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Show KATHLEEN NORRIS 'Simplicity Is Not Just Poverty' T ONG AGO, when I was cub re- porter," writes Katharine Crosby Cros-by Maclnnis in Harpers Magazine, "my editor told me, when I asked for a raise, that if I'couldn't live on $20 a week I couldn't live on $50. I thought then," continues this spirited spirit-ed article, which she calls Living High, "that he was weak in the head. But now I see that he was right." Mrs. Maclnnis and her husband have done nothing sensational in living happily and richfully, and what is more important, living absolutely ab-solutely without fear, on an assured income of $90 a month. At least it oughtn't to be sensational. But it actually is. Inevitable Story Her story is the inevitable one when a man and wife are determined deter-mined to get what they want from life without beggary, debt, charity or worry. Of course they went to an unfashionable neighborhood on the outskirts of town; their first ference between freedom and slavery. And if slavery is the insufferable in-sufferable condition to us Americans, Amer-icans, freedom is certainly the most prized and wonderful. Make all the money you can, of course. Ask for the raise; climb to the higher place. Make a plan for success, and follow it. But while you are waiting, get down under your income, and you will find that eiderdown itself is not a more welcome wel-come covering on a cold night. Life is short. It's a pity to miss the thrills that come from a good realistic look at one's affairs, and a heroic decision to tear up roots, burn bridges, tilt with windmills and in every other way defy metaphors meta-phors and the opinion of the neighbors neigh-bors at the same time. For Mrs. Maclnnis' editor was right; if you want to live on any income at all today, you can, without worry and without debt. You can see all the good old movies, you can buy all the classics, and you can eat well. And if you can't manage that on $1,500 a year you couldn't manage it on that much a month. For proof of this look at your friends who have $1,500 a month. They are talking money trouble just as hard. as everyone else. They talk of taxes, insurance, wages, car maintenance, household equipment, dentist bills and the cost of private schools. One family 1 know on about that income keeps a son at a school whoso charges are $200 a month. Junior recently borrowed bor-rowed another boy's car and had an accident. "So I suppose the next thing is a car for Junior," said his mother with a sigh. ". . . had fruit trees . . ." home-owning venture was of a house that cost $825 and stood on a 50x120 lot, and had fruit trees. They preserved the fruit, raised vegetables, and paid $10 a month until they owned their place. After awhile they sold this house at a small profit and bought another, a bungalow with a view. Mrs. Maclnnis Mac-lnnis rarely has to buy clothes; perhaps she would answer that as a dignified Boston lady did: "We do not buy hats; we have our hats." When they entertain they turn to good old Boston beans and Apple Jonathan. I don't know Apple Jonathan, Jon-athan, but I do remember that my hospitalities years ago used to run to Spanish omelet, hot biscuit, and chocolate cornstarch with a little orange peel in it, and I imagine that it is about as economical a menu. Of course the Maclnnises sometimes some-times augmented their income, which was not always as much as $90, in many small ways. But they lived on the $90 and put everything else aside for a backlog. The backlog provides tickets when they travel. They are elderly persons and they love travel. Every little while they rent their house, go to some attractive place and settle down. They say that for what they want in the way of housing and food, expenses run about the same everywhere. Gay Adventure Well, theirs is a gay adventure, and you feel it as you read Living High. And you wonder how many families with five and 10 times that income are as free from worry, and, like them enjoying every minute of life. This woman has found the secret; the secret of not struggling to get more money than you legitimately can claim, for one thing, and not living at a rate that indicates that you have much more than you have. The difference between be-tween owing $453 in old bills, and having $453 in the Dank, is the dif- |