For Now

I went to the hardware store the other day, to buy one (1) drill bit for 48 cents—and found myself wanting terribly to buy a whole set of them, neatly ranked from %4 to 16 inch in a cunning little metal case, price eight dollars. My conscience reminded me that I have already three or four such sets at home, full of bits I’ve never used but missing the few that I do use (which is why I was after one (1) in the first place). Still, I wanted that whole, complete set.

That’s the way Americans are, I realized on the way home. My wife is entranced with complete sets of spices in their matching little jars. My little brother wants every single one of those “Matchbox Miniature” toy cars. The Barbie Doll folks made their fortune not on Barbie, but by peddling complete sets of clothes and accessories even unto a boy-friend for her. From Dr. Eliot’s Five-Foot Shelf right up to the Great Books, millions have been made selling us culture in complete sets. As a people, we are not pickers and choosers—we opt always for the whole package.

CS

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C. H. Simonds

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I went to the hardware store the other day, to buy one (1) drill bit for 48 cents—and found myself wanting terribly to buy a whole set of them, neatly ranked from %4 to 16 inch in a cunning little metal case, price eight dollars. My conscience reminded me that I have already three or four such sets at home, full of bits I’ve never used but missing the few that I do use (which is why I was after one (1) in the first place). Still, I wanted that whole, complete set.

That’s the way Americans are, I realized on the way home. My wife is entranced with complete sets of spices in their matching little jars. My little brother wants every single one of those “Matchbox Miniature” toy cars. The Barbie Doll folks made their fortune not on Barbie, but by peddling complete sets of clothes and accessories even unto a boy-friend for her. From Dr. Eliot’s Five-Foot Shelf right up to the Great Books, millions have been made selling us culture in complete sets. As a people, we are not pickers and choosers—we opt always for the whole package.