The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-08-14

tack looking in vain for men with matches
at the same time that men with matches
were unSuccessfully seeking men with
bareback. We felt-it was really a very IN
teresting rudimentary lesson in economics
that the existing state Of things was quite
unsatisfactory but we could not see how TO
better It. Our remote ancestors, no doubt,
had the same difficulty. which solved itself
by some cowrie-shell currency discovery.
We did not deliberately set to work and dis
cover a currency. 1t discovered itself
We found ourselves falling into the habit
OF bargaining in bacon fat. man possess
ing cooking tin. the bottom of which was
covered in bacon grease. discovered that he
had something which he could exchange for
almost anything obtainable. Bacon fat was
an article of general consumption and gen.
eral need. 1t had the first qualification of
currency-it was, at the same time, exceed
ingly useful and exceedingly scarce. Bacon,
especially fat bacon, fried in pan over
wood fire has the faculty of producing plen-
~ of grease. but then when you are up at
the front hungry and exhausted you want
all the bacon fat your bacon produces to
make your bread chewable.
BACON FAT PRECIOUS.
So it happened that after bacon meal a
man or mess found no more bacon fat
left than could be scraped off the tin with a
teaspoon. And at the same time bacon fat
was urgently needed when anything else
but bacon was to be cooked. Fried in IL
hard tack became delicacy. With its as
superb entree. Bacon fat was precious,
scarce and edible. 1t met to perfection
these three essential qualifications of per-
feet currency, and without any formal
agreement or even discussion of the SUBJ
ject bacon fat began to become regular
medium of exchange. 1t answered uncom-
monty we'll for a day or two, but then, when
some brisk marching had to be done, IL
began to manifest fatal defects. In not
r. I'M fa uUa mi a
had amassed considerable fortune IN pa
con grease wrapped 1t carefully up IN Dollar
bills and other bits of odd paper a ana
when, after a severe midday march, ne next
went to his hoard to goat over It. or 10
Gisspate some of it in luxurious cookery, OF
to take away some of 1t for the purchase or
tobacco, he found to his horror that lis
wealth. instead of increasing, had wholly
or partly melted away.
1t was there in his knapsack. no doubt, as
the condition of the other things showed
but instead of being in one compact, easily
handled pile it was so thinly spread over
large area that it was hopeless to endeavor
to gather it together again as capital. More
over bacon fat in climate SO varlaple as
tkat Of Cuba is perishable and when there
came sudden and great variations IN the
supply it finally dropped out of use as
regular medium.
Bacon fat had failed, but the need for cur
rency remained. Bootlaces were tried with
some little success, but there We're not
enough of them, nor was the demand UNI
versal. Then, quietly and gradually, put
surely and irresstibly, the commodity which
was to take it's proud place as the unlVer-
sal medium began to push itself by the
force of its undeniable merit to the 'front.'.
man desiring bacon offered hardtack,
matches or a bootlace. NO oeai; ne ne was vas
preached said eagerly, Got any chewing?
Yes. the first merchant still possessed the
small remnant Of bar or chewing toDdcco.
An immediate deal
Then one began to hear men going around
offering all kinds OF things IN excnansei hor
as currency began to be recognized. II was
the one commodity which every regular SOL
der desired. 1t was small in bulk; 1t was
light and easily portable. 1t did not de-
terorate in quality nor decrease In guam
tity by keeping Every bar was just ike
every other bar and every bar just
tbe same ALI Through man having a
present sufficiency of chewing tobacco was
still willing to acquire more And above
all, it had an intrinsic value wnlcn golo ana
silver never had nor never could have 1t
was edible and wearable and substitute
for anything and everything. If there were
no rations, why, then. TO the regular solder
a chew of tobacco supplied the deficiency.
If there was long march chew OF TOBACCO
was stimulant and water and comfortable
boots and a lightened pack. 1t was an ex-
cellent substitute for dry clothes. If the
shelter tent was drowned out in the night.
then chewing tobacco was just as good as
sleep. In world of discomfort 1T was COM
fort; in a world of glazing sun it was cool
shade; in a world of tropical rain it was a
nice dry bed in a nice dry house. 1t was
fire when every stick was too wet to burn;
it was horse to ride when you had to
tramp impossible roads carrying impossible
loads; it was transport and commissarat
and army medical service; it was a cold
bath in the morning and fresh eggs and
milk; it was an antidote to Shafterism, and
above all. it was tobacco.
The man who possessed it had everything
within his reach that any one else had, and
could do without anything else So every
one who had anything to sell sold it for
chewing tobacco. Men who never chewed
In their lives. and had no notion of chew
fr1cr RYo1 41,Ak
chewing tobacco was to have anything they
reasonably desired.