Muller

Author: Li Zhiping
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-07-01
Features:
1. An Unordinary Family
John Stuart Mill was born on May 20, 1806, in the suburbs of London and was the eldest son in his family. His father, James Mill (1773–1836), was a renowned British economist who held a significant position in the history of economics, as well as a famous historian and philosopher. He was often referred to as "Old Mill," while his son was called "Young Mill."
James Mill was Scottish (a group considered of low status at the time). From a young age, his intelligence and diligence earned him the admiration of Sir John Stuart, the director of the Scottish Board of Trustees. He was then sent to the University of Edinburgh to study, funded by a foundation established by Sir John Stuart's wife, Jane, and several other ladies to educate young men for the Scottish Church. After completing his general university courses, he obtained a missionary certificate but never held a church position, finding solace in his ability to disbelieve the doctrines of this church or any other.
In the following years, he worked as a private tutor for several families in Scotland. Soon after, he gave up his teaching career and moved to London, earning a living by writing, with only the unstable income from magazine articles. It wasn’t until 1819 that he secured a position with the East India Company. In his Autobiography, Mill described two remarkable things about his father during this period: one was that he married and supported a large family with only the unstable earnings from magazine articles, and the other was that under such a heavy burden, he still planned, prepared, and completed the writing of History of British India, a work originally expected to take three years but actually took eleven. During the entire writing period, he devoted considerable time almost every day to educating his children, especially his eldest son, Young Mill, with an extraordinary amount of labor, heart, and patience, something rarely seen in other parents. It was a difficult time.
James Mill’s research on Indian history had a decisive influence on Young Mill’s childhood and later career. When Young Mill was eleven, he helped his father proofread History of British India. Shortly after the book’s publication in 1818, James Mill was appointed as an assistant examiner for the East India Company, leveraging his professional expertise. This appointment significantly improved the family’s financial situation. He purchased a country home where he could study the philosophical and political issues that interested him and also help his eldest son choose a free profession. He once considered having John Mill pursue a legal career but, in 1823, when another assistant examiner position became available at the company, James Mill secured it for his son. As a result, John Mill worked for the British Indian government until his resignation in 1858. In the later years of his youth, Young Mill participated in all of his father’s writing activities. When Young Mill received his position with the East India Company in 1823, people saw him as a replica of James Mill.