Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1886-05-19
Tho Only Safe Rule for Young
Housekeepeers.

One of the most serious and insldi-
GUS obstacles in the way of thrift, of
ease of mind and of true household
! comfort, Is the running account. -
Doubtless the credit system originated
in benevolent intention to do good,
and, in its wider application, it IS nee
essary to carry on the great CONNER
cal, social and financial undertakings
of the world, but it is great enemy to
home economy. 1t Is the foundation
for debt and all the distressing form ula
of indebtedness, duns, notes of hand,
liens. mortgages, and a thousand-and-
one of the miserleS and membranes
known to legal phIaseology and prac-
tlce which are the bane of life.
Jack Falstaff, who got all the good
out of the credit system there was In
it. declared: ''If L had thousand
sons the first human principle would
teach them should be to forswear their
potations and addict themselves TO
sack" But Jack was the prince of
scapegraees, and only remembered one
half of the nle,nl ct tlRIm division Of
property. His debts never bothered
him, except he had difficulty in making
them. If the writer had thousand
sons and daughters the first human
principle she would teach them would
he never to establish a running ac-
count. No one can live within his or
her income who spends money in ad-
vance of earning it. Persons who live
in this way, in fact, never have any
income, they have an Outgo that eats
up Income before it gets inside the
door.
The running account" however, is
more dangerous for the housewife, be-
cause she is not usually either the
wa ye-earner or the paymaster in the
household. She gets what she wants
on credit, because there is no partic-
Ular trouble in getting it and without
the appreciation of the trouble of pay
ing for it which grows out OF the ne
ces -ity for scraping the dollars to-
gether in whatever way the husband
comes By his money, whether it be IN
swinging a blacksmith's hammer, in
throwing a weaver'S shuttle, in meas
uring tape and molasses, or IN guiding
the handles of his plow. She does the
multifarious and never-ending work of
her household, keeps the table well
spread, the house tidy, the beds aired,
ard the bread well-baked and nutrit
IOus, and it is not at all to be Won
dered at that she thinks it is enough.
The mistake is in the beginning in
having things that are not paid for.
The housekeeper who spends only what
money she has TO spend Is not only re-
lieyed of the worry of debtor what
worries the husband will worry the
good wife but she is made a conscious
power in the pay and provender depart
ment of her establishment. Instead of
being a drag upon her husbands ener-
gies, ste is made to understand Tor
herself the limitations of the fund
which she draws upon, and how much
may be paid out and how much laid up
for emergencies.
Young couples who start out by run
ming in debt should remember that they
can not IN the long run get an inch the
start of the world i'll that way. They
can only live up to their earnings after
all is said and done. BY running an
account with the butcher, the baker
and eandlestick-maker, they give these
several dealers an opportunity to charge
them high prices for their PURCHASES.
The storekeeper who sells his wares on
credit is always obliged to make good
the accounts of his bad customers by
taking larger profits from those who
get credit and pay. Besides, it is
rule, which acute business men thor
oughly understand, that money is
worth, and will usually bring, some
rate of interest, or an equivalent sum
by being frequently turned over. Is II
not fair to suppose that the shOpkeeper
l1OkS to his credit customer To make
good the deficit in his bank account
brought about by the system of run
ming accounts?'' On the contrary, the
buyer who buys for cash can choose
where she will buy, which is a great
advantage, and she can buy for lower
prices. The cash price IS always the
lowest, and the cash customer is al
ways the preferred customer.
1t too often happens that no check is
kept upon the running account. Set
Ting day is always day of surprise
for the debtor, and big store bills are
perpetual source of family broils aad
discomfort. People who pay ''Some |
other day" nine times out Of ten carry !
the imprOyidence of their getting into !
an lmprovidence of use. Those who
are accustomed to get without care use
without stint.
There is no rule in the world for large |
affairs or small ones like the rule of /
"Pay as you CO." 1t is the foundation |
not only of good finance but of good
temper and good fortune as well. And
{ specially the housewife who is wise |
enough to give the matter a little ser;-
Gus thought and determination enough |
10 stand by her convictions will need
no monitor TO warn her of the folly and
danger OF running accounts"