The weekly Shasta courier., 1873-12-13
The Man who Never Expected to
Own a House.

One reason why working men never
acquire property, or become the pos
sesors of home, or have few dollars
even laid up against sickness or dull
times, is the naked fact that they will
never acquire the habit of saving.
The maxim .sWhere there's will
there's a way is illustrated by case
within the personal knowledge of the
writer. In 1850, when the subject of
homes for the industrial classes was be-
ing agitated, the writer was interested
in inducing poor men to obtain homes
for themselves. Being mechanic,
with many men in his employ, he con-
stantly presented and pressed the sub
ject upon their attention; four of these
men now own and live in their own
houses, who commenced saving one,
two and three dollars per week.
One to whom he applied, used this
argument against even making trial
Me to own a home! Why l am a
man forty years of age-have worked
from my boyhood up-and between the
landlord and my family, I have not
seen ten dollars in my hands, that l
could call my own, over a Saturday
night. Me own a house! That's a
practical joke!"
The man was type of large class
for whom this is written faithful, in
ustrious-contented to make Satur-
day night meet had reared family of
four children (all workers., and had nev-
er seen ten dollars that he could call
his own over the week-and this SIM
ply because he never made the effort in
earnest to save dollar. Wages then
Q850) were two dollars per day, about
equal to four dollars per day now.
His employer, who understood men and
why they could not save, nothing daunt-
ed by his workmen's want offaith, insis-
ted that he should make the trial. He
told him that one hundred dollars would
buy the land, and three hundred dol
lars would build the house; and when
the land was paid for, which could be
done simply by saving two dollars per
week for one year, he could get credit
upon the building, pay for it in three
years, and be his own landlord forever
after. Reluctantly and faithlessly he
allowed his employer to keep back two
dollars per week. At the end of two
weeks he came to his employer with a
smiling face and said, "Save three dol
lars week. l have concluded to pinch,
and the old woman and the children are
crazy at the thought of owning home.
They are on the pinch too, and have
saved three dollars this week. Take
this three dollars-the first they ever
saved in their hves-and add it to the
fund. l am bound to have home
They had now ten dollars ahead in
the world, and the Frightening and
cheering prospect of home to live and
die in, and this from a commencement
to save two dollars per week.
The result of these savings, was
nice cheerful home at Mount Vernon,
twelve miles from New York city,
where my hero lived for many years in
comfort and happiness-proud of his
cottage-endeared to his family-where
his daughters were married and where
his widow still resides, with a home
stead now worth by improvements and
the rise of property, two thousand dol
lars.
The moral of this true story is, save.
Make commencement now. Put by
even fifty cents week-beg;n to pinch
as all must who would become indie
pendent of circumstances. If you can
not buy homestead, save to start some
little mechanical business for YOURSELF
or what is far better, save two hundred
dollars in two years, and then ask the
government for one hundred and sixty
acres of land in the West for simply
the asking (your Uncle Sam will do it
cheerfully and promptly, then locate
your future home on the soil, and COM
mence to pinch for two years, and you
will have home where the unwhole-
some landlord S agent comes not-where
damp Easements, sky parlors, buggy
bedrooms, smallpox neighborhoods,
corner gin-mills, filthy walls, chloride
of lime alleys, bad neighbors and bias
phemous oaths will never reach your
ears and shorten your lives. Commence
to save.