The morning star and Catholic messenger., 1878-10-20
HOW ONE HUNDRED POOR FAMILIES
MADE THEMSEL TES INDEPENDENT
Boston Pilot.

CuSTe were just -OU lamllles, nall OF whom
lived on one side of the stream, and half
on the other. These families were com
posed of people none of whom were rich,
willie a great many might be called poor.
1t 60 happened that about ten years ago
the man who kept the general grocery and
provision store on one ti1e of the stream,
fell sick and died aud the same week the
man who kept similar store on the other
side of the stream died also. Although the
people of the village were mainly poor,
both these men had grown rich, and lett
large fortunes behind them.
The son of the dealer who lived on the
south side ofthe stream, took up his fathers
business, and carried it on, and all the 100
families who lived on that side dealt with
him, and left him by far the larger part of
their earnings, for he supplied them with
almost all they needed for domestic uee.
But the other deceased grocer had no
son, and his widow wanted to go to a warm
climate. The stock was for sale, aud sew
erl sharp people saw that it was rare
that parish was wise old man, and he
called meeting of the one hundred fam
lilies on his side of the stream. He stated
to this meeting that the general stock of
the store was valued at 81 ,O0O and he pro-
posed that the one hundred families sub
scribe this amount, and run the store for
themselves.
value. Each family psid in $40, and re-
ceived receipt or bond, with guarantee
of five per cent. a year on their money, a
fair profit. They then elected person to
run the store, and appointed committee
to examine :he accounts. They also made
rule that all business was to be done ON a
strict cash basis, both buying and selling.
Then they began to deal in their own
store and for every dollar they spent they
received brass "check," and other kinds
of "checks" for sums under dollar, so that
they held a receipt from the store for every
cent they spent in it.
Each family kept these checks till the
end of a quarter, when the books were
balanced and the profits divided. The
beauty of the system was then seen, for
the people dreoU their profits not on the bonds
they held, but on the "checks." The family
that had the greatest number of ''checks"
drew the largest dividend. In other words,
the family that had purchased the greatest
quantityt of goods at the store, drew out
the largest profit, 80 that instead of "eat-
ing themselves out of house and home,"
they found they could, in few years,
really eat themselves into house and
home.
You see, the store was paid for with their
own money, 80 that all profits on the goods
they bought belonged to themselves, and
were not divided equally amongst all the
poor man say to his wife on Saturday
night, "Now, buy good lot of things this
week, for want to see these checks grow"
In fact, another great good was done by
this system, for every man began to take
an interest in business calculations.
At the eud of ten years it was found that
an average profit of SO week had been
made on each family. This amounted to
$4,000 year; 80 that at the end of the
ten years there had been divided among
the one hundred families the sum of
500, 600, or $1,000 to each family. Most
of the villagers had saved their dividends,
and bought land, so that at the end of the
ten years these one hundred families had
each handsome farm and were comforta- |
BILE and independent people.
On the other side of the stream there |
was different etory to tell. The people |
all dealt with the lncky grocer, and they |
found that all, or nearly all they earned |
went to support the family. They paid |
the same prices 90 their neighbors on the |
other side; but they did not get as good
articles, and those who ran on credit had
to pay more. They went on from year to
year, growing poorer as their children
came but all this time the thrifty dealer
was growing richer and richer. AT the end
of the ten years the grocer retired with a
fortune of 100000, and gave his business
to the young man who married his daugh.
ter.
Now, we ask workingmen to read this
article over just once more, and then say
what they think of these two plans. There
is no nonsense or fancy about them-they
are both facts-aud one is as practicable as
the other. The workingmen of all coun
tries are now living on the latter plan, and
of dealers are growing wealthy
On their earnings. Thousands of working
men have tried the other plan, and have
succeeded, and are to day comfortable and
Please read this over once more, and talk
about it to your neighbOrs. This ia the
ray out for the workingmen-it is sure
way, u safe way, aud the only way.
A boot invented by Captain Barthe of
he French army has been recommended
oy many officers whose men have made