WHAT IS WRONG WITH ENGLAND ?
[To the Editor of the SPECTATOR.] Sma,—England is sick, sick to the heart, because many of her people are deliberately directing their wills wrongly. By " many of her people " I mean the great majority of dwellers in towns who are supported by salaries or by wages, and by " directing their wills wrongly " I mean are bending all their energies to having " a good time " now, regardless of past and of future. When the War ended all knew that England was poorer (by not less than five thousand millions of pounds) than in 1914.
Sensible people felt that we therefore must live more spar- ingly. The majority mentioned above have ignored this fact and still ignore it. They live now (I speak of what I know) even more luxuriously than in 1914. They have been aided in this by the figures called " the cost of living index number," which are published from time to time. No doubt these figures are true in a narrow technical sense, but they ignore many things, and encourage people to ignore them. I keep a careful record of household expenditure. During the worst years when the so-called " cost of living index number " was more than double that of 1914 my household did not spend more than twenty per cent. (one-fifth) more than in 1914. True, we bought herrings instead of salmon, margarine instead of butter, leg of beef instead of sirloin, sheep's head (often) for sheep's legs, and we economized in other ways, but it would be an abuse of language to call such trifles hardships. Our health was not affected at all, and our comfort only slightly. But even such trifles are anathema to the majority I write about. The slightest inconvenience, the most insignificant privation is called an " injustice," a quasi moral anger is thus roused against it, and means to remove it are threatened, means that would upset the whole fabric of society. And (pity 'tis) these threats have been successful far too often these past seven years.
I think I have now defined the disease that is afflicting England very clearly. It is the absolute determination of many of her people not to face hardship under any circum- stances or for any reason.—I am, Sir, &c.,
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