第29部分(第3/7 頁)

g　it　at　the　expense　of　other　peoples。　To　call　him　hypocrite；　is　simply　not　to　know　the　man。　He　may；　for　his　own　part；　be　gross…minded　and　lax　of　life；　that　has　nothing　to　do　with　the　matter；　HE　BELIEVES　IN　VIRTUE。　Tell　him　that　English　morality　is　mere　lip…service；　and　he　will　blaze　with　as　honest　anger　as　man　ever　felt。　He　is　a　monument　of　self…righteousness；　again　not　personal　but　national。

XXI

I　make　use　of　the　present　tense；　but　am　I　speaking　truly　of　present　England？　Such　powerful　agencies　of　change　have　been　at　work　during　the　last　thirty　years；　and　it　is　difficult；　nay　impossible；　to　ascertain　in　what　degree　they　have　affected　the　national　character；　thus　far。　One　notes　the　obvious：　decline　of　conventional　religion；　free　discussion　of　the　old　moral　standards；　therewith；　a　growth　of　materialism　which　favours　every　anarchic　tendency。　Is　it　to　be　feared　that　self…righteousness　may　be　degenerating　into　the　darker　vice　of　true　hypocrisy？　For　the　English　to　lose　belief　in　themselves……not　merely　in　their　potential　goodness；　but　in　their　pre…eminence　as　examples　and　agents　of　good……would　mean　as　hopeless　a　national　corruption　as　any　recorded　in　history。　To　doubt　their　genuine　worship；　in　the　past；　of　a　very　high　（though　not；　of　course；　the　highest）　ethical　ideal；　is　impossible　for　any　one　born　and　bred　in　England；　no　less　impossible　to　deny　that　those　who　are　rightly　deemed　〃best〃　among　us；　the　men　and　women　of　gentle　or　humble　birth　who　are　not　infected　by　the　evils　of　the　new　spirit；　still　lead；　in　a　very　true　sense；　〃honest；　sober；　and　godly〃　lives。　Such　folk；　one　knows；　were　never　in　a　majority；　but　of　old　they　had　a　power　which　made　them　veritable　representatives　of　the　English　ETHOS。　If　they　thought　highly　of　themselves；　why；　the　fact　justified　them；