Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1900-01-24

sound business principles. true man
hood, stability of character that will |
enable them to resist temptation and
thereby become part and parcel of our
best citizenship.
Mrs. E. j. Conger read the following
paper on Economy on the Farm.
Mrs. E. j. Congcr.
What are our first thoughts as we
venture to write upon the subject of
economy? Ten out of the dozen would
say, caution and care as to how each
dollar was invested, never to purchase
anything you could possibly get along
without. Frugal economy should not
be desired by anyone, but when you
mistake the word economy, or its true
meaning, for parsimony, it would be
wisdom to stop and consider before
going farther. would say, let none
despise economy in its true sense. An
economy which foresees contingencies
and provides against them shows the
man or woman the essence of honesty.
But parsimony would make O man SO
stingy with himself, his family and
all about him that the man with Or
binary intelligence would shrink from
him and avoid his company in any
and every place. He rightfully be-
longs to the misery class and his
economy, as he terms it, will eventu-
ally drag him down to rags and star
walton. Although sack of gold may
serve him for pillow, his rest is
broken and he appears to all who
know him an object Of pity. This is
one extreme. There is happy medi-
um to all things, and that is the road
we should all follow if we would be
contented and happy in this life.
True economy consists in watching
the little outlets of useless extrav-
agance. Do not look inside the farm
home for all the economy to be prac-
tlced, but turna nd look to the fields
and barns and among your stock. Is
everything done that should he in the
way of preparing the food and furnish
ing water, that the best results may
be looked for in return, and are the
expensive pieces of machinery that
cost you SO much money last year,
and perhaps not yet fully paid for,
well housed to keep them in order for
next year, or will it be necessary to
spend nearly all that was saved, as
you supposed. this year, to put them
in order for the coming harvest?
There is a certain amount of economy
which is necessary to be practiced in
order to be successful in our undertake
ings in all walks of life. In any
branch Of business, let it be on the
farm or in the workshop, in any voca-
ton you may mention, it must he both
economy Of time and money, which
is one and tho same thing. as time is
money. When you find the young
man or woman who idles his or her
time you will usually find them short
Of money, unless they have been for
tunate enough to have fallen heir to
money which was the result Of an
others hard labor. lam not sure that
the word fortunate. :" which have
just used to express my idea upon this
subject, should not have been "un-
| fortunate. Such one. not know
ing the labor that each dollar has cost,
sooner or later, by mismanagement in
the handling Of such money, comes
ly Ignorant of the labor it requires to
slip from his grasp without much
Thought. and NOT until he is conscious
that the last dollar is gone and he
finds it necessary to step out into the
world and earn for himself an honest
living does he really know the value
of the money he has recklessly squan-
dered. AS I said before, we dom t
like stinginess, we don't like economy
when it makes slaves of its subjects.
but there is an economy that we all en-
joy, economy that makes grand pro-
vision for all who practice it, in both
comforts and pleasure. Early rising
on the farm is economy, as it has been
truly said that lone hour in the
! morning is worth two at night. I"
| Therefore to make the best use Of our
time is economy; to give ourselves
and our families the best of care and
attention in the way of food and
clothing is economy to give the stock
upon the farm everything that is me-
cessary to produce the best results is
economy. In short, whatever we do
should always be performed in the
very best manner and to do our best at
all times and in all places is economy
in its broadcast sense.
have told you what economy is,
now let us look over the ground to find
what is not economy.
1t is not economy for man to make
a veritable slave of himself in order to
hoard up his gold for others to guard
over. It is mans duty to live and
let live, and in order to do this we
must make use of this metal we call
money for our good and the good of
the family, in whatever way it is re-
quired. If SEQ that it is necessary
to spend a dollar, do you think stop
and question as to whether I am 60
ing to be able to replace that money
in my purse tomorrow? No, never
give it a second thought. only feel
thankful that have it in my posses
sion and that is mine to spend as I
think best. say it is mine. Yes,
have labored for it and 1t is the result
of honest toll know how it came,
and know it went. am satisfied.
1t would not be economy for the farm
or to spend his hard-earned money for
poor machinery, poor horses or poor
stock of any kind, and neither is it
economy to employ poor help. The
best of everything is always the cheap
est in the end, and therefore the most
economical. Wonld it be good econ
omy to spend the public money for
half-done work? No. just SO with
everything pertaining to the farm.
Always seek for the best. The price
should not control you. Never be
penny wise and pound foolish. !" for
such would be poor economy. My
idea of economy is to make people
more happy and contented and less
slaves to riches. Always remember
that what you use you have, and what
you lay up You lose, as when your
days are numbered and you are called
to leave this world, you are required
to leave everything pertaining to
your earthly possessions behind, as
you have no further use for them.
Then why such scramble for gold by
both saint and sinner, when all we'll
know aside from what they can make
use Of it all must sooner or later be
divided among their own or strangers,
and proves to the receiver curse
rather than blessing?
It is necessary to labor on that we
may not come to want and be bur-
den to our children, but farther than
this think it poor economy to lash