Semi-weekly south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1883-1889, 1888-10-23

DcpositoTs.
AT the beginning of tho year of grace
1888 there were fifteen savings banks in
Boston, having in charge about $93,000,-
600 belonging to nearly 1876, 900 depositors.
Since the first Of tho year two moro sav-
ings banks have been established in tho
city. 30 that these figures nro under
rathor than over Tho facts at the present
moment. 1t may truly bo said that in no
city In tho country. or, for that matter.
In the world. are savings banks moro
conservatively, honorably and safely con-
Quoted than in Boston. These local banks
have. Us rule. had public confidence. and
their reputation leaves nothing to bo do
sired, An officer In one of tho savings
banks informs the writer that tho major
portion Of tho depositors are women.
When asked why this is SO ho gave it as
his opinion that the women arc not so
much given to ms king ''investments" as
tho men. They prefer to put their money
In reputable institution where they
know 1t will be ''safe," and whore 1t will
draw certain interest.
Post yourself In convenient corner at
one Of the leading savings banks on q
busy day and watch tho crowd. As an
opportunity to study humanity this could
hardly be excelled. At tho noon hour tho
depositors come by dozens. some to leave
money and somo to take 1t. Those who
leave the money seem TO have the best Of
1t. II ono may judge by their faces. A
man always draws on his deposit with an
air Of regret, or. at any rate, thero are
few cases In which this will not hold
truo. at the head Of tho limo there Is n
littlo old woman who Is not ut all at her
ease. Tho limo behind presses upon her.
and she does not relish being hurried,
although 1t Is evident that she will 90
nothing loath to leave tho place once sho
has completed her transaction. She has
como. II appears. with ON order from her
son, who has an account hero and who Is
at home i'll. and sho wants $40 But tho
order Is not. properly filled up, and tho
teller tries TO explain the error and inform
her with as much courtesy and pains as
time win permit, that she must 80 homo
and have the mistake recti6ed before she
can have tho money. This she docs not
understand. and you can plainly see that
sho entertains her "suspicions' Of tho.
bank. Its her Jim's money, an she's q
right to It when he tells her TO como and
get it, and she half threatens TO have
tho law on the place" II tho cashier will
not stand and deliver
Tmo Is being wasted. and tho crowd
becomes impatient. md, finally, some ono
in tho limo assures tho old lady that tho
matter will DO "all right" II sho will
follow the advice of tho cashier. 80 off
she goes, mumblingt Then comes q man
OF about 80 or %, looking quito prosper
Gus, and holding bank book in which O
number of bills arc snugly reposing.
"You can't deposit any moro money.
sir. your account is full" says the re-
ceivor
No moro money! Why, what do you
mean by thatI Thought banks would
take as much money as you'd give en-"
"Wc are not permitted to allow any ono
to deposit more than 1000, and your &c
count has already reached that amount, l
find"
.'Must draw u out thenH"
"0h, no; you can allow 1t to remain ur-
I'll, with interest. 1t aoopmnlatcs 10 the
extent Of $1,000. After that time, al
though you may lot the money remain
here, 1t will draw no more interest.
Queer business. that" cxclaims the
prosperous man, who thercupon takes
himself off. f,.,
This may seem "queer business" to the
person who knows nothing OF savings
banks. yet 1t may DO explained by tho
fact that savings banks were not intended
for well to do people but for folk Of hum
bio means. OF course, If you are fortu-
nate enough TO have 81 900 in one bank,
YOU can go TO another bank and open an
account, but II tho officials have any rca-
son to suspect that you are q man of
means they may question you vory cioso-
", and, II they are not satisfied with your
replies, they arc at liberty to reject your
financial offering altogether.
Hero comes q mother asking If she will
bo permitted to deposit money in her
child's name. although the child Is only
two or three months old. She finds that
sho can do so, and sho is delighted.
There are q great many calls at the saw
ings banks for purposes of this sort. Pn-
rents, also, frequently deposit small sums
on tho anniversaries of their children's
birth, and they allow tho money to re-
main In tho bank and accumulate until
tho children como Of ago." Executors
often uso these banks to deposit tho
funds Of an estate during the two years
tho law allows them for settling up afH
fairs Religious and charitable organiza-
tions aroexempt from tho $1,000 restric-
tion. Tho average rate of interest paid
by tho Massachusetts, savings banks last
year was 400 per cent.
Two lines of people como streaming into
tho bank ono limo going to tho receiving
teller and tho other limo to tho paying
teller. Men, women, boys and girls mako
up tho crowd. Sometimes, especially on
whole family will troop into
the place whilo dad" draws something
for the marketing, or for clothing tho
young ones; or perhaps there Is family
celebration Of somo kind on foot, and
they all want q share Of the spoil. Boys
arc generally very proud when they mako
their FIRST deposits, Thoy already begin
to feel like capitalists, and they Grc gem
orally pretty faithful to their savings,
Clerks. boollkeepers, office boys. sales
girls, newsboys, bootblacks. young, OK
quisites whose fathers have given them
somo pocket money on condition that
they will put by certain sum every
week, mechanics, masons, teamsters,
young maids and old ones. old men and
Old women, all or the most OF them bear
ing marks Of their respective trades or
callings, and somo Of them tho tools Of
their trades, como into tho bank, and fall
In limo. It is easy enough to distinguish
the habitues, SO to speak, from tho new
comers; tho first 60 about their business
in very matter Of, fact fashion, and tho
others fidget, ask all sorts Of irrelevant
questions, and are often as nervous when
signing their names us If they were sign
ing their own death warrants. The poorer
and middling classes most generally pa
tronizc tho savings banks because tho
sums they have on hand aro not sufficient
10 warrant them In taking tho trouble to
invest In real estate, or In other ways.
There are thousands of widows whose
names are on the bank books, some OF
them treasuring the remnants Of insur-
anco money, or littlo dividends, or govern
ment pensions, and others bringing their
weekly earnings. s.--Beston Herald.
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