Ill

THE RETURN TO GOLD

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and “economy and hard work,” it might befound that they, too, had no objection to a de-liberate attempt to keep prices steady and tradeon an even keel, and that, whilst they feel atfirst the same distaste towards any proposal to“tamper” with “the natural course” of pricesas they might feel towards an attempt to settlethe sex of a child before birth, they are notreally prepared to insist on their instinctive pre-ference for having these matters settled by somemethod of pure chance.

(ii) February 1925

Once more the Bank chairmen have held upfor our inspection tjieir financial fashion-plates.The captions vary; but the plates are mostlythe same. The first displays marriage with thegold standard as the most desired, the mosturgent, the most honourable, the most virtuous,the most prosperous, and the most blessed ofall possible states. The other is designed toremind the intending bridegroom that matri-mony means heavy burdens from which he isnow free; that it is for better, for worse; that itwill be for him to honour and obey; that thehappy days, when he could have the prices andthe bank-rate which suited the housekeepingof his bachelor establishment, will be over—though, of course, he will be asked out morewhen he is married; that Miss G. happens to bean American, so that in future the prices ofgrape-fruit and pop-corn are likely to be more

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