The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1893-06-17
ALLOWANCES FOR CHILDREN.
The Best Way to Train Young
People to a Sense of FInan-
cial Responsibility.

In the spring the young girls fancy
lightly turns TO thoughts of new bonnets
spring dresses, pretty gloves, laces and
ruffies. The hope of them deferre d
sometimes makes her heart very sick
and her mind very full of jealousy,
especially if the other girl has plenty
and she has not. She doesn't see any
reason why she cannot have these
things as well as other people.
She is, as rule, entirely ignorant of
the state of the family exchequer, and
what may be In reality necessary
economy appears to her as meanness
and parsimony. 1t is a great mistake,
the way many parents manage with
their children. Personal responsibility
should begin with personal dignity and
and self-respect, and t'ese should
antedate the school days by many a
year. As soon as a child is old enough
to know that one of the coins of the
realmn means a stick of candy or a
cake, it should be trained to a financial
responsibility and have its regular allow
ance. There are very few families but
that could, in one way or another,
allow for each child one cent a day.
This, all told, amounts 10 $500 in a
year, and is very small m 2tter, except
to the extremely poor. The Sunday
cent should be strictly appropriated for
other uses than Its own pleasure. 1t
may 60 to help the public library or
support the lyceum, or, if the parents
are religiously inclined, it may go to-
ward the building of chapel, the keep
ing up Of Sabbath school, or toward
providing the necessities of life for same
helpless or sick child.
1t is not well to encourage the little
ones to give their pennies to beggars
or to bestow them on organ grinders
or mounte banks. There are much
better uses to which they can put them
and this allowance business is the
foundation of good financial manage
ment. Let the voungster understand
that same portion of its own necessities
must come out of this amount, that by
careful handling the girl can save
enough out of her yearly allowances to
buy herself pair of kid gloves for
Easter or Christmas or some holiday
and she fixes IN her mind the fact
that looking ahead and planning fol
the future brings tangible results. Il
the boy can buy little better wheel
or can put by money toward the covet
ed goat or pony, that is just SO much
of the financial problem of life solved
for him by himself To give child
an allowance and exact no accounting
for it IS to make child pensionel
and put him on a level with Other
dependents. Teach him to set aside
certain portions for certain purposes.
One of the wisest OF experlmentalist:
tried this plan with great success. Sur
days portion OF one cent meant public
spirit of some sort or at least other thar
his own qualification. Mondays cen
went into the savings bank, Tuesday:
represented necessities, out of this camt
some better than usual article of dress
such as gloves, neckties and the like
These, by the addition of this sum Sc
aside, were a little better than thos'
that the boy had been in the habit o
wearing. This impressed him with tn,
idea that by care and prudence hi
could dress better if he planned aheat
for it. Wednesdays cent went for the
indispensables of boyish amusement
such as marbles, pocket-knife and tn,
like. Thursdays portion went into !
fund for gifts for the family. Friday
went for books, instructive and anus
ing. Saturdays was set apart for al
emergency fund and was to be draw
on for anything the youngster Nigh
fancy. Sometimes it went for candy
sometimes for cakes, for the child wa
little more than baby, being but
years old. When he was o his allow
ance was to be doubled, provided h
made good use of it After two year
of experience the child became a
methodical as one could imagine, an,
would no more draw on his saving
bank fund for means to add to his ow
pleasure than he would have helpe
himself to his sisters portion of food {