MANNERS AND MORALS 141 



experts that we are living in a fool's paradise seeing 

 that dishonesty is so ingrained in us that it will always 

 find out a way to defeat our best efforts. 



This charge may then be dropped for the present 

 at all events. When our moral condition has been 

 properly examined and reported on by travellers and 

 missionaries from Thibet or some undiscovered country 

 on the other side of the Mountains of the Moon we 

 may be in a position to affirm that Cornwall is not as 

 honest as, say, Middlesex. 



But if honesty is or ought to be a painful subject, 

 perhaps in discussing the question of truthfulness 

 we shall be able to make out a better case and recover 

 our self-esteem. Here we have it as it is stated by 

 one of my correspondents : " However bad the 

 English commercial morality may be, the average 

 Englishman's word still stands for something. When 

 he lies he does so deliberately for some important 

 purpose. Some other races, including the Celts, 

 appear to have a different perception of truth, and to 

 lie, as children do, readily and gracefully, because 

 lies and exaggerations are more interesting and agree- 

 able than plain truth. A difference of temperament : 

 the Englishman may be better or worse, but he knows 

 where he is and resents being fooled." 



This reminds me of the experience of a young 

 friend of mine, a pure Englishman, exceptionally 

 intelligent, and so sympathetic and adaptive that he 

 is happy with all sorts of people and they with him. 

 From boyhood he has lived in Wales, a somewhat 

 rambling life, in towns, villages and farm-houses, 



