RELIGION OF THE VILLAGE 127 



cottage, his limbs twisted and gnarled by 

 rheumatism a worn-out toiler who had 

 brought up a large family to the best of his 

 ability ; and often as he sat there gazing into 

 the feeble embers, a tear would roll down his 

 cheek, and he would exclaim, half to himself, 

 " I wonder what it all means." Neither the 

 parson's sermons nor the vigorous hymns of 

 the Methodist chapel could satisfy the be- 

 wildered mind of this village agnostic, and so 

 he and two-thirds of his neighbours stayed at 

 home, communing it may be with their own 

 simple souls and " wondering what it all 

 meant." 



How then can we best explain the com- 

 paratively feeble growth of religious faith 

 in a soil so well adapted for its welfare ? The 

 Established Church fails largely because its 

 clergy are chosen from the " classes." It was 

 one of Mr. Gladstone's least wise utterances 

 that the Establishment provided us with 

 the blessing of at any rate one gentleman 

 in every parish. Gentleman indeed 1 This 

 standard of " gentility " has formed one of 

 the main obstacles to the spiritual efficiency of 

 the Anglican Church. The general atmosphere 

 of many country rectories is one of paupertas 

 ambitiosa the hat-touchings and curtseyings, 

 the wagonette driven by the gardener in 



