THE  MONARCHY	45
is a Queen as Sovereign. At the sight of the word "King" it is
wise to stop and consider what is meant. When newspapers
report that the King has visited a factory and commented on
the working conditions, it is presumably Jiis personal opinion;
when they report the "King's Speech" at the beginning of a session
of Parliament, the word refers to the Crown, and the policy
expressed is the policy of Ministers.
honours.
By no means all the King's activities are political. There are
two spheres of work which are on the border of political and
non-political. Not only Peerages, but Knighthoods, Orders of
Merit, Companionships of Honour, and many other Honours
are conferred by the King. New Year's Day and the King's
Birthday are the usual occasions. Some of these Honours have
no political meaning—for example, the dignity of Dame conferred
on Ellen Terry. They are a recognition of eminence in any walk
of life and mark a definite stage in the career of a lawyer or Civil
Servant. All Honours Lists, however, contain a fair sprinkling
of Knighthoods and lesser distinctions conferred on the Chairmen
of the local organisations of the party in power, or on those of
its supporters in Parliament who have not, perhaps, obtained
distinction in other ways. In 1922 a scandal arose because many
people had obtained Honours by contributing generously to
the Party funds of the Coalition. No flagrant example has
occurred since; but it can hardly be doubted that a generous
gift will at least help the Party chiefs to remember one's name
when the next list is being prepared for the King's approval.
Political Honours have thus lost most of their lustre, and there
are probably many people in political life who would decline
them. At King George V's Jubilee in 1935 Honours were conferred
on some members of the Labour Movement, although a
Conservative Government was in power. There was some
feeling in the Labour Party that they should have been refused,
as inconsistent with the Party's belief in social equality. Any