The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1880-02-26
The Value OF a Dollar.

We once employed for short time in
ditching a man who at 81 years of age
was worth some S15, 600, but who lost
most of it on the whole fOolishly, and
was compelled, for a time, at least, to
support his family by working for daily
wages. One night when we paid him,
he said, "I'm much obliged both for
the wages and the tuition. il We sup
posed he referred to instruction in lay
ing tile-drains, but he said g No, l
mean instruction as to the value of mon
.ey. l never knew what a dollar was
worth before. But, after working all
day in the ditch to earn enc, I'm not
likely to spend twenty-five cents. of it
for a cigar or any other nonsense. 81.
We could point Out-scores of city boys
who have become miserable spend
thrifts from the lack of Just such knowl-
edge. Their fathers were more or less
wealthy, but the sons were not put into
the office, or mill, or shop, and made
fairly to earn their money by tiresome
labor, either physical or mental. Their
fathers said to themselves: envy sons
shall never have to drudge as 1 did, -
and so the boys did no labor, bore no
responsibility, and never learned how
money was fairly and honOrably earned,
and, of course, never knew its value or
its proper use.
In a certain rural district we know, we
can count, within radius of ten miles,
more than as many young or middle
aged farmers who have since their ma
iOrity f|run through . from ten to thiF-
ty thousand dollars each, that their
Woodworking fathers left them; and all
because they never learned the UGlaIe Of
q dollar. One such, on his sudden ac-
scession to his property, thought to i'm
press some of his young friends at a
hotel where, they, had stopped for din
sner, BY spreading hundred dollar bill
on his slice of bread and butter and eat
ing it with great apparent relish. He
did SO impress . the one he might have
married with the belief she had better
not marry a man who was both spend
thrift andsfool; and the young man in
less than 20 years saw the time when he
was glad to get the bread and butter,
without the hundred dollar bill for
relish! In youth he had never been
taught to labor, had had a large stock
of spending money compared with the
other farmers sons, and supposed the
only limit TO the amount was - the old
mans stinginess."
Sometimes the same evil results fol
low a very different and 80 heroic treat
ment.' We have insmind a weh-tO-do
farmer who Kept his sons at severe farm
labor from early childhood and never
gave them any spending money or any
chance to earn it, or any interest in
farm or stock, or in the profits of their
labor. OF course, they hated farming.
OF course, they wanted spending
money, like other boys. Natur-
ally and actually failing to get it
otherwise, they & took . butter, eggs,
maple sugar, etc, and sold them to pro-
cure it. He called it stealing,
s'thrashed - the boys severely and put
such valuables under lock and key.
They called it - taking - a small part of
what they earned, and finally ran away
from home and left [" the old gent - TO
find other boys, and pay them for their
labor.
But the subject grows upon US. Ex-
amples multiply in. our memory, of the
sad results that have followed unwise
teaching, or no teaching, in regard to
the value and proper use of money.
We merely wish to say, we believe chill
especially boys, but girls also-in
whatever station in life, should be taught
to earn, to lay mp, andz wisely to. spend
money If born to a heritage of wealth
they should be taught that its possession
brings greater possibilities, and Its
proper management, when they grow
up, will bring even a heavier tax on
their mental and moral powers and
faculties, than would the earning of
livelihood. We think they should even
be taught some useful employment or
mode Of earning money, both as dis