The White Pine news. [volume] (Treasure City, Nev.) 1868-1906, 1885-03-21
THE wORKINGmAN,s CAPITAL.
SQUAD Advice 10 These Who work for
Daily Wages.
IFrom the Scientific Americana

AT this season OF the year business
men are accustomed 10 .Lake account
of stock" that Is, review their assets
IN detail and sum up the value Of their
stock IN trade, 10 discover exactly
how they stand, and what courses
may be best for theft future success
IN business.
Such Il not the general custom oil
nlen depending for support solely or
mainly on their power 10 earn wages.
They are more apt to lot things 90 as
they have gone, unconsciously as
suning thai they have no assets, no
stock III trade, and that II does not
lie within their power TO materially
alter the conditions of their daily life
and income, unless, 1t may be, 10
strike when their mates do for higher
wages. Yet the poorest laborer has
capital, the amount and value of
which he can usually increase, some-
times greatly increase, with com para
lively little care and effort; capital
which from the nature of things must
inevitably vanish a. tue years roll on,
may be slowly, may be suddenly and
utterly any DAY. ailIng 10 recognize
the existence and importance OF such
working capital, too many working
men squander II thoughllessly, while
more allow 1t 10 waste away to moth
ing, with scarcely an effort 10 arrest
or lessen, or prevent Its wastage or
destruction, and without much effort
TO acquire other capital 10 MI It's place.
Take, for example, the vase o. u
young man beginning lite a. labor
or, aud able ~ earn no more than a
dollar u day. Nevertheless, he ha,
al actual capital equivalent, If rightly
used, 10 safe Investment oi froh
3, ,OU0 10 $40, 0,OO0-capltal tnat he NAV
Increase or diminish, throw away or
multiply indefinitely, just as he lihes,
just as reauily and ~ surely a. The
average business man can squanuer
or Increase an equal SUN Invested In
trade.
Ten thousand dollars u. ). ) PER
cent. bonds (now quoted above par.
and accordingly reckonea by invest
or "a desirable as we'll ~ sale) yield
s300a year, or, omitting sundays and
holldaAs, sl per day. That II the
amount earned by our young laborer
IL Is fair, lhereiore, for us to
reckon his rude strength aud intelii
gence sufficient for simple labor, as
aorlh as much TO him A. $40, ,OUO IN
government per cent. bonds; and II
Is actually worth more 10 him than
that amount OF inA est. Il money would
ue eoa led with inability to earn his
II ing ~ the use Of his hands.
WHAT young laborer, not fool,
sould sell his two hands for 81 1000?
Or would. for that relatively small
-uIn, exchange his vigorous no lily
lralne Tor the body of parals tic
Youth. health, and u capacity to do
are elements Of Working capital that
many u nllliona re would be Z al 10
swap bis millions for.
But these are not all the productive
elements ol Young workinginan'
ga fllal, thou n hey are eienents
which 100 many sqnander ~ithost
81 or estinA iug I'll, IL value un II they
are gone. Wages 80 NAL ~ 81 a day
pr. snpposes very little intelligence,
cry lit,le skill. aud no great respon-
SiDillty. These, for wage earning pur
poses, are factors of higher value;
and the worker who adds them TO his
ca pilal will soon find its productive
value doubled. tribled, possibly mul.
tIplied many fold. Aud n Is always
possible for the young worker thus 10
increase his capital by adding 10 his
know ledge and skill, and still more
ny proving his fitness for positions OF
trust and responsibility.
A larger knowledge OF mechanics,
finer workmanship, the ability TO
handle new tools, or the acquisition
of new art, which any Young me-
chanic may gain by the Improvement
of winters evenings, may easily
add n dollar To ms ,laIly wages, and
accordingly nay be counted as add
ing another $4,000 to his invested
capital.
Since wages measure the worth
rather than the severity OF ones Ia
bors and nothing adds so much to
the worth of labor as intelligence,
skill and trustworthiness, 1t usually
happens that the best paid labor is
not the severest or most exhausting.
Indeed, 1t often happens that mans
trusty character is by far the most
valuable, because the most produc-
tive, part of his working capital, earn
ing him two, five, or ten dollars,
where his brute capacity to toll would
not bring him more than one dollar