CHAPTER TWO 

 DOMESTIC PRODUCTION 



WITH Newton, it was the falling of an apple which 

 led to the discovery of gravitation. With Watts, it was 

 the popping of the lid of a boiling kettle which led to 

 the invention of the steam-engine. With the Borsodi 

 family, it was the canning of tomatoes which led to 

 the discovery of domestic production. Out of that 

 discovery came not only an entirely new theory of 

 living; it led to my writing several books dealing with 

 various phases of the discovery National Advertising 

 vs. Prosperity was the first; then came The Distribu- 

 tion Age, finally This Ugly Civilization. 



In the summer of 1920 the first summer after our 

 flight from the city Mrs. Borsodi began to can and 

 preserve a supply of fruits and vegetables for winter 

 use. I remember distinctly the pride with which she 

 showed me, on my return from the city one evening, 

 the first jars of tomatoes which she had canned. But 

 with my incurable bent for economics, the question 

 "Does it really pay?" instantly popped into my head. 

 Mrs. Borsodi had rather unusual equipment for doing 

 the work efficiently. She cooked on an electric range; 

 she used a steam-pressure cooker; she had most of the 

 latest gadgets for reducing the labor to a minimum. 



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