
                    CABBAGE, BREAD, AND DOUGH
                         by Marc Maurer

     The power of a nation may be measured by its capacity for
moral suasion, by its intellectual accomplishments, by the
cultural artifacts which result from the efforts of its people,
by its military might, or by the magnificence of its
architecture. Most of these tests are a measure of what the
country has already done--not what it will do. There is, however,
a less well-known and more pervasive standard for indicating the
position or power of a nation. This is the willingness of others
to accept its money. Historically within a region of the world
the currency of one nation predominates. The Roman denarius
traveled with the Roman army during the conquest of Europe and
the Middle East. The influence of this Roman coin was so great
that it remained a standard unit of money in parts of Europe from
the time of the Roman Empire until the French Revolution in the
late 18th Century. 
     In the latter half of the 15th century and during much of
the 16th Spain built and maintained the most powerful naval force
in the western world. Spanish explorers sent treasure ships to
the mother country from Central and South America. Because of the
large amount of gold and silver that came into the European
economic system, there was a period of major inflation. However,
the predominance of Spain in the world was felt in the economies
of European countries. The business of the Continent was
conducted largely with Spanish money. 
     In 1588 an English fleet defeated the Spanish armada. At
about the same time English explorers circumnavigated the globe.
By the 19th century there were English colonies in every part of
the world. It was said that the sun never set on the British
flag. The monetary system of the world also changed. The British
pound sterling became the international currency. London became
the banking center (and, to some extent, the power center) of the
world.
     In the first half of the 20th century the most readily
accepted international currency changed again. President Theodore
Roosevelt called a summit conference to discuss monetary
standards and to stabilize world trade. The dollar became the
predominant unit of international exchange. Whenever the money of
a country was to be valued, the standard of measure was the U.S.
dollar. At the same time the military power of the United States
was regarded as second to none, and the intangible commodity
called "yankee ingenuity" was envied and admired. 
     If a nation is to be a predominant world power, its money
will have preeminence in world trade. Whether it is that the
nation makes the money important or that the money makes the
nation important is immaterial. It is true that no important
monetary system has ever been established except in connection
with a powerful nation. It is not that preeminence in economic
affairs is necessarily a precondition to a country's becoming a
world power. However, a nation which holds preeminence in its
currency will inevitably be among the most powerful in the world.
     Until recently there were those who wondered whether the
Soviet Union would conquer the world. It now appears that this
will not be the case. However, if there should be a threat from
the Soviets in the future, it is unlikely to be determinative
unless a major portion of world trade begins to be transacted in
rubles.
     One of the significant currencies in the world today is the
Japanese yen. During much of this century Japan has been a major
participant in world affairs. In the early 1900s the naval power
of Japan defeated Russia. During the past twenty-five years the
Japanese have increasingly captured important segments of the
American and European markets. It is worth wondering whether the
military power of Japan failed to achieve victory in World War II
because the Japanese had not achieved sufficient economic
strength at that time. Perhaps more attention to monetary matters
would have won more battles for Japan. 
     Such speculation is given heightened plausibility when we
remember that one of the weapons used in war is usually
counterfeit money. The theory is that if a sizable amount of
well-made counterfeit money is distributed in the enemy country,
it will cause disruption of the economic system because of fear
of accepting that country's currency. 
     We in the National Federation of the Blind devote a great
deal of time and effort to fund raising. This is among our most
significant activities--not only because of the money we generate
(though that is of tremendous importance), but also because fund
raising requires us as blind people to adopt roles essential for
success. The transformation of a segment of society from one
class to another demands that many members of that class
undertake tasks which they have not traditionally performed. To
do fund raising we as blind people must organize our time, offer
a service to others, consider the problems of administration,
solve the difficulties of transportation, recognize the need to
establish systems of accounting and security, and cope with all
of the other details incident to the operation of a complex
structure of daily performance and coordinated effort. Whether
they say it or not (and, for that matter, whether they even know
it consciously), most people begin with the underlying notion
that this level of sophisticated activity is too much for the
blind--and unfortunately many of us who are blind (at least
subconsciously and by our behavior) agree. We of the National
Federation of the Blind reject this idea, not only in specifics
but also as a general principle of philosophy and commitment.
Make no mistake. The money we get through fund raising is
important, but even more valuable may be the establishment and
continuation of the patterns of daily conduct made necessary by
the demands of funding our movement--the patterns of self-
respecting, responsible, first-class human beings.
     The moral of the story is clear: Build a program, raise
money, believe in ourselves and our cause, and behave like the
successful people we are and are increasingly becoming. Let us do
these things, and we will inevitably be preeminent in matters
concerning the blind. This message is not aimed just at state and
chapter leaders. It is meant for all of us, from the newest
member to the national president. Find a way to recruit
Associates; join the PAC Plan; raise money to buy DIG policies,
for yourself and as a chapter project; sell candy or cookies (the
task is not too humble); seek donations from corporations and
individuals; and find imaginative ways to attract contributions.
These activities will be helpful to the organization because they
will broaden our economic base--but they will be at least as
important to you and me (and also to the organization as a whole)
because in the process of building, we will move ever closer to
our final goal of first-class status and full membership in
society. Day by day the average Federationist is becoming
increasingly more self-assured, confident, knowledgeable, and
successful.

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