252 
POLITICAL ECONOMY 
and accomplish the good and great is the wish 
of every age in its most exalted mood, but 
intuition will not satisfy this wish, and move 
ment backed by confused ideas means mere 
bustle without achievement. The nature of 
man and of the product of his gregariousness in 
society must be explored, if social efforts are 
not to meet with disappointment, and in their 
exploration we shall find ourselves studying 
now Ethics and Psychology, now Political 
Science and Sociology, and now the romance of 
History. The investigation of ends or ideals 
is out of the question in these closing pages, 
but expression may be given to two thoughts 
connected with the bearing of abstract 
economics on their construction. It is an 
error—from which the past has suffered— 
to suppose that the ideal social system must 
necessarily be very like the one now pictured 
by the abstract economist when for purposes 
of theory he removes social friction. Yet, 
economic theory may afford help in testing the 
workableness of schemes of reform ; but we 
must be on our guard against trusting over 
much to the infallibility of the economic test 
when it is abstract, and against assuming too 
readily that circumstances are unmodifiable 
when our economic test is realistic—though, 
granting that “ we were fishes and may become