We come to Sir Roger himself, the character that Addison loved as
Dickens loved _Pickwick_, as Cervantes loved _Don Quixote_, as Rabelais
loved his _Pantagruel_. Sir Roger was no wooden puppet, no dummy
stuffed with straw. He lived. He had his faults, his opinions, his
character. His is a type that has passed away. The county squire,
in his position as magistrate, land owner, benefactor, respected
authority, no longer exists. Be it remembered, there was, as William
Morris used to point out, much of good, as well as much of evil, in
the feudal system. In that day the land owner’s domain, was a little
state, paternally governed. We have freed ourselves from that, to
become institution governed. A Sir Roger scolded his tenants, knew
their affairs, gave them advice, assistance, orders. There was indeed,
a “mixture of the father and the master of the family” in him. He lived
with his people and was respected, obeyed, loved; the simplicity of
his tastes put him on something very near a level with them. That was
something, as it is always something to see authority face to face.
* * * * *