The Village assimilates ideas with miraculous speed; it gobbles them up, gets strong and well on the diet, and asks for more.

It is so eager for novelty and new ideals and new view-points that if nothing entirely virgin comes along, it will take something quite old, and give it a new twist and adopt it with Village-like ardour.
Oh, you mustn't laugh at the Village, you wise uptowners,--or if you laugh it must be very, very gently and kindly, as you laugh at children; and rather reverently, too, in the knowledge that in lots of essentials the children know ever so much more than you do! It is true that changes do come over the Village like the waves of the sea, even as my friend said.

But they are colourful waves, prismatic waves, fresh, invigourating and energetic waves, carrying on their crests iridescent seaweed and glittering shells and now and then a pearl.

The Village has its treasure, have no doubt of that; never a phase touches it but leaves it the richer for the contact.
You, too, going down into this port o' dreams will win something of the wealth that is of the heart and soul and mind.

You will come away with the sense of wider horizons and deeper penetrations than you knew before.