The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1898-09-05
PEMMY WIS
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Americans &c th0 claes W DO 40 to
Europe take note thar, in Germany a.
coin is used seaile9s pfennig and
worth a quarter of a cent and that
IN France -centimes are in use, which
nre current at one fifth Of a cent
This pfactieeof using money in such
miuute@ divisions excites. the@e0n-i
tempt of Americans, which. is, how
ever, returned by the Germans and
French and is expressed freely at the
foolish and wasteful Americans
who, il their own country, make NO
use of any coin less than a GENT. -
And YET there ie change gradual
w extending over the United States
in what may be called the money
using habits of the people. There
was a time within the remembrance
of western and southern Americans.
before United States silver coin was
in general circulation in the Missis-
eippi valley, when the picaynne, q
Spanish coin worth when in good
condition 6z cents and when worn
smooth 5 cents, WAS the smallest
coin in use. From the picayune
came the word picayunish, signify
ing a small, mean, penurious ma
ture. In New England, where the
people SO divided the dollar as to
create many fractions and continued
to speak of shillings. pence and half
pence long after our separation from
England. a copper coinage was main
tained, and people contended for the
odd cents and even half cents due
them in making change from the
earliest ages, but beginning west Of
the Hudson there was until COM
paratively recent period an absence
of copper coins, nothing for sale at
less than cents and general die
position to speak lightly of even s
cent trans actions.
This has, within the present gen.
Grafton, greatly changed. The nickel
has come to stay, and cents are ev-
! erywhere in circulation. The gov
! ernment set an example in first re-
duoing letter postage TO 3 cents and
later to cents. The proud, naughty
and lavish American found himself
compelled to deal in coins less than
5 cents. The cheapening of postage
led to the selling of many articles
of common use, such as newspapers.
at less than cents. and whatever
sacrifice of pride it may have cost,
the average American found himself
buying these things at the reduced
prices and dealing in nickels and
pennies. 1t was a come down, but
il came.
1t should be remembered that
these so called dealings were not the
result of decreasing wealth in the
country, since the supply of money
in the country has been steadily in
creasing for many years, but were
the effect of increasing sense. The
massive and yet acute intellect ot
the American has grasped the fact
that there is no reason why he
should buy more of a given article
than lie needs on pay for it twice sH
much as is asked. Slowly the most
intelligent and best educated inhab.
liant OF the earth has surrounded
the operation of buying a cent :
worth of something, if that is what
he needs, and paying Il cent for it,
With the increased use of smaller
change has come the practice of buy.
ing and selling most things at once
unheard of prices. The word cheap
once unpopular with Americans, il
quite common now. There is a high
price and low price for everything
and well to DO people are not afraid
or ashamed to pay the latter.
We have not arrived yet ut the
pfennig and the cen,ime, but We
may get there. We do not save
matches and candle ends and lump.
of sugar which we have once bought
and paid for, as they DO in the ole
countries, but there is no good rea
son why we should not. With al
our wisdom there is no just cause
, why we should not accumulate pen
. ny wisdom. 1t is hard to predic
what the United States might arrive
atif, in addition TO being the riches
, country in the world, it was in III,
habits of its people the mcst sensi
BILE and saving. Kansas City Star.
, Book Titles.