第27部分(第2/7 頁)

ered　degradation　alike　as　men　and　as　citizens。　It　is　not　a　question　of　exchanging　one　form　of　fort　for　another；　the　instinct　which　made　an　Englishman　has　in　these　cases　perished。　Perhaps　it　is　perishing　from　among　us　altogether；　killed　by　new　social　and　political　conditions；　one　who　looks　at　villages　of　the　new　type；　at　the　working…class　quarters　of　towns；　at　the　rising　of　〃flats〃　among　the　dwellings　of　the　wealthy；　has　little　choice　but　to　think　so。　There　may　soon　e　a　day　when；　though　the　word　〃fort〃　continues　to　be　used　in　many　languages；　the　thing　it　signifies　will　be　discoverable　nowhere　at　all。

XIV

If　the　ingenious　foreigner　found　himself　in　some　village　of　manufacturing　Lancashire；　he　would　be　otherwise　impressed。　Here　something　of　the　power　of　England　might　be　revealed　to　him；　but　of　England's　worth；　little　enough。　Hard　ugliness　would　everywhere　assail　his　eyes；　the　visages　and　voices　of　the　people　would　seem　to　him　thoroughly　akin　to　their　surroundings。　Scarcely　could　one　find；　in　any　civilized　nation；　a　more　notable　contrast　than　that　between　these　two　English　villages　and　their　inhabitants。

Yet　Lancashire　is　English；　and　there　among　the　mill　chimneys；　in　the　hideous　little　street；　folk　are　living　whose　domestic　thoughts　claim　undeniable　kindred　with　those　of　the　villagers　of　the　kinder　south。　But　to　understand　how　〃fort；〃　and　the　virtues　it　implies；　can　exist　amid　such　conditions；　one　must　perate　to　the　hearthside；　the　door　must　be　shut；　the　curtain　drawn；　here　〃home〃　does　not　extend　beyond　the　threshold。　After　all；　this　grimy　row　of　houses；　ugliest　that　man　ever　conceived；　is　more　representative　of　England　to…day　than　the　lovely　village　among　the　trees　and　meadows。　More　than　a　hundred　years　ago；　power　passed　from　the　south　of　England　to　t