Evening star., 1932-02-21
7 F there is one simple and obvious
fact that these hard times have
developed, it is that the chief fear
of human heinps is that they will

fact that these hard times have
developed. it is that the chief fear
1 of human beings Is that they will
not get enough to eat.
It seems to me we ought to end that
fear. as far as America is concerned,
once and for all
What a wonderful thing that would
be-to take away humanitys chief fear!
Then. after We had that all fixed, we
would 60 for the next basic trouble
and see what could be done about 1t,
whatever it was.
Not to have one single person in the
Nation afraid of hunger would mean
that we struck a new note in the
progress Of the world For fear is very
expensive; nine-tenths Of the crimes
that are committed are actuated by
fear. and much other wretchedness-
pitiful anxiety in human hearts, appre-
tensions Of old age of destltutlon.
children worrying. parents overbur-
dened-is just simple fear.
Money worries are commonplace;
even the comparatively rich worry
about money And that worry has
hunger at its very base.
Not shelter-there are always hay
barns and cheap lodgings. One family
of nine that I know we'll is living IN a
one-room shed that rents for S. q
month-and they don't have to pay
that until they're ready! Not clothing
clothes last long time; all charity
bureaus give away clothes. Not even
shoes for there are few back doorways
through which a pair of old shoes can't
be passed, two or three times a year.
RUT food. There's the rub. We
- must have food, twice day, and
children must have 1t ottener. Inc
quantity and the quality of it can be
reduced. but not for long, especially
for hard-working folk.
Fathers and mothers look at their
small families anxiously They are al
ways hungry, the children, and how
much oatmeal and toast and milk and
fruit they need! And suppose some
For many years my brother and I, in
late teens and early 20's, were cruelty
concerned upon this one point We
could keep the younger children housed
and clothed, but how the food prices
scared US!
All the while generous government
was offering us schooling, all sorts OF
schooling, special schooling, night
schooling, business schooling, technical
schooling. for nothing And the school
ing cost three times what the food
would have cost,
It is one of the ironies Of poverty
that wealth and power offer the things
Won don't want and can't use, and the
little that would keep fear away is de-
MED.
rs your idea" a college professor
wrote me sternly, after an article on
this subject years ago. Ito pauperize all
American"
It is not. If free schooling doesn't
pauperize us all mentally. why should
free food pauperize us physically!
sandwich is very much less important
than a lesson, yet who wouldn't take
the lesson without question and feel
that he jeopardiZed his dignity oy
taking the sandwich?
And since the professor was kind
enough to ask the question, I'll answer
it. My idea would be to have re-
fectories in every town and in every
district. where any man, woman and
child could go and have free, plain,
hct, filling meal.
And if that be treason, make the
most Of it.
GONE of these eating places might
- be in schools We don't use our
schools much. There they are, mag
nificent buildings with gyms and pools.
recreation halls and auditoriums, and
we use them five hours day for five
days a week.
Food, especially when the Govern
ment buys it at less than wholesale
prices, is cheap. Everything else is ex-
pensive: service, rent, organization.
But food is cheap. And when food
is served cafeteria fashion the over
head is reduced enormously. 1t would
be cheaper to give child two good
hot filling meals daily than to put
him into a free kindergarten class.
And with all due respect to education,
In most cases 1 think the food would
do him more good than the books.
Many children, especially in the
crowded cities and factory towns, start
into school entirely unfit for any real
learning. Some of them graduate from
grammar school without having learned
very much. Some of them waste their
time all the way through; yawning.
idling, indifferent, uninterested. Thou
sands Of them in New York City alone
never will rise above 8-year-old work.
There are special schools for them.
had a long talk this year with
woman who had taught in one of these
schools for the deficient for II years.
Lots of them are chronic MANU-
triton cases." she said, "and many of
them have low vitality What can you
expect, when perhaps there are six
or seven of them living all Winter
long in two and three room apart
ments that are never really aired?
They seize upon any stray food like
wolves. They aren't interested in the
greatest common divisor; they're hun
CRY,
"One Of our teachers" she. said,
"took a 7-year -old child home with
her for few weeks. to build her up.
The change in the childs whole nature
was startling, it was pitiful. She grew
pretty and gay, she loved her lessons,
she was different person.
Which one of us isn't, being hungry
and weak and tired at the prospect of
a good meal? Why, half the fun of
travelling is in the meals; fascinating,
exciting meals. Not to know whence
your next nleal is coming, or to be dis
satisfied about your last meal, is to be
wretched. And wretchedness breeos
revolt and crime: it costs the Nation
much more than meals would cost, In
the end
WE can afford, as Nation, to feed
all our people. Millions, OF course,
would never have occasion to eat in
the public dining rooms. Just as more