Evening star., 1916-11-26
HIGH COST OF LIVING
By Sheldon s. Cline.
No. III.
Of the Economic
Parasite
No. III.

1t created a genuine sensation in
Caveland when it became known that
oof was getting meat for his family
with no exertion other than whiting
bone ornaments for Mrs. Olo and her
daughters. 1t was something new in
the experience OF mankind, and had
there been a CavevIlle newspaper the
story would have been a first-page SEN
sation.
Two things developed almost at once
all the other women decided they
simply must have nose bones like those
Mrs. Olo was wearing. and about every
second man wanted to whittle crna-
ments instead of hunting. Those OF
the cavemen who, prodded on by their
wives. undertook to kill extra game
IN order to buy bone ornaments soon
found they were up against IL good and
hard You see, they hadn't superior
weapons. like those Bojo made for Olo.
Bojo. the weapon maker. found him
self swamped with orders. Instead Of
Olo being his only customer. a score of
other cavemen now wanted his weapons.
amount of flesh the Bojo family could
those bone ornaments. and she gave
her husband to understand there would
be no peace in the Bojo cave until she
got them. Bojo already was working
to capacity. making weapons to trade
to Olo for meat, and he didn't. for the
life of him, see how the nose bones
were to be managed. But there must
have been more than the average
amount of gray matter inside that low
browed skull. for he blazed trail
which captains of industry have fol-
lowed to this day. He put up prices.
Instead of twelve weapons a day in
exchange for meat for his family he
offered Olo six. That would make the
hunting lot harder for Olo. but he
had to accept, for Bojo had a monop-
oily of the improved weapon supply.
and demand was strong. The six weap-
ons a day thus released, Bojo sold to
another hunter for meat sufficient to
feed a family. He didn't need this
meat himself. but he traded 1t of to a
bone whittier who had set up in COM
petition with Oof-and Mrs. Bojo's nose
soon was adorned.
Bojo was planning another advance in
price and had visions of great wealth.
but the first thing he knew two or
three other weapon-makers had enter
ed the field as his competitors. Prices
came down with a rush, and pretty
soon Bojo was having to work early
and late in order to get meat enough
for his own family. Nose-bone compe-
whittlers were barely making a living.
* *
Things were drifting back toward
normal, when some genius discovered
section of followed log made a fasci-
mating musical instrument. Drums be-
came all the rage, and more hunters
i
featuring them. This left SO few men
to provide meat that it was apparent
they must have better weapons or the
tribe would go hungry. So the spear
was invented.
The vicious circle thus launched still
is in swing today, with an ever-grow-
ing proportion of non-producers, who
must be fed by the producers. Intro
duction of drums into Caveland devel-
oped men who made living by pound
ing them, and the professional must-
clan. another parasite. came into being.
Caveland society now was becoming
complex. and some sort of tribal gov
ernment was necessary. The cavemen
elected a chief, who appointed under
strappers, and another set of parasites
was created. Some men were more
skilled in arms, and became profess
sional soldiers. Religion brought its
priests, who were not producers. Lit
erature and art were born, and tho
multiplication of parasites went on
IL x
The tribe would have starved 10
death, of course, had there not been
constant improvement in weapons.
making possible a constant increase in
the game each hunter killed. 1t is not
to be doubted that, on the whole, the
lives of the cavemen were broader and
brighter and better in every way as
result of this progress. They now had
interests beyond merely eating and
sleeping and wits were being sharpen
ed 1t was good, very good, indeed
except when things got out of plumb.
There were periods when the propor-
ton of parasites grew so large II
swamped the producers. Suffering and
want resulted and meat got SO dear
the common people couldn't afford it.
Next-Three new and expensive lux