of　those　old　Feudalisms。　　When　I　think　of　that　immeasurable　all…pervading　lungs；　present　in　every　corner　of　human　society；　every　meanest　hut　a　_cell_　of　said　lungs；　inviting　whatsoever　noble　pious　soul　was　born　there　to　the　path　that　was　noble　for　him；　and　leading　thereby　sometimes；　if　he　were　worthy；　to　be　the　Papa　of　Christendom；　and　Commander　of　all　Kings；I　perceive　how　the　old　Christian　society　continued　healthy；　vital；　and　was　strong　and　heroic。　　When　I　contrast　this　with　the　noble　aims　now　held　out　to　noble　souls　born　in　remote　huts；　or　beyond　the　verge　of　Palace…Yard；　and　think　of　what　your　Lordship　has　done　in　the　way　of　making　priests　and　papas；I　see　a　society　without　lungs；　fast　wheezing　itself　to　death；　in　horrid　convulsions；　and　deserving　to　die。
  Over　Europe　generally　in　these　years；　I　consider　that　the　State　has　died；　has　fairly　coughed　its　last　in　street　musketry；　and　fallen　down　dead；　incapable　of　any　but　_galvanic_　life　henceforth；owing　to　this　same　fatal　want　of　_lungs_；　which　includes　all　other　wants　for　a　State。　　And　furthermore　that　it　will　never　come　alive　again；　till　it　contrive　to　get　such　indispensable　vital　apparatus；　the　outlook　toward　which　consummation　is　very　distant　in　most　communities　of　Europe。　　If　you　let　it　come　to　death　or　suspended　animation　in　States；　the　case　is　very　bad！　　Vain　to　call　in　universal…suffrage　parliaments　at　that　stage：　　the　universal…suffrage　parliaments　cannot　give　you　any　breath　of　life；　cannot　find　any　_wisdom_　for　you；　by　long　impiety；　you　have　let　the　supply　of　noble　human　wisdom　die　out；　and　the　wisdom　that　now　courts　your　universal　suffrages　is　beggarly　human　_attorneyism_　or　sham…wisdom；　which　is　_not_　an　insight　into　the　Laws　of　God's　Universe；　but　into　the　laws　of　hungry　Egoism　and　the　Devil's　Chicane；　and　can　in　the　end　profit　no　community　or　man。
  No；　the　kind　of　heroes　that　come　mounted　on　the　shoulders　of　the　universal　suffrage；　and　install　themselves　as　Prime　Ministers　and　healing　Statesmen　by　force　of　able　editorship；　do　not　bid　very　fair　to　bring　Nations　back　to　the　ways　of　God。　　Eloquent　high…lacquered　_pinchbeck_　specimens　these；　expert　in　the　arts　of　Belial　mainly；fitter　to　be　markers　at　some　exceedingly　expensive　billiard…table　than　sacred　chief…priests　of　men！　〃Greeks　of　the　Lower　Empire；〃　with　a　varnish　of　parliamentary　rhetoric；　and；　I　suppose；　this　other　great　gift；　toughness　of　character；proof　that　they　have　_persevered_　in　their　Master's　service。　　Poor　wretches；　their　industry　is　mob…worship；　place…worship；　parliamentary　intrigue；　and　the　multiplex　art　of　tongue…fence：　　flung　into　that　bad　element；　there　they　swim　for　decades　long；　throttling　and　wrestling　one　another　according　to　their　strength；and　the　toughest　or　luckiest　gets　to　land；　and　becomes　Premier。　　A　more　entirely　unbeautiful　class　of　Premiers　was　never　raked　out　of　the　ooze；　and　set　on　high　places；　by　any　ingenuity　of　man。　　Dame　Dubarry's　petticoat　was　a　better　seine…net　for　fishing　out　Premiers　than　that。　　Let　all　Nations　whom　necessity　is　driving　towards　that　method；　take　warning　in　time！
  Alas；　there　is；　in　a　manner；　but　one　Nation　that　can　still　take　warning！　In　England　alone　of　European　Countries　the　State　yet　survives；　and　might　help　itself　by　better　methods。　　In　England　heroic　wisdom　is　not　yet　dead；　and　quite　replaced　by　attorneyism：　　the　honest　beaver　faculty　yet　abounds　with　us；　the　heroic　manful　faculty　shows　itself　also　to　the　observant　eye；　not　dead　but　dangerously　sleeping。　　I　said　there　were　many　_kings_　in　England：　　if　these　can　yet　be　rallied　into　strenuous　activity；　and　set　to　govern　England　in　Downing　Street　and　elsewhere；　which　their　function　always　is；then　England　can　be　saved　from　anarchies　and　universal　suffrages；　and　that　Apotheosis　of　Attorneyism；　blackest　of　terrestrial　curses；　may　be　spared　us。　　If　these　cannot；　the　other　issue；　in　such　forms　as　may　be　appropriate　to　us；　is　inevitable。　　What　escape　is　there？　　England　must　conform　to　the　eternal　laws　of　life；　or　England　too　must　die！
  England　with　the　largest　mass　of　real　living　interests　ever　intrusted　to　a　Nation；　and　with　a　mass　of　extinct　imaginary　and　quite　dead　interests　piled　upon　it　to　the　very　Heavens；　and　encumbering　it　from　shore　to　shore；does　reel　and　stagger　ominously　in　these　years；　urged　by　the　Divine　Silences　and　the　Eternal　Laws　to　take　practical　hold　of　its　living　interests　and　manage　them：　　and　clutching　blindly　into　its　venerable　extinct　and　imaginary　interests；　as　if　that　were　still　the　way　to　do　it。　　England　must　contrive　to　manage　its　living　interests；　and　quit　its　dead　ones　and　their　methods；　or　else　depart　from　its　place　in　this　world。　　Surely　England　is　called　as　no　Nation　ever　was；　to　summon　out　its　_kings_；　and　set　them　to　that　high　work！Huge　inorganic　England；　nigh　choked　under　the　exuviae　of　a　thousand　years；　and　blindly　sprawling　amid　chartisms；　ballot…boxes；　prevenient　graces；　and　bishops'　nightmares；　must；　as　the　preliminary　and　commencement　of　organization；　learn　to　_breathe_　again；get　〃lungs〃　for　herself　again；　as　we　defined　it。　　That　is　imperative　upon　her：　　she　too　will　die；　otherwise；　and　cough　her　last　upon　the　streets　some　day；how　can　she　continue　living？　　To　enfranchise　whatsoever　of　Wisdom　is　born　in　England；　and　set　that　to　the　sacred　task　of　coercing　and　amending　what　of　Folly　is　born　in　England：　　Heaven's　blessing　is　purchasable　by　that；　by　not　that；　only　Heaven's　curse　is　purchasable。　　The　reform　contemplated；　my　liberal　friends　perceive；　is　a　truly　radical　one；　no　ballot…box　ever　went　so　deep　into　the　roots：　　a　radical；　most　painful；　slow　and　difficult；　but　most　indispensable　reform　of　reforms！
  How　short　and　feeble　an　approximation　to　these　high　ulterior　results；　the　best　Reform　of　Downing　Street；　presided　over　by　the　fittest　Statesman　one　can　imagine　to　exist　at　present；　would　be；　is　too　apparent　to　me。　　A　long　time　yet　till　we　get　our　living　interests　put　under　due　administration；　till　we　get　our　dead　interests　handsomely　dismissed。　　A　long　time　yet　till；　by　extensive　change　of　habit　and　ways　of　thinking　and　acting；　_we_　get　living　〃lungs〃　for　ourselves！　　Nevertheless；　by　Reform　of　Downing　Street；　we　do　begin　to　breathe：　　we　do　start　in　the　way　towards　that　and　all　high　results。　　Nor　is　there　visible　to　me　any　other　way。　　Blessed　enough　were　the　way　once　entered　on；　could　we；　in　our　evil　days；　but　see　the　noble　enterprise　begun；　and　fairly　in　progress！
  What　the　〃_New_　Downing　Street〃　can　grow　to；　and　will　and　must　if　England　is　to　have　a　Downing　Street　beyond　a　few　years　longer；　it　is　far　from　me；　in　my　remote　watch…tower；　to　say　with　precision。　　A　Downing　Street　inhabited　by　the　gifted　of　the　intellects　of　England；　directing　all　its　energies　upon　the　real　and　living　interests　of　England；　and　silently　but　incessantly；　in　the　alembics　of　the　place；　burning　up　the　extinct　imaginary　interests　of　England；　that　we　may　see　God's　sky　a　little　plainer　overhead；　and　have　all　of　us　a　great　accession　of　〃heroic　wisdom〃　to　dispose　of：　such　a　Downing　Streetto　draw　the　plan　of　it；　will　require　architects；　many　successive　architects　and　builders　will　be　needed　there。　　Let　not　editors；　and　remote　unprofessional　persons；　interfere　too　much！Change　in　the　present　edifice；　however；　radical　change；　all　men　can　discern　to　be　inevitable；　and　even；　if　there　shall　not　worse　swiftly　follow；　to　be　imminent。　　Outlines　of　the　future　edifice　paint　themselves　against　the　sky　（to　men　that　still　have　a　sky；　and　are　above　the　miserable　London　fogs　of　the　hour）；　noble　elements　of　new　State　Architecture；　foreshadows　of　a　new　Downing　Street　for　the　New　Era　that　is　come。　　These　with　pious　hope　all　men　can　see；　and　it　is　good　that　all　men；　with　whatever　faculty　they　have；　were　earnestly　looking　thitherward；trying　to　get　above　the　fogs；　that　they　might　look　thitherward！
  Among　practical　men　the　idea　prevails　that　Government　can　do　nothing　but　〃keep　the　peace。〃　　They　say　all　higher　tasks　are　unsafe　for　it；　impossible　for　it；and　in　fine　not　necessary　for　it　or　for　us。　　On　this　footing　a　very　feeble　Downing　Street　might　serve　the　turn！I　am　well　aware　that　Government；　for　a　long　time　past；　has　taken　in　hand　no　other　public　task；　and　has　professed　to　have　no　other；　but　that　of　keeping　the　peace。　　This　public　task；　and　the　private　one　of　ascertaining　whether　Dick　or　Jack　was　to　do　it；　have　amply　filled　the　capabilities　of　Government　for　several　generations　now。　　Hard　tasks　both；　it　would　appear。　　In　accomplishing　the　first；　for　example；　have　not　heaven…born　Chancellors　of　the　Exchequer　had　to　shear　us　very　bare；　and　to　leave　an　overplus　of　Debt；　or　of　fleeces　shorn　_before_　they　are　grown；　justly　esteemed　among　the　wonders　of　the　world？　　Not　a　first…rate　keeping　of　the　peace；　this；　we　begin　to　surmise！　At　least　it　seems　strange