第15部分(第3/7 頁)

ace；　a　scion　of　England；　which　shaped　its　life　without　regard　to　the　principle　of　hereditary　lordship；　and　in　course　of　time　this　triumphant　Republic　began　to　shake　the　ideals　of　the　Motherland。　Its　civilization；　spite　of　superficial　resemblances；　is　not　English；　let　him　who　will　think　it　superior；　all　one　cares　to　say　is　that　it　has　already　shown　in　a　broad　picture　the　natural　tendencies　of　English　blood　when　emancipated　from　the　old　cult。　Easy　to　understand　that　some　there　are　who　see　nothing　but　evil　in　the　influence　of　that　vast　monwealth。　If　it　has　done　us　good；　assuredly　the　fact　is　not　yet　demonstrable。　In　old　England；　democracy　is　a　thing　so　alien　to　our　traditions　and　rooted　sentiment　that　the　line　of　its　progress　seems　hitherto　a　mere　track　of　ruin。　In　the　very　word　is　something　from　which　we　shrink；　it　seems　to　signify　nothing　less　than　a　national　apostasy；　a　denial　of　the　faith　in　which　we　won　our　glory。　The　democratic　Englishman　is；　by　the　laws　of　his　own　nature；　in　parlous　case；　he　has　lost　the　ideal　by　which　he　guided　his　rude；　prodigal；　domineering　instincts；　in　place　of　the　Right　Honourable；　born　to　noble　things；　he　has　set　up　the　mere　Plebs；　born；　more　likely　than　not；　for　all　manner　of　baseness。　And；　amid　all　his　show　of　loud　self…confidence；　the　man　is　haunted　with　misgiving。

The　task　before　us　is　no　light　one。　Can　we；　whilst　losing　the　class；　retain　the　idea　it　embodied？　Can　we　English；　ever　so　subject　to　the　material；　liberate　ourselves　from　that　old　association；　yet　guard　its　meaning　in　the　sphere　of　spiritual　life？　Can　we；　with　eyes　which　have　ceased　to　look　reverently　on　worn…out　symbols；　learn　to　select　from　among　the　grey…coated　multitude；　and　place　in　reverence　even　higher　him　who　〃holds　his　patent　of　nobility　straight　from　Almighty　Go