The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1895-09-19
SMALL SAVINGS,
rar-iessness with Children in the Matte.
of Spending Money

of Spending Money.
There is an old Scotch proverb con-
tinually being verified and continually
repeated in various familiar sayings to
The effect that small savings, the petty
matters that so many fail to heed,
slowly and steadily accumulate until
they force their attention by their
amount. The power to control small
expenditures is almost a gift by itself
Yet 1t is faculty, to use the favorite
New England word indicative of thrift.
that can be acquired Many a person
who began life with extravagant ideas
has learned from that stern master,
necessity, that, many a micllle makes
a muckle"
Parents who allow their children to
have spending money that they make
no account of are building up a char
acter for reckless expenditure in after
life The child may have foundation
OF common sense in his nature that
eventually overcomes such tendencies,
yet this tendency is the legitimate re-
suit of careless rearing. The niggard
parents who fail to give their children
any spending money, so that they grow
up to mature age without any expert
ence In money matters, makes an even
greater mistake. The person who has
had no experience necessarily falls
dppe to all sorts of schemes The
sWnnies of the child represent as large
a sum to his infantile mind as the dol
lars do to the bread-earner. If the
child is taught a simple method of
keeping accounts SO that he can show
just what he has done with his spend
ing money as soon as he has learned
arithmetic enough for the purpose, it
will be of inestimab BILE value to him.
The care and correctness of the little
accounts book should be the basis on
which the next allowance of spending
money should be granted. BY all
means, if possible, give girl or boy a
stated amount of cash, either as a week.
ly gift or as payment for special
work. If the young person knows Just
what he receives and what he is ex-
pected to provide for himself from the
amount, his expend lures can be
graded to meet the requirements of
the case.
Just as soon as a young man or wom-
an arrives at an age when they can
make an intelligent choice Of their
clothes and other things, they ought
to be required to do So always under
proper guidance at first 1t is better
that they should learn at an early age
to be dependent on themselves in such
matters Too many girls first learn to
purchase for themselves when they are
married, and the purchasing for their
entire household is thrust upon them.
1t Is natural with womans education
i'll minutia that she should be a better
Judge of clothes and dry goods general
ly than man unless he has made
business of such things. Hence, the
purchasing of supplies for the house
hold quite commonly falls to a woman's
lot 1t is therefore as essential to the
education of a girl that she should I'M
derstand marketing and shopping and
be taught by experience something
about the purchasing power of money,
as that her brother should be taught
to use money. 1t has frequently been
noted that spendthrifts come from
these two classes: Those who are given
money reckless-y in childhood by dot
ing parents who desire to crafty every
whim and from those who have never
had any money to spend and to whom
the possession of money is an entirely
new sensation. Children who have
been wisely reared to use and appreci-
ate the value of money seldom are
spendthrifts. Nor does such train
ing make sensible persons parsimon-
ious. The person who loves money for
itself is one who has never learned to
spend it, and who is a miser because
be distrusts himsef-N. Y. Tribune.