Such a programme for a treatise on government might lead us to expect in the Politics mainly a description of a Utopia or ideal state which might inspire poets or philosophers but have little direct effect upon political institutions.
chap, v., though as a criticism it is curiously inept, reveals his own attitude admirably: "Let us remember that we should not disregard the experience of ages; in the multitude of years, these things, if they were good, would certainly not have been unknown; for almost everything has been found out, although sometimes they are not put together; in other cases men do not use the knowledge which they have." Aristotle in his Constitutions had made a study of one hundred and fifty-eight constitutions of the states of his day, and the fruits of that study are seen in the continual reference to concrete political experience, which makes the Politics in some respects a critical history of the workings of the institutions of the Greek city state.
The extent to which Aristotle or the Aristotelian school were indebted to him in the
Politics has been little recognized, and the recognition is the more necessary because it is not made by Aristotle himself.
Politics is something no decent man should meddle with."
Blythe is to steer clear of politics. First thing you know, he'll be running an election himself, and going off to Ottawa for half the year and leaving his practice to go to the dogs."
Another observed that the love of tulips agreed perfectly well with that of
politics, and that it was proved in history that many very dangerous men were engaged in gardening, just as if it had been their profession, whilst really they occupied themselves with perfectly different concerns; witness Tarquin the Elder, who grew poppies at Gabii, and the Great Conde, who watered his carnations at the dungeon of Vincennes at the very moment when the former meditated his return to Rome, and the latter his escape from prison.
Every one in polite circles knew that, in America, "a gentleman couldn't go into
politics." But, since he could hardly put it in that way to Winsett, he answered evasively: "Look at the career of the honest man in American
politics!
You know I don't love to hear you talk about
politics; they belong to us, and petticoats should not meddle: but come, who is the man?"--"Marry!" said she, "you may find him out yourself if you please.
But for one whose leanings were towards
politics, neither my father before me nor I could be of service to our country.
Phillips is a Grit too because Prissy Andrews's father is one, and Ruby Gillis says that when a man is courting he always has to agree with the girl's mother in religion and her father in
politics. Is that true, Matthew?"
The science of
politics, however, like most other sciences, has received great improvement.
The old prince seemed convinced not only that all the men of the day were mere babies who did not know the A B C of war or of
politics, and that Bonaparte was an insignificant little Frenchy, successful only because there were no longer any Potemkins or Suvorovs left to oppose him; but he was also convinced that there were no political difficulties in Europe and no real war, but only a sort of puppet show at which the men of the day were playing, pretending to do something real.
We cannot follow him through all the twists and turns of his
politics, nor through all his ups and downs in life, nor mention all the two hundred and fifty books and pamphlets that he wrote.
Franklin and I had both talked of foreign
politics, till we could talk no longer, and had then mutually fallen asleep in the heat of the sun.
"To meddle in
politics," he exclaimed, in a languid voice, leaning back in his easy-chair.
