The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1920-12-10
WASTE

the Miami Herald enumerating in fig
ures on waste given by DR.. Frank
Crane whose contributions to the
press are always readable and enter
The accumulation of figures CT this
clever correspondent amount N the
aggregate to something over six bill
lion dollars-an almost staggering
amount to be wasted.
But in reality is there any such a
thing as waste?
From philosophic and scientific
standpoint the question may be an
swered in the negative.
If there had been such thing as
waste the wcrld would have long since
dissolved into nothingness.
Docks would have crumbled into
dust and blown away; the forests
would have fallen into decay and eeas-
ed to exist; the waters would have
evaporated and disappeared.
Everything that was in the world At
the time of its creation is here today
nCthing has been lost; there is nothing
in the world today that was not here
at the time of its creation
Every created thing has simply pass
ed into other forms and assumed other
shapes. Matter is eternal and viii ex-
list forever.
There rs no waste-nothing is ever
lost
God was too provident fer such
things to occur.
But regarding waste from the stand
point and meaning of the writer's
not the world made richer and better
for the extravaganza" of those who
are blessed with plenty?
Take for example the tobacco item
and the money spent for its consump-
ton as told by Dr.. Crane.
He says that we waste annually on
cigarettes, SS00,O00,OOO; on cigars,
$510,OOO.OOO; on plug. tobacco and
snuff. sS00,000,0OO.
Admitting for the sake of argument
that the figures are correct and that
the use of tobacco is a useless. I'M
necessary. indicate and unrefined
habit: then let us suppose that the
use of it were forbidden BIZ law and
its planting discontinued. how many
thousands would be injured and re-
duced to want by the practice of such
economy?
The following is a partial enumer-
alton:
The farmer who plants the seed. the
horny handed sons of toll who till
the ground and gather the crop: the
middle-man; the manufacturer who
reduces the raw material into the
finished product: the wood and paper
box makers; those who print and paste
the labels, and finally the wholesale
ana retail dealers, all are bettered nv
those who are solaced by its use.
IL is not toe much to saw that mil
lions are engaged in the tobacco in.
dustry and if the planting were sud
denly and permanently prohibited if
would bring dire misfortune to many
who handle it.
me same argument may be brought
10 pear on all the articles enumerated
IN DR.. Cranes list of waste
1t is well for the world that those
wha are fortunate enough to make
money are generous enough to snend
IT. 0i'"
|, me generous spender. is benefac-
tor.
IL we were all misers and only sana
rated ourselves from our pennias 70,
the absolute necessaries of life tha
world would soon become a tame and
comfortless affair. There would no
very little happiness abroad in the
land. 'ie
IL the inhabitants of the world hos
ass oeen so we would still be living
III wlndowless huts and but little 20.
moved from the beasts of the forasts
Extravaganza may be carried tco
Tar but 1t is more helpful and is pro.
dtctiVe of far more prosperity than
d 700 severe and a too rigid sys-
tenn of economy.
me spendthrift-the easy generous
spender-does mere for his fallows
than the miser-more than the slotb.
ful, stinsy individual who burios IT.
'aients or hides his hoardings in old
tir cans or hollow logs