On Liberty

I.john Stuart Mill Was Born On 20th May 1806. He Was A Delicate Child, Andthe Extraordinary Education Designed By His Father Was Not Calculated Todevelop And Improve His Physical Powers. I Never Was A Boy, He Says;never Played Cricket. His Exercise Was Taken In The Form Of Walks Withhis Father, During Which The Elder Mill Lectured His Son And Examinedhim On His Work. It Is Idle To Speculate On The Possible Results Of Adifferent Treatment. Mill Remained Delicate Throughout His Life, But Wasendowed With That Intense Mental Energy Which Is So Often Combined Withphysical Weakness. His Youth Was Sacrificed To An Idea; He Was Designedby His Father To Carry On His Work; The Individuality Of The Boy Wasunimportant. A Visit To The South Of France At The Age Of Fourteen, Incompany With The Family Of General Sir Samuel Bentham, Was Not Withoutits Influence. It Was A Glimpse Of Another Atmosphere, Though Thestudious Habits Of His Home Life Were Maintained. Moreover, He Derivedfrom It His Interest In Foreign Politics, Which Remained One Of Hischaracteristics To The End Of His Life. In 1823 He Was Appointed Juniorclerk In The Examiners' Office At The India House.mill's First Essays Were Written In The _traveller_ About A Year Beforehe Entered The India House. From That Time Forward His Literary Work Wasuninterrupted Save By Attacks Of Illness. His Industry Was Stupendous.he Wrote Articles On An Infinite Variety Of Subjects, Political, Metaphysical, Philosophic, Religious, Poetical. He Discovered Tennysonfor His Generation, He Influenced The Writing Of Carlyle's _frenchrevolution_ As Well As Its Success. And All The While He Was Engaged Instudying And Preparing For His More Ambitious Works, While He Rose Stepby Step At The India Office. His _essays On Unsettled Questions Inpolitical Economy_ Were Written In 1831, Although They Did Not Appearuntil Thirteen Years Later. His _system Of Logic_, The Design Of Whichwas Even Then Fashioning Itself In His Brain, Took Thirteen Years Tocomplete, And Was Actually Published Before The _political Economy_. In1844 Appeared The Article On Michelet, Which Its Author Anticipatedwould Cause Some Discussion, But Which Did Not Create The Sensation Heexpected. Next Year There Were The Claims Of Labour And Guizot, Andin 1847 His Articles On Irish Affairs In The _morning Chronicle_. Theseyears Were Very Much Influenced By His Friendship And Correspondencewith Comte, A Curious Comradeship Between Men Of Such Differenttemperament. In 1848 Mill Published His _political Economy_, To Which Hehad Given His Serious Study Since The Completion Of His _logic_. Hisarticles And Reviews, Though They Involved A Good Deal Of Work--as, Forinstance, The Re-perusal Of The _iliad_ And The _odyssey_ In Theoriginal Before Reviewing Grote's _greece_--were Recreation To Thestudent. The Year 1856 Saw Him Head Of The Examiners' Office In Theindia House, And Another Two Years Brought The End Of His Official Work, Owing To The Transfer Of India To The Crown. In The Same Year His Wifedied. _liberty_ Was Published Shortly After, As Well As The _thoughts Onparliamentary Reform_, And No Year Passed Without Mill Making Importantcontributions On The Political, Philosophical, And Ethical Questions Ofthe Day.