Notes on the English Character

First note.I had better let the cat out of the bag at once and record my opinion that the character of the English is essentially middle class.There is a sound historical reason for this,for,since the end of the eighteenth century,the middle classes have been the dominant force in our community.They gained wealth by the Industrial Revolution,political power by the Reform Bill of 1832;they are connected with the rise and organization of the British Empire;they are responsible for the literature of the nineteenth century.Solidity,caution,integrity,efficiency.Lack of imagination,hypocrisy.These qualities characterise the middle classes in every country,but in England they are national characteristics also.