e government moved in and
seized, first the banks and then the railroads. Abandoned realestate was
declared forfeit and opened to homesteading. Prices were pegged and
farmers forced to pay taxes in produce.

Although these measures restored a similitude of life to the nation, it
remained but a feeble imitation of its previous self. Many of the idle
factories failed to reopen, others moved with painful caution. Goods,
already scarce, disappeared almost completely and at the same time a
reckless disregard of formerly sacred symbols seized upon the people.
The grass was coming, so what good was the lot on which they were paying
installments? The grass was coming, so why gather together the dollars
to meet the interest on the mortgage? The grass was coming--what was the
use of depositing money in the bank which would probably go bust
tomorrow?

The inflation would have been worse had it not been for the pegged
prices and other stern measures. The glut on the labor market was
tremendous and wages reached the vanishing point in a currency which
would buy little. Suddenly, the United States, which had so long boasted
of being the richest country in the world, found itself desperately
poor.

Government work projects did little to relieve the suffering of the
proletariat. Deaths from malnutrition mounted and the feeble strikes in
the few operating industries were easily and quickly crushed by starving
strikebreakers ashamed of their deed yet desperately eager to feed their
hungry families. Riots broke out in New York and Detroit, but the police
were fortunately wellfed and the arms wielding the blackjacks which
crushed the skulls of the undernourished rioters were stout.

There was a sweeping revival of organized religion and men too broke to
afford the neighborhood movie flocked to the churches. Brother Paul, now
on a national hookup, repeated his exhortations to all Christians,
urging them to join their Savior in the midst of the grass. There was
great agitation for restraining him; more reserved pastors pointed out
that he was responsible for increasing the national suicide rate, but
the Federal Communications Commission took no action against him,
possibly because, as some said, it was cheaper to let a percentage of
the surplus population find an ecstatic death than to feed it.

On political maps the United States had lost not one foot of territory.
Population statistics showed it harbored as many men, women, and
child