In 1825, Henry Brougham founded the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge. In 1910, Henry Brougham entered into Parliament after several years as a Whig lawyer. During his time in Parliament, he worked to pass legislation against slave trade. Brougham was also known for his campaigns for reform and the advancement of education. The Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge was a widespread educational project that was able to be enacted throughout the British empire. The Society’s goal was to spread Western science and ideas around the world by distributing “cheap secular books and periodicals” (Johansen 2017). They wanted to supply inexpensive texts to a grow public that knew how to read so that they could learn without a proper education.
In the context of Middlemarch, the ideals of Brougham and the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge are called on in reference to Featherstone. In chapter 38, Mr. Cadwallader says, “I saw Farebrother yesterday—he’s Whiggish himself, hoists Brougham and Useful Knowledge; that’s the worst I know of him.” The incorporation of this detail about Farebrother shows his beliefs beyond his immediate political party as a Whig. It also shows the contrast of Brooke’s supposedly progressive views, though he doesn’t do right by his tenants and everyone knows. This could also show the importance of the growing access to educational materials during the age of the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge and the vest network of participants enacting change.
Johansen, Thomas. "SOCIETY FOR THE DIFFUSION OF USEFUL KNOWLEDGE." 2017. Web. 30 Sept. 2020.