Norwich bulletin., 1922-09-15
fIErIttsn Esneclallr For Ths Bulletinl

Cwritten Especially For The Bulletin) Perhaps you noticed. the other day. that fhe railroad labor board had prompt iV turned down a demand from one Crahic. assuming to represent certain EtrIkcrs. that it immediately define "a living waEen
 of course it did What else could it Go. As we said a week or two ago. when talking over this subject, it is iu- possible for any human being to tell what is a living wage for some other hu- han being What is a ving wager" Ecu might just as se-- -sy ask; How ttr is a piece of cheese" or. How old is D thousand-pound horse?"
 What one famFly wastes at each meal. Another family might live on for q whole day. What one would regard as "a scrimny lunch another would think a pretty good dinner One man wants krIcizsrs and spats and silk shirts and ff ties. while another gets along. less Ehouiiy but a good deal more comforta- hiy. in overalls and a blouse. One wo- man sniveis that she has nothing fit to wear" and another would evolve dozen triumphs of adornmeut from the rum magp in the first ones discarded gowns They ussd to say thas what was one hans meat vas another mans poison. Also. it has been a trite truisn for two Thousand years that tastes differ No two people are exactly alike In desires ur capacities or ssif-controi. Tn ancient mythology can be found the tale of a htrutc1 old ldng named Procrustes, who had a bed just five cubits long When some weary traveller craved his hospi- tzi'ty he promptly took him in and sent hlu co this bed. IT. on lying down. the guest was found to lack a few inches of being as long as the bed. the rack was brought in and he was stretched till he ffted. even if his backbone had to be pulled apart in the process. If. on the bther hand. the guest was a little too fcrs, 60 that hIs feet hung over. the axe Fas called for and enough of him chop Rei or Co bring him within the bed hcsis
 As I recall tho legend. this sort of rcucrc. resulted in making King Procrus- lss a somewhat unpopular person. There ig and always has been a prevalent belief in the truth as enunciated by Sage k1rcho Panza that Every man is as Bod made him-and sometimes a good Seal worse" Practically an attempts to buiid one over result in something "a rrod deal worse than the original. im- tcrfect as that may be.
 Tfc attempt of PVocrustes to make every man, short or long. At his idea of ut1t a bed should be, was no more ab- Euro or Unreasonable than would be a Nc-ih American attempt to make every nr live according 70 some court's or 51a-1f conception Of what should be "a i-.nr ware." The thing would be ridicu- 4crs if thero weren't SO many lunk- hcans roaming around and maundering about it-
 The sfafs Of New York has lust finished tiE National Guard encampment at pefkEcn. It has lasted several weeks. with chaurinr eortinrents of guardsmen arriving and departing. tn total of 10- 900 had been drilled and trained-and fst- Its in that last function that im- rasdiate interest centers. Now that it's on over the conmissary officers report that it cost just fifteen cents a meal to rafion each man. He had plenty of sub startai food three meals day. and rfien meat at an three. Everybody knows that hearty. strong men, engaged ln strenuous military exercise and drill have robust aupetites as well. They want indeed they must have. good food and plenty of it There was no scrimp frE ir quantity or quality at the PeelSs kir camp And a whole summer-lonf trst hnr now demonstrated that ter thcuranf tarf-woryinr. big-eating m z, EaU "H VI. NllHtN- afelIuaLFly anu rdl trfactoriir fed day after day and weel after week. even Rt present high prices. ror ffteen cents a meal or forty-five cent a day.
 Not long ago d worried bouseixeepe' u-r-r Co our local county paper that sh' rouicr't give her family of four even ; f-rrtv and inadequate luncheon for les thqn S1.s5. or a little over forty-one cent Tor each.
 There you have two Illustrations. mi he- wom7n raid almost as much for ; Hreic -'rhf lu1ch. per head. as 1t cost t lcrf 60 hrsgy national guardsman thre bguarc nea-s.
 I've rundu H 70 study. in the last fey r1crths. Co fnd out about what t cost rry ns rihors Co live. Some of them tall ruiie farals about it. Some are nor cigso-u1uulhed or less well-informec Auyvay. I've now got nine families O ruv list not one Of whom spends or need fo Fpend as much as S5e0 year to Hv' Erhey vary in numbers from two to si, rhey au live in homes regarded as com fdrtable by country standards; are a rdceuately nourished. as their appearanc