Another one of Peter Maurin’s legendary “easy essays.”

1. When John Calvin

legalized money-lending at interest,

he made the bank account

the standard of values.

2. When the bank account

became the standard of values,

people ceased to produce for use

and began to produce for profits.

3. When people began to produce for profits

they became

wealth-producing maniacs.

4. When people became wealth-producing maniacs

they produced too much wealth.

5. When people found out

that they had produced too much wealth

they went on an orgy

of wealth-destruction

and destroyed

ten million lives besides.