第29部分(第2/7 頁)

　HIS　OWN　RELIGIOUSNESS。　As　an　Englishman；　he　holds　as　birthright　the　true　Piety；　the　true　Morals。　That　he　has　〃gone　wrong〃　is；　alas；　undeniable；　but　never……even　when　leering　most　satirically……did　he　deny　his　creed。　When；　at　public　dinners　and　elsewhere；　he　tuned　his　voice　to　the　note　of　edification；　this　man　did　not　utter　the　lie　of　the　hypocrite　he　MEANT　EVERY　WORD　HE　SAID。　Uttering　high　sentiments；　he　spoke；　not　as　an　individual；　but　as　an　Englishman；　and　most　thoroughly　did　he　believe　that　all　who　heard　him　owed　in　their　hearts　allegiance　to　the　same　faith。　He　is；　if　you　like；　a　Pharisee……but　do　not　misunderstand；　his　Pharisaism　has　nothing　personal。　That　would　be　quite　another　kind　of　man；　existing；　to　be　sure；　in　England；　but　not　as　a　national　type。　No；　he　is　a　Pharisee　in　the　minor　degree　with　regard　to　those　of　his　countrymen　who　differ　from　him　in　dogma；　he　is　Pharisee　absolute　with　regard　to　the　foreigner。　And　there　he　stands；　representing　an　Empire。

The　word　hypocrisy　is　perhaps　most　of　all　applied　to　our　behaviour　in　matters　of　sexual　morality；　and　here　with　specially　flagrant　misuse。　Multitudes　of　Englishmen　have　thrown　aside　the　national　religious　dogma；　but　very　few　indeed　have　abandoned　the　conviction　that　the　rules　of　morality　publicly　upheld　in　England　are　the　best　known　in　the　world。　Any　one　interested　in　doing　so　can　but　too　easily　demonstrate　that　English　social　life　is　no　purer　than　that　of　most　other　countries。　Scandals　of　peculiar　grossness；　at　no　long　intervals；　give　rich　opportunity　to　the　scoffer。　The　streets　of　our　great　towns　nightly　present　an　exhibition　the　like　of　which　cannot　be　seen　elsewhere　in　the　world。　Despite　all　this；　your　average　Englishman　takes　for　granted　his　country's　moral　superiority；　and　loses　no　chance　of　proclaimin