Feliciana sentinel. [volume] (St. Francisville, La.) 1877-1892, 1889-06-22

| lhto tnat DOX In tnreo months, at q
q cost OF not less than one hundred
dollars"
| The merchant was surprised. and he
could scarcely believe the statement,
for he kept no account of the cigars
used. He had never kept an account
OF these little expenses. He kept no
expense book when he was a boy, and
he never thought about keeping one
when he became a man. Why should
| her Is not the boy ''father of the
| man?"
| Whether the young student, OF
whom we have spoken, was faithful
to keep an account OF his expenses or
not, we know OF one boy who was.
His parents required him to keep an
| expense book, before he was old
enough to go away to school. When
he left home for the academy, his
father allowed him fifty cents a month
for pocket money. With this he could
] do rs he pleased. But his expense
| book set him to thinking. 1t would
look better If it should show a bal
ance in favor of his pocket from
month to month.
The thought decided his course, and
he spent but twenty-five cents month,
thus saving one-half of his allowance.
The expense book did it. The whole
! would have gone but for that accurate
account. He became a noble, affluent
man. and often said that the expense
book of his boyhood contributed large
ly to make him what he was.
The expense book has often estab-
lished the habit of economy, which
has proven the foundation of fortune.
On the other hand neglecting to note
the method of spending money in early
life has led to improvidence and want
''The ship which bore home the mer-
chants treasure was lost because it
was allowed to leave the port from
which it sailed with a very little hole
in the bottom" "a small leal, will
sink a ship" The expense book may
stop the small leaks.
"For want of a nail the shoe Of the
aide-de-camp's horse was lost; for
want of the shoe the horse was lost;
for want OF the shoe the aide-de-camp
himself was lost. for the enemy took
him and killed him; and. fnr-w II
the aide-de-ca2mp's s ,inteIHgencd.the
army of his General was lost And all
because little nail not been properly
fixed in q horses shoe"
A good illustration of the manner in
which an evil habit Of youth, though
small in itself, may grow and curse the
whole future life.
So far as money is concerned, the
expense book is designed to guard
against such Vesult.
Amos Lawrence presented to one of
his sons on his twentieth birthday an
expense book, with the following writ
ten on the first page:
My DEAR Son: I give you this little book
that you may write in IL how much money you
receive and how you use 1t. 1t Is of much i'm
portance in forming your early character to
have correct habits and strict regard to truth
in all you DO For this purpose. advise you
never to cheat yourself by making false entry
in this book II you spend money for an object
you would not willingly have known, you will
be more likely to avoid doing the same thing
again. II You call it by its right name here,
| membering always that there is One who can
not be deceived. I pray God SO to guide aud
direct You that when your stewardship here is
ended He may say to you that the talents
trusted to your care have been faithfully en-
ployed. Your aTectionate father a. L.
In 1922, Lawrence wrote to the
father of boy who came from Con-
necticut to serve in his store: "Will it
not be we'll for him to furnish you at
stated periods an exact account of his
expenditures? The habit of keeping
such an account will be serviceable
! and, if he is prudent, the satisfaction
will be great ten years hence, in look
ing back and observing the process
by which his character has been
formed"
Joseph Baxendale, one OF Englaud's
| most successful merchants, was well
known for his practical wisdom a|
| the good influence he eAerted ova} his
employees. He saw every day the
evils of wastefut habits in early life,
extending into manhood and woman
hood; and he sought to accomplish by
placards what the expense book might
have done in boyhood and girlhood.
He posted up notices in his ware
houses like the following: "a Penny
Saved Is Penny Earned" "He Who
Spends All He Gets Is On the Way to
Beggary," Time Lost Can Not Be
Regained," "Let Industry and Econo-
my Be the Habits of Your Lives. y
Lay By Something For Rainy Day"
These notices were reminders and
teachers to his work-people, as the
expense book reminds and teaches a
boy or girl. They reformed the habits
of some employees by causing them to
reflect. Getting a good ideainto their
heads from one of them, changed the
current of their lives.
The expense book is an idea, and ii
| si,ncastS idea tn the Nj. is