|
We know that hobbits, like Ents in a way, can be "roused" from their calm little rut in life to take serious action when necessary. After the War, they could have defended their country again if the situation called for it.
I always thought that Aragorn's law regarding Men in the Shire was a nice way to preserve the hobbits' way of life, but not entirely necessary. For a culture to expand and grow, it cannot be isolated from a vast and vivid world; it must be opened to it. As for the Dunedain, it would have been wiser for them to have clued the hobbits in about growing dangers, but they probably would not have been received well by most of the hobbits. Also, even the residents of Bree are unaware of the Dunedain's actions to protect them, so they were kept in the dark as well.
|