The house of Industry : a new estate of the realm

THE ADVENT OF INDUSTRIAL CONTROL 15

unhampered by an “‘ Upper House,’’ the creature of interests. And the picture of a House of Industry with the constitutional and moral authority to control and co-ordinate industry, happily independent of either a Mosley Cabinet or a Melchett junta, the Steward of the National Estate, the servant and not the master of citizenship. But both pictures must remain vague and unconvincing until we obtain intellectual assent to the formula that distinguishes politics from economics. A formula not easy to find.

That their lines intersect at many points is obvious; nevertheless, when we speak of politics and economics we mean two definite things. It is perhaps easier to know what we mean by economics than politics. Through the whole range of production and distribution we are clearly engaged in economic transactions. But many political acts cut across and affect economic life and conditions. The same may be said of religion. Religion has in fact played its part—a diminishing part—in business. Slave abolition, for example. Yet we have little difficulty in keeping religion in its place. Religion concerns itself more with politics than business. Do we not say of some man that his politics is his religion? Thus in the few lines here written our language naturally indicates with three different words three different things. To wit:—politics, economics and religion. If they were all one and the same, we should have the same word, with perhaps variations to express finer shades of meaning.