Атлант расправил плечи
Their Brothers’ Keepers
"MissTaggart,wehavenocopperwire!""Nails,MissTaggart,plainnails,couldyoutellsomebodytosendusakegofnails?""Canyoufindanypaint,MissTaggart,anysortofwaterproofpaintanywhere?"
ButthirtymilliondollarsofsubsidymoneyfromWashingtonhadbeenplowedintoProjectSoybean—anenormousacreageinLouisiana,whereaharvestofsoybeanswasripening,asadvocatedandorganizedbyEmmaChalmers,forthepurposeofreconditioningthedietaryhabitsofthenation.EmmaChalmers,betterknownasKip’sMa,wasanoldsociologistwhohadhungaboutWashingtonforyears,asotherwomenofherageandtypehangaboutbarrooms.Forsomereasonwhichnobodycoulddefine,thedeathofhersoninthetunnelcatastrophehadgivenherinWashingtonanauraofmartyrdom,heightenedbyherrecentconversiontoBuddhism."Thesoybeanisamuchmoresturdy,nutritiousandeconomicalplantthanalltheextravagantfoodswhichourwasteful,self-indulgentdiethasconditionedustoexpect,"Kip’sMahadsaidovertheradio;hervoicealwayssoundedasifitwerefallingindrops,notofwater,butofmayonnaise.
"Soybeansmakeanexcellentsubstituteforbread,meat,cerealsandcoffee—andifallofuswerecompelledtoadoptsoybeansasourstaplediet,itwouldsolvethenationalfoodcrisisandmakeitpossibletofeedmorepeople.Thegreatestfoodforthegreatestnumber—that’smyslogan.
