The daily chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Ind. Ter. [Okla.]) 1898-1902, 1899-04-14
PENNY WISE.


Americans of the class who 60 to
Europe take note that in Germany a
coin is used called a pfennig and
worth quarter of cent and that
in France confines are in use, which
are current at one fifth of cent.
This practice of using money in such
minute divisions excites the con-
tempt Of Americans, which is, how
ever, returned by the Germans'and
Fresch and is expressed freely at the
foolish and wasteful Americans
who, in their own country, make no
use Of any coin less than a cent.
And yet there is changegradual
ly extending over the United States
in what may be called the money
using habits of the people. There
was time within the remembrance
of western and southern Americans,
before United States silver coin was
in general circulation in the Missis-
sippi valley, when the picayune, a
Spanish coin worth when in good
condition 6A cents and when worn
smooth cents, was the smallest
coin in use. From the picayune
came the word picayunish, signify
ing 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, copper coinage was main
tanned, and people oontended 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 a COM
paratively recent period an absence
of copper coins, nothing for sale at
less than 5 cents and general dis
position to speak lightly of even 5
cent transactions.
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-.
ducing 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 come down, but
it 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 of
the American has grasped the fact
that there is no reason why he
should buy more,of a given article
than he needs or pay for it twice as
much as is asked. Slowly the most
intelligent and best educated inhab-
liant of the earth has surrounded
the operation of buying a cents
worth of something, if that is what
he needs, and paying 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, is
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 at the
pfennig and the centine, but we
may get there. We do not save
matches and candle ends and Jumps
of sugar which we have once bought
and paid for, as they do in the old
countries, but there is no good rea-
son why we should not. With all
our wisdom there is 70 just cause
why>we should not accumulate PEN
ny wisdom. 1t is hard TO predict
what the United States might arrive
at if, in addition TO being the richest
country in the world, it was in the