This is a more agreeable chapter to write than the two which have preceded it, for the idea of patriotic duty is always ennobling, even when that difficult kind of duty is irregularly practised and imperfectly understood.
Effect of the Insular Position of England.
If England were a continental Power the sense of patriotic duty would probably be the same with Englishmen that it is with Frenchmen. The insular position of England has given an exceptional character to the national views of duty.
Ideal and Practical Views of Patriotic Duty.
They are more ideal in England, more practical in France. The Englishman thinks, “If I were called upon to make sacrifices for my country I would certainly make them.” No doubt he would, but most Englishmen pass through life without being obliged to make any patriotic sacrifice except the payment of taxes, and the French are taxed still more heavily, even in money.
English Patriotism Reliable.
A Peculiar Danger.
English patriotism may be absolutely relied upon by the Government so far as the sentiment is concerned, and the consequent willingness to accept the burden of practical duty in a time of national calamity; but the danger is that the calamity might be sudden, in which case the efforts of a national patriotism would be unorganised and the patriots themselves untrained.
The Volunteers.
The Militia.