On Compromise

John Morley, 1st Viscount Morley of Blackburn (1838 -1923) was a British Liberal statesman, writer and newspaper editor. He quarreled with his father over religion and left Oxford early without a degree. His father had wanted him to become a clergyman. Morley alluded to this rift in On Compromise (1874). Morley was a follower of John Stuart Mill. In On Compromise Morley speaks of his own search for truth and contemplates modern issues of compromise and conformity. He believes in tolerating dissent and speaking freely. The author says man has "the right of thinking freely and acting independently, using our minds without excessive awe of authority, and shaping our lives without unquestioning obedience to custom."