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POLITICS

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every one wants to know and which deeply affectevery one’s own life.

These questions also interlock with economicissues which cannot be evaded. Birth Control touches on one side the liberties of women, andon the other side the duty of the State to concernitself with the size of the population just as muchas with the size of the army or the amountof the Budget. The position of wage-earningwomen and the project of the Family Wageaffect not only the status of women, the first inthe performance of paid work, and the secondin the performance of unpaid work, but alsoraise the whole question whether wages shouldbe fixed by the forces of supply and demand inaccordance with the orthodox theories of laissez-faire ’, or whether we should begin to limit thefreedom of those forces by reference to what is“fair” and “reasonable” having regard to allthe circumstances.

Drug Questions in this country are practi-cally limited to the Drink Question; though Ishould like to include gambling under this head.I expect that the Prohibition of alcoholic Spiritsand of Bookmakers would do good. But thiswould not settle the matter. How far is boredand suffering humanity to be allowed, fromtime to time, an escape, an excitement, astimulus, a possibility of change?—that is theimportant problem. Is it possible to allowreasonable licence, permitted Saturnalia, sanc-tified Carnival, in conditions which need ruinneither the health nor the pockets of the roy-