village where their forefathers lived, and to carry away with them a
photograph of the church, some ivy from the tower, some flowers from
the rectory garden, to preserve in their western homes as memorials of
the place whence their family came. It would not be the same thing if
they were to be referred to a dusty office in a distant town. Some
wise people say that all registers should be sent to London, to the
Record Office or the British Museum. That would be an impossibility.
The officials of those institutions would tremble at the thought, and
the glut of valuable books would make reference a toil that few could
undertake. The real solution of the difficulty is that county councils
should provide accommodation for all deeds and documents, that all
registers should be transcribed, that copies should be deposited in
the county council depository, and that the originals should still
remain in the parish chest where they have lain for three centuries
and a half.




CHAPTER XVIII

OLD CUSTOMS THAT ARE VANISHING


Many writers have mourned over the decay of our ancient customs which
the restlessness of modern life has effectually killed. New manners
are ever pushing out the old, and the lover of antiquity may perhaps
be pardoned if he prefers the more ancient modes. The death of the old
social customs which added such diversity to the lives of our
forefathers tends to render the countryman's life one continuous round