Fraternity-Testvériség, 1960 (38. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1960-12-01 / 12. szám
6 FRATERNITY THIS SHRINKING WORLD In this age of supersonic rockets and jets, it is not a cliche to say the world is shrinking. Because as you look around, lots of things on our planet actually are shrinking. In recent years — even months — something has happened to ties, cars, turkeys, radios, telephones, cereal boxes. They’re getting smaller, narrower, thinner . . . shrinking. Take compact cars. They twist and fit into parking spaces the old- time cars couldn’t even enter endwise. Or take one of your ties and put it next to the neckwear you wore a year or two ago. It’s half the width. And look at most hat brims. They used to be about three inches wide, even more. Now they’re less than two. Speaking about clothes, your old suits would look peculiar if you wore them today. The modern lapel is half the width of a few years ago. And the bulky shoulders are now passé — hail the slender ‘‘natural” shoulders! But the process of miniaturization doesn’t stop there. As Alice in Wonderland would say, “My, my! Everything’s getting iittler and littler!” Turkeys are “reduced” — and how! The one-time husky 10 or 12 pound birds that could feed a family for a week around Thanksgiving time are nix. Today’s “family size” birds are two or three pounds. You consume them easily at one meal. The fat round cigars are now “cigarillos”. Radios are so small you don’t merely carry them in your pocket — you can fit some of them into your wallet! Have you seen the new telephone? Once about two feet long and hung on a wall, it came down to desk size some years ago. The new Princess makes the one presently on your table look huge. It’s one- third less in bulk, half the weight. A tiny light illuminates the dial so you needn’t put on a room light to dial a number. And look around in the modern grocery. Cereals now come in “individual serving” boxes, not big containers. You can buy a loaf of bread with but eight slices; or a can of vegetables to provide one serving. Frankfurters come in “cocktail” size; juice in a tin holding one glassful. They even have food “concentrates”. With them, you can carry your breakfast, lunch and dinner in a glassine bag that fits into your change pocket. That’s what’s happened to a lot of things you own, eat, use or wear. Not to mention — and we do so with a distinct note of sadness — the shrinking dollar. For those who long for the good old days — this is the one sad note in the whole story.
