Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1880-08-11

How NEW ENGLANDERs SAVE MONEY.
Almost any New Highlander can recall
country minister who, on his little yearly
salary of three or four hundred dollars,
managed, by the help of his wife. to live
respectfully and comfortably, educate a
large family for self, support and social
usefulness, and lay up something every
year against the rainy day which comes in
all mems lives. We have wondered how
1t was done, but we know it was done. and
that he died at last the possessor of nice
little pronerty. New England has been
noted for its hard soil and its hard condi-
tions generally, yet there is no other spot
on the face of the earth that contains SO
much human comfort TO the square mile.
Every man born on New England soil
tries and expects to better his condition
during his life. and lie goes to work at the
beginning with this end definitely in view
The rich men of New England arc men
who began their prosperity with humble
savings. Whatever their income was thew
did not use it all. Twenty five or fifty
dollars year was considered quite worth
saving and laying by. These small sums,
placed at Interest," accumulated slowly but
surely, until the day came at last when it
was capital, to be invested in business
with larger profits. A fortune acquired in
this way was cohesive, strong and perma-
nent.
We are quite aware that something of
grace and ovableness was lost in the habit
of these small economies. Men grew
small quite too often. and pinched and
stingy, by the influence of the habit of
penny savings. This has been brought
against New England us reproach, but
New England has replied, with truthful
ness and pride, that no people of the coun-
try or of the world have been more be-
nevolent than her own economical
children. She points to the vast sums she
has expended on Christian missions, and
to the great public charities whose monu-
ments crown her hill-tops, and shows that
ut the call of Christianity and humanity
her purse, filled with such painstaking and
self-denial, flies open and empties itself to
fill the measure Of the public need. At
any rate, we know that there is not a state
in all the west that has not gone to New
England for the money to build her towns
and her railroads, and that if she has ever
been laggard in her Inequalities, such as
she has practiced have been at her own
expense, and not ut that Of her creditors.
New England is rich-and this, after all,
is what we are trying to say-notwith-
standing hard soil and an inhospitable
climate. Circumstances were against her
from the beginning, and economy was
what enabled her to conquer circumstan-
ces, and lift herself to the commanding
position of wealth and influence which she
holds to-day. The men who had an in
come of three hundred dollars a year,
at the beginning lived on two hundred
dollars. The men who had an income of
five hundred dollars lived CD three hun
bred dollars. Those whose income reach
ed one thousand dollars lived on half that
sum, and SO on. They practiced sell. deni-
al. They had no great opportunities for
making money, and knew that wealth
could only come to them through saving
money. The old farmer who, when asked
what the secret Of his wealth was, replied,
" When | got cent KEEP it," told the
whole story of New England thrift and
Holland, IN august Scri5-
71Cr.