60 THE POLICY OF THE PLOUGH 



a vast make-believe ; that it would be an humiliation 

 to deceive ourselves by Act of Parliament ; and that 

 self-respecting men could not possibly pass a law to 

 assert that a thing was what it was not, when all that 

 was necessary was to have the strength of mind to 

 change our hours of work in the summer. All this 

 criticism was true in itself, yet it left out of account the 

 simple fact that the British people are tenacious of their 

 customs and simply will not change them even though 

 the reward be great. The reward offered by the 

 Summer Time scheme was certainly great — a saving to 

 everyone in the expense of lighting, and long, healthy, 

 happy evenings which would arrive in the spring instead 

 of as before in the summer. Well, the " artificial " Act 

 was passed. It saved people the agony of reforming 

 themselves and was, of course, a great success. We 

 shaU never go back upon it. 



Under a similar impetus the agricultural policy of 

 the Minority Report as to the most urgent points of a 

 minimum wage and security for the farmer could be 

 passed in a few days, or at all events weeks, if the 

 Government would declare that a transformation of 

 our farming is necessary for our safety. The frame 

 must be ready for the picture to be thrust into it when 

 the war is over. 



A critical moment in our history comes nearer. If we 

 hesitate, the demobilised armies will melt away some- 

 where, certainly not to the land, and agriculture will 

 never again have such an opportunity of redemption. 

 We must take the current when ft serves or lose our 

 ventures, 



