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Show BEATING THE H. C. L. A physician at Uniontown, Pennsylvania, Pennsyl-vania, steps forward with a suggestion for circumventing the high cost of living, liv-ing, which strikes us as the quintessence quintes-sence of solutions. 'Twere better to say, perhaps, that the doctor's plan aims at lowering the cost of food rather than the cost of living, for he makes a distinction which will become clearly evident as we proceed. The Uniontown medical man would have the country embark upon a fast of seven days. Only sick folks and the immature would not be required, or expected, to observe abstinence from food, but the latter would materially curtail their daily "intake." If the world would go on a voluntary volun-tary fast for seven days, says the good doctor, the "high cost of living disease dis-ease would be cured." If America would enter upon a fast for a week all the trouble which is upon us here at homo would be ended, he says. "If Uniontown alone would fast for one week, prices would tumble and the example would show the nation one effectual cure for its present great ill." The originator ia mo nu"-v with emphasis that instead of working an injury, such a period of abstinence would be productive of great physical benefit to every adult. "The health standard would be raised immeasurably," immeasur-ably," ho asserts. From a standpoint of money cost, the doctor calculates that if 50,000,000 Americans could bo induced to stop eating eat-ing for 168 hours the sum of $150,000,-000 $150,000,-000 would be saved to the family treasuries. treas-uries. Disclaiming any intent to engage in the vicious art of punning, we mignt suggest that while there is much food for thought in the Uniontown man's plan, there is littlo or none for tho body; and we take it that the general run of mankind today is more concerned con-cerned about feeding its stomach than its thought center. There is a very good opening, also, for picking flaws in the plan. For example, ono who labors in a cement factory would be likely to hositate long before voluntarily severing his connection connec-tion with ham and eggs for seven days. It is improbable, too, that the farmer or tho famer's son or his hired help would surrender the right to "three squares" a day for a whole week, especially espe-cially if it were harvest time, or hog-l,niinr hog-l,niinr time. There aro many other classes who would lend their approval to the Uniontown plan only grudgingly, if at all. . . There no doubt is a disposition in this country, however inexplicable it be, that if a man has to starve it will be through the machinations of the profiteer prof-iteer and not through his own doing. |