 Why does the group want to buy a hydraulic press?
It is an uneasy privilege then, at least sometimes, to teach my old-fashioned brand of science to these children of a new age. "It has the purpose," I told her, "of teaching the members something about commerce and industry. They manufacture simple compositions like polishing waxes and sell them from door-to-door. Some groups have built up tidy little bank accounts which are available for later educational expenses." Marjorie put back her head and laughed, and I was forced to join her, for we both recognize that my understanding and "feel" for commercial matters—if I may use that expression—is almost nonexistent. Mr. McCormack is going to put up fifty dollars to buy any raw materials wanted Back in the old Ridgeville, fifty-odd miles to the south, we had our home almost paid for, when the accident occurred. When Ridgeville moved to its present site, so, of course, did we, which meant starting mortgage payments all over again. This was to be our headquarters and factory for the summer—a roomy unused barn belonging to the parents of one of the group members, Tommy Miller. My job here is only to advise, and I'm going to do that as little as possible. You're going to decide what to do, and if it's safe and legal and possible to do with the starting capital we have, I'll go along with it and help in any way I can. The group exchanged looks to see who would lead off, and Peter Cope seemed to be elected. "Is that what you want to do," I asked, "make money?" The usual products, of course, with these junior achievement efforts, are chemical specialties that can be made safely and that people will buy and use without misgivings—solvent to free up rusty bolts, cleaner to remove road tar, mechanic's hand soap—that sort of thing. "I'd like to make something by powder metallurgy techniques," said Pete. "You should be able to make ball bearings by molding, then densify them by electroplating." "And all we'd need is a hydraulic press," I told him, "which, on a guess, might cost ten thousand dollars. "No, they're formulations—you know, mixtures. "Well, now," I said, "organic synthesis sounds like another operation calling for capital investment. Healthy mice of the right strain," I explained to Tommy, "might be sold to laboratories.
 They want to make ball bearings.
 They want to make cages for the mice.  They want to make ball bearings.  They want to make kites.  They want to make detergent.