Critical Miscellanies, (Vol. 3 of 3), Essay 2: The Death of Mr Mill; Essay 3: Mr Mill's Autobiography

The essays combine a commemorative appraisal with a close reading of an intellectual autobiography, blending personal recollection and critical judgment. They survey the subject's influence on education and the press, highlight intellectual traits such as the fusion of scientific method with moral aspiration and the pairing of courage with patience, and note a habit of withdrawal from society. The autobiographical material is presented as proof of a lifelong spirit of inquiry, a balance of criticism and conviction, and a persistent social reform impulse evident in writings on liberty and the subjection of women. Morley also considers two life crises that reshaped belief, contrasts competing conceptions of happiness, and explains the withdrawal as principled rather than sentimental.