Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1896-09-18
POUND-CAKE vs.. ASH-CANE.
A Financial Parable and Analogue

I POUND-CAKE VS.. ASH-CHNE'
A Financial Parable and Analogue
And this is the parable Of the
staff Of life: ,
In Felicia the Lord bad provided
two grains for bread, and one OF
these was called wheat, and the
other was called corn, or maize.
And the King had opened mills
for the grinding Of these grains
where both were ground equally,
without price and without limit.
The land was fertile, yielding
both wheat and corn; but the great
er Weld was commonly Of corr, and
wheat sold at higher price among
the people because it was scarcer
and made finer and whittier lOaves.
Yet the two grains gave abund-
ance and happiness. Ii the wheat
lacked, the corn supplied The def
cheney, if the corn was scant the
wheat came in answer to the call
for bread; so that no man suffered
Of hunger in Felicia And the corn
was every mans crop. They who
could not grow wheat, grew corn,
and they who ate no wheat, grew
satisfied with the corn ground free
ly at the Kings mills. Both in
quantity and inprice the two grains
5hus co-operated together to feed
the people, without possibility OF
monopoly and extortion.
But Mammon, who distributed
5he grains and the -four and the
meal thereof to the people, saw
how he could control the situation
and make a mighty deal in wheat
(the scarcer grain and the more to
be desired) if he could persuade the
King to close the mills against corn.
And so he sent his Professors and
bis Bankers and his Scribes and his
Lawyers to the King: and they
said: "Oh. King! wheat is the on
ly food fit for thy people. 1t
abounds; it is healthful, beautiful
and sweet; it is more desired OF all
men and nations; corn is food only
for swine. Therefore, close thy
mills against corn, and allow wheat
only to be ground therein. So will
Felicia wax greater among the ma
tons; and with wheat as Che sole
and single staff Of life, our people
will live longer, grow richer and
richer, and become the happier as
the delicious biscuit shall OF every
table take the place Of the coarse
and unsavory ashcake."
So it seemed wise to the King;
and forthwith he issued his edict
that thenceforward no corn should
be ground in any of the mills Of
Felicia, which should remain open
only to the free and unlimited
grinding Of golden wheat.
For a time, all things seemed to
work well, Notwithstanding the
edict. But soon the people who
had eaten corn bread found that
trey could not turn their corn Into
meal, as the mills were closed to
everything but whCa'. They bad
to eat wheat or starge; and 10! by
reason Of discrimination against it,
com became almost worthless III
exchange for wheat, as everything
else had also become by reason of
the mill edict. And they who had
eaten wheat only found that it had
risen enormously in price, not SIM
ply because it had been made the
sole staff of life, but because Nam
mon and his men had cornered the
wheat product, which had now be-
come easy, as this product was
much less than that Of corn and as
corn had been excluded from the
mills and the bread market, and
could no longer come to the rescue
Of wheat and it's consumers.
Thus it came to pass that even
the Kings Baker was sorely put to
it to furnish the accustomed loavcs
for the Royal Table. All the Kings
Household and Retainer8, who had
formerly been served with corn
pone, had now to be fed on -four.
So that with the Royal Carriers
bursting with corn, there was scant
bread on the Royal Table. But
Mammon and Company had store
of wheat, and for a while they
cheerfully took the Kings orders
Tor bonds) in exchange for wheat;
but the peoples orders or bonds
were disdained-Mammon 4 Com
pany double-locking their wheat
bins against all popular demands
insomuch that the people starved
while the King Toasted ard still
kept a reserve or surplus OF wheat
by a liberal issue of Royal orders or
bonds warranted to produce wheat
and nothing but wheat.
At length. when the people had
W@ak I laGnmS