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MISCELLANEA [CHAP. XXII
tion spreading downwards through the community. But
what is going to be the result on the haunts of the Dryads,
the slopes of moorland or the Wylye valley Y
A statement once made- by a writer in The Times
demands attention. It was that the haze permanently
between us and the sun has increased in density in the
last hundred years, till to-day the whole country is deprived
of 40 per cent. 1 of sunlight throughout the year.
That is the average, including country and town areas.
One heinous mischief has resulted. A hundred years ago
many species of wild flowers which used to be fairly
common are now seen no more. \Vhen anyone hears this,
he languidly asks, " Well, ·but what is to be done ? ."
The only answer is, " Let the fact be known, and sooner
or later the remedy will be found-unless our countrymen
prefer death to life. It is far from certain that they
do not ; but every sensible citizen, if you can get him to
listen-that is an increasing difficulty-will readily take
in that we are quietly committing suicide as long as we
are apathetic about sunlight. The curious fact is that
durlng the last century the style of house building, the
spreading of London westwards, and the absorption of
Surrey by villas in preference to Herlfordshire, show that
we are now sun worshippers. We marvel that our forefathers
so often built their houses turned away from the
sun. One reason probably was that the master of the
house was out of doors all day, till 5 p.m., when dinner
began ; after which he was not in a condition to notice
where the sun was or where anything was, least of all
himself. His lady meantime had no say in the matter,
though it conCCined her far more closely than the lord.
Now that deep potations are discountenanced by public
opinion, and we do know the difference between sunshine
and murk, why is it so difficult to get people to put two
and two together ?
That is too large a question for this chapter. It may,
however, be remarked th&t an aphorism which I have
• An eminent ooienliat