Its members helped to tilt the scales against monarchy in the Glorious Revolution of 1688 and counterbalanced the landed aristocracy, securing pluralism and sowing the seeds of economic growth.

ECONOMIST: Creating economic wealth

But why should Americans, whose republic is founded upon the proposition that all men are created equal, be so fascinated by "Downton Abbey, " a soap opera (now in its second season on PBS) about the English landed aristocracy during the Edwardian era, in which all men are definitely not created equal?

WSJ: Theodore Dalrymple on the Secret Appeal of Downton Abbey