THE CHILDHOOD

OF

THE ENGLISH NATION.

CHAPTER I.

A NATION has a growth as truly as an individual, and a
nation's history should be the story of that growth, and not
a mere chronicle of disjointed facts. And just as the life of
an individual receives its character to a large degree from the
events of its earliest years, nay even from events which took
place before its birth, so the key to the history of a nation
must often be sought in its earliest days, and even in the
time before it began to be a nation indeed. Inasmuch as
this is the case in the history of the English nation, the
study of the earlier periods of that history ought never to be
thought uninteresting. They contain the germs of all that
has since come to pass. The various changes and modifica→
tions which after history has brought about, can only be
understood by knowing what the original elements were on
which time and circumstance did their work.

The first great step in every nation's history is that by
which it passes from barbarism to civilisation, from anarchy
to organisation. That we may not use these words loosely,
let us try to form some clear notions of what they mean.
The word civilisation is derived of course from
the Latin word for a citizen, and thus the idea is
suggested that life in cities is the life which, above all others,
is the opposite of barbarism. People who live in cities dwell

Civilisation.

THE CHILDHOOD

OF

THE ENGLISH NATION.

CHAPTER I.

NATION has a growth as truly as an individual, and a
ton's history should be the story of that growth, and not
e chronicle of disjointed facts. And just as the life of
vidual receives its character to a large degree from the
of its earliest years, nay even from events which took
before its birth, so the key to the history of a nation
en be sought in its earliest days, and even in the
efore it began to be a nation indeed. Inasmuch as
the case in the history of the English nation, the
the earlier periods of that history ought never to be
uninteresting. They contain the germs of all that
e come to pass. The various changes and modifica→
ich after history has brought about, can only be
od by knowing what the original elements were on
me and circumstance did their work.

ation.

st great step in every nation's history is that by passes from barbarism to civilisation, from anarchy That we may not use these words loosely, to form some clear notions of what they mean. Ford civilisation is derived of course from Word for a citizen, and thus the idea is that life in cities is the life which, above all others, site of barbarism. People who live in cities dwell

B

Civilisation.