Swing (Feb-Dec 1952)

Hard Cash Counts MONEY may or may not be everything — depending on how you look at it. But almost anything can serve as money if it's hard enough to obtain. Wampum, strings of colored corn, was the Indian cash when white men first met him. Redmen of the Pacific Northwest of 100 years ago used the scalps of red headed woodpeckers for currency. There was good reason. A scarce item was needed, and shooting a woodpecker with bow and arrow wasn't easy. As the Indians saw it, the scalps would never become commonplace, and a man's wealth would depend on his skill. But when the white men arrived with firearms, it became a comparatively easy task to go out and lie in wait for the little birds to settle in trees, then shoot them down. The Indian who learned to use a gun came home with his belt full of money. Wise heads in Indian councils saw the evil in this situation, and outlawed the currency before the woodpeckers were all killed. In West Africa, natives still use elephant tail money. A good tail will buy two slaves on the open market. A bristle pulled from an elephant tail makes acceptable small change, being worth about three American pennies. In like manner, rhinoceros horns, tiger tusks, claws of rare birds all serve as money in various parts of the world. The largest chunk of cash on record is a 1,000 pound stone "donut" on the Island of Yap in the far Pacific. At current prices, it will buy one wife, one canoe, and 10,000 cocoanuts. This coin isn't for anybody's purse. It is twelve feet across, and although difficult to move, it does get around — serving its purpose well. Of course, after its bartering days, America had many types of legal tender. The most unique was the currency designed for Tubac, Arizona, in the 1860's. Etchings of barnyard animals designated the worth of each bill. A pig was "one bit," or 12j/i cents. A calf was "two bits," or 25 cents. Fifty cents was represented by a rooster, and a horse meant a dollar. Big money was the five dollar bull. Because few of the settlers could read, picture money was used to avoid confusion and swindling. The Tubac paper money, now reposing in the safes of the treasury department, marked the only time the United States government has deviated from its policy of portraying presidents on its folding currency. — BflTTiey Schuiartz THE AMERICAN CAR It's a vehicle which the average man pampers far more than he does his family . . . When it's new, its proud owner shoos away butterflies lest they trample the paintwork . . . But when it's old, the blast of a flame-thrower would just slightly annoy him . . . It's usually two inches longer than old-style garages . . . When the weatherman sees it being washed, he confidently predicts "Heavy Showers" . . . Most Americans can drive it — and some who can't, try . . . For although it's now almost foolproof, it's not yet fool-driver proof . . . There are now about 44 million of them in use . . . And they all seem to be on the street when you start to work in the morning . . . New seat covers improve its appearance immensely — but they do make your own clothes look so worn out . . . Mechanics say the most common fault of motorists is "riding" the clutch — but some husbands complain their wives "ride" the driver too much ... A last thought: those who reach 80 on the speedometer aren't too likely to reach that age. — Roscoe Poland ▲ Prices are rising so fast that a dollar saved is 50 cents lost.